Murray Reunion 2010!

Greetings!

I hope all is well with the Murray Family. We had a great visit with Dewey and Beverly when they came down for Zach and Karlee’s wedding.

I have finally heard from Camp Nauvoo. Unfortunately, most of the week I requested was taken up by the church.

So, I ended up reserving 4 Nights. Saturday July 31, and August 1, 2, 3. We check out of the camp by noon on the 4th.

I know that this is not what we originally planned, but I hoping that it is still early enough that it will still accommodate everyone.

Please let me know your thoughts about the dates and if you are planning to attend.

Lots of Love,
Travis

Austin and Kyra Fisher's First Day of School and Ball Game

Hello From Jerry

Dear Family-

We have been working on the yard and trying to keep the deer, squirrels and gofers out of the garden and walnut tree here in Petaluma. The garden was starting to produce when we left to go to Utah . I guess I raised a garden for the animals and the kids as I do not think we will get much from the garden this year.

Marylyn is happy to be back in Utah so she can visit her family and live in her house. She is looking forward to all the Fall colors on the mountains and canyons. We went on a picnic up the Provo Canyon with Dewey, Beverly and Neil the other day and we could see that the trees are starting to turn even though it is still rather warm. We enjoyed our time with the Neil and the Dewey's.

We are back in Utah staying with Allison in our Provo House. It seems strange to be here and not serving a mission. We have a lot of time on our hands, although I still have lots to do in the basement. We will just probably keep working on it every time we come back to Utah.

We just returned from our semi-annual trip to Montana with our friends the Lewis’ and the Buchan’s. We spent a week with them in their cabin next to West Yellowstone . We had a great trip but the fishing stunk. I was able to hook a few, but was never able to get them into the boat. That was about all we could complain about as the rest of your time was peaceful and restful. We took in a play at West Yellowstone and went to see Old Faithful . It was not too faithful as it was over a one half hour late. It did give us time to eat our lunch.

This past week we have been out to Myton to do a little clean up on the place and see if we can rent it. I think we have some one who will rent if for a year. Just need to get a contract to him and get the money out of him. .

A rather slow month for the Murrays.
Love,
Jerry (and Marylyn)

Allison's Life

Hello Family!
Just a quick update. I think it was last month that a friend and I were able to attend the temple open house. It was beautiful inside and out! What a great experience to have! I hope everyone who could was able to make it out there!

I was also able to get together with a group of old friends and have dinner with my old bishop and his wife. It was great getting together again! We're planning on having a ward reunion at the end of the month, so I'm looking forward to seeing even more people from my past!


I hope everything is going well for everyone else! Dewey and Beverly are here for a little bit and I was bugging them about posting something on the blog and they said their computer has been down! I hope that is the reason why I haven't heard from lots of my cousins for the blog! :)

Joseph Elison Beck Story

There follows a letter, concerning Joseph Ellison Beck, sent to me by my daughter Sharon. Due to the length of the prayer I’m only going to include a part of it. If anyone would like the full prayer please let me know and I will send it to you. Neil

Dad,Here is the story that I found in a book about pioneer women. I found it under Hannah Forsyth Beck.Joseph Ellison Beck"...He first heard the gospel at a street meeting conducted by Apostle Orson Hyde who was on his way to Palestine to dedicate the land as a gathering place for the Jews. He was impressed by the elder's message and determination to fulfill the mission assigned to him. At the close of the meeting Joseph stepped to the front of the crowd and handed the speaker a wallet containing money and departed without letting his identity be known, only asking to be remembered in the dedicatory prayer on the mount of Olives, which he did."
(The following is a part of the dedicatory prayer mentioning grandfather Beck.)
PRAYER OF ORSON HYDE ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES "O Thou! who art from everlasting to everlasting, eternally and unchangeably the same, even the God who rules in the heavens above, and controls the destinies of men on the earth, wilt Thou not condescend, through thine infinite goodness and royal favor, to listen to the prayer of Thy servant which he this day offers up unto Thee in the name of Thy holy child Jesus, upon this land, where the Son of Righteousness set in blood, and thine Anointed One expired."Be pleased, O Lord, to forgive all the follies, weaknesses, vanities, and sins of Thy servant, and strengthen him to resist all future temptations. Give him prudence and discernment that he may avoid the evil, and a heart to choose the good; give him fortitude to bear up under trying and adverse circumstances, and grace to endure all things for Thy name's sake, until the end shall come, when all the Saints shall rest in peace. ---------------------------------------

"Do Thou also look with favor upon all those through whose liberality I have been enabled to come to this land; and in the day when Thou shalt reward all people according to their works, let these also not be passed by or forgotten, but in time let them be in readiness to enjoy the glory of those mansions which Jesus has gone to prepare. [PARTICULARLY DO THOU BLESS THE STRANGER IN PHILADELPHIA, WHOM I NEVER SAW, BUT WHO SENT ME GOLD, WITH A REQUEST THAT I SHOULD PRAY FORM HIM IN JERUSALEM. NOW, O LORD, LET BLESSINGS COME UPON HIM FROM AND UNEXPECTED QUARTER, AND LET HIS BASKET BE FILLED, AND HIS STOREHOUSE ABOUND WITH PLENTY, AND LET NOT THE GOOD THINGS OF THE EARTH BE HIS ONLY PORTION, BUT LET HIM BE FOUND AMOUNG THOSE TO WHOM IT SHALL BE SAID,'THOU HAST BEEN FAITHFUL OVER A FEW THINGS, AND I WILL MAKE THEE RULER OVER MANY."]"O my Father in heaven! I now ask Thee in the name of Jesus to remember Zion, with all her Stakes, and with all her assemblies. She has been grievously afflicted and smitten; she has mourned; she has wept; her enemies have triumphed, and have said, `Ah, where is thy God?' Her Priests and Prophets have groaned in chains and fetters within the gloomy walls of prisons, while many were slain, and now sleep in the arms of death. How long, O Lord, shall iniquity triumph, and sin go unpunished? ------------------------------------------- And all the glory and honor will we ascribe unto God and the Lamb forever and ever. Amen."

On the top of Mount Olives I erected a pile of stones as a witness according to ancient custom. On what was anciently called Mount Zion, [Moriah?] where the Temple stood, I erected another, and used the rod according to the prediction upon my head. -----------------------
May grace, mercy and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, rest upon you all from this time, henceforth and for ever. Amen. Your brother in Christ, ORSON HYDE
JOSEPH ELLISON BECK - HANNAH FORSYTH MARGRET FRANCENA BECK - RICHARD MURRAY JAMES BECK MURRAY - ATTA ARMELIA ASHBY JAMES WILMER MURRAY - ANNA MARY WINKLER LOVE YOU DAD,SHARON

Where is this?

What are these two items?

Name These People....

From Anna and Wilmer Murray’s Journal

Friday, August 8, 1980

I hacked out the big weeds on the road by Davis’. Ardis and Iris had cut the lawn sometime before but these weeds were too big for the mower. I worked a while then laid in the shade to rest. Soon I had them down. It looks better. Dad cut grass in the ditch. I also quilted some during the day and paid the bills. Fred came up to have me tell him about his Insurance papers.
Neil and Ella came. We visited then went to Roosevelt to change their garments for new style ones. Ella bought some for their families. I bought one pair to try. But Dad didn’t want any. We stopped for them to visit Fay at the L & L. While we waited we saw a mounted deformed lamb. It had one head, eight legs, and two hind parts with a tail on each end. The one hind part was right under the head. One lamb seemed perfectly formed with the other in the front. Soon Ella and Neil were gone too. Sorry they missed Jerry and the family.

Monday, August 18, 1980

It is Wilmer’s 77th birthday. I wanted to go to see how his blood is but he didn’t want to go. He didn’t get even a card from me, but I made him a good dinner and a chocolate sheet cake. This is what he wanted. He received a card from Grace and one from Verona. Also made two apple pies and put them in the deep freeze. Dad weeded a while, while I picked currents. I picked a few ears of corn for Kay Dennis and gave her some cucumbers and took some cucumbers to Doris. Velma and Ross called Wilmer and sang happy birthday to him. Then Sara and Claude called him. Ruth just called and wants some corn. We had just settled down to sleep when Darrell called for Dads birthday. Dewey called. It was nice to hear from all of them. I wonder how the Jerry’s are coming.

Story Time From Neil

When we first moved to Myton the property was completely fenced with an inner fence enclosing the area where the house is located. There were three gates, a small one on the south side or in front of the house and two on the north side of the house. One of these two gates on the north was a large double gate opening into the barn and the area north of the house. Then, there was another small gate opening into the area where the house is located. The land to the west is where we kept our live stock. I don’t remember a lawn any where on the property. The first summer we were there it seems that dad tried to grow watermelons on the ground east of the house. Then the following year we decided to plant a lawn. As you well know there is a lot of work that goes into the preparation for a new lawn. First you work the ground to develop a good seed bed. Then after you sow the lawn seed, so as to help maintain the moisture for the seed to germinate, we covered the area with straw. Then you need to keep the planted area wet by frequently watering with the hose until the small grass seed germinates and sends its root down into the soil. Well we had gone through this process and the grass was beginning to show green shoots above the straw cover. Things were going well and our potential lawn was looking nice.

In those days, out of necessity many people kept a few live stock especially a milk cow. We were no different. I don’t remember how many cows we had at that time but I do remember we had old Black. She was a good sized holstein, that filled a fourteen quart bucket at each milking. She had on her head what I would call a perfect set of horns and was a smart old gal.

Before I become the family cow herder we had what I called the town herder. It was a young man by the name of Joe Tanner. Each morning he would start picking up animals in old town and work south picking up people’s cows, who wanted him to herd their cows, as he went. I think our animals were his last pick up before he drove them into the vacant areas south of town to graze.

As it turned out Joe was human and due to neglect of duty or something he let that herd of cows get away from his kind care and keeping. In other words, he lost them. Well old Black took command of the herd and led them, all of them, back to our place, and with her perfect horn she opened the south gate and led that bunch of animals, and there was not just a few, onto our new straw covered wet lawn. I’m sure you have heard of sheep foot rollers; well we had cow foot rollers. There was four cow feet on each animal. It seemed like for years there was these deep hoof tracks all over our new lawn.

From Neil

August 31, 2009

Dear Family

In our family August was a month of highs and lows. We had a sad event take place in Ella’s family that was a downer but yet there were a few bright spots as well. Thank Heavens for that. It is like I used to tell Ella, when I was Bishop and when I returned home from whereever I had been, and she reported to me the things that had happened while I was away, if at least half of the report could be good news or at least positive, we could make it through the challenges that come with the job.
The first of the month Ella’s sister, Vera’s son, Michael and his wife Myrna’s son, took his own life. He left a wife and a young son. I think they had only been married since 2003. It was a very tragic thing. Death is always difficult to deal with but a situation like this is even harder.
The rest of the month went by with us watering and mowing lawns and other related things. The 29th, however, we did step things up a little and make our way to the Myton homestead to do a little clean up. There was a great representation from all of the families. We cut, trimmed, pulled and piled weeds, trees and shrubs. I also cleaned the sprinkler heads that I could find. I was surprised that there were a few heads that I did not find. I guess that means that I will have to make another trip to locate them after Amanda waters and locates the heads for me. I just hope they are still there. After our labor we made our way to the Frontier Café and had dinner. Yes, we even had scones. On the way home Deward had to drive up the Ioka lane to the Revola dugway and then drive through Arcadia. It was a good day. Today, however, I’m feeling some muscles that I guess I have not used for a while.
Sunday, Dewey and Beverly stopped in for a few minutes. They were on their way to Arizona. Jerry and Marylyn came just as they were leaving. So our visit was quite short. Jerry and Marylyn went to church with me. The visit with them was short but it was a quality visit.
I hope everyone is well, Love you

Neil