A Short Sketch of the life of J. P. Byington

I was born March 23 1880 in the southern part of Idaho at a little place called Red Rock, Idaho.

We moved to a place 3 miles northeast of Menan where my mother filed on a homestead right on 160 acres of land.

The first few years of my boyhood were spent here at this place. I was about 14 years old when I went to live with my sister Martha on a ranch near the village of Taylorville about 8 miles due south of Idaho Falls. lived with Martha and her husband Frank for about 4 years where I finished what schooling I got.

It was the year of 1880, on March 23rd, in a small place called Red Rock. The happiness of Joseph Henry and Hannah Holland Byington was increased by the birth of a baby boy. This was the ninth of ten children. They named him John Parley. His only memory of Red Rock was going over to the neighbors and talking to them through the cat hole; a small hole in the bottom of the door through which cats passed in and out. About the time he was three years old, the family moved to Pools Island, now Annis. Here, his mother filed on a 160 acre homestead. Due to the Manifesto, she was now a widow and was left to raise the family by herself.

Times were hard. Diphtheria came through the country and was so severe that every family lost one or more. His mother was called many times to the homes of those sick to nurse or lay away the dead. Her family contacted the disease and one lost his life, all the rest were very sick.

It was about this time his mother took a little girl to raise, since she had been left an orphan. All the family came to love her as one of them. After three or four years they were left broken hearted when relatives came and took her away.

About 3 or 4 times a week his mother would walk to Menan about 3 miles to Sunday School, Relief Society & Primary. It has been said of her that she kept time with her feet by knitting socks, sweaters, and gloves for her family, as she walked.

There were no schools in the country but Grandpas mother taught the boys and girls schooling, and she always insisted that the children be baptized at 8 yrs of age. In the year of 1888 Grandpa was baptized by Bishop William Stephens.

On November 19, 1889 Grandpas mother died after a lingering illness caused by an injury to her back when she jumped from a wagon and her skirt caught. It was his recollection that he had crawled down behind the stove where it was warm and had fallen asleep. The neighbors who were caring for his mother, awoke Grandpa and told him his mother was dead. He said no-one will ever know what a heartache these words caused, because she had been both mother and father to him.

His older brothers and sisters took care of him, and when he was 10 years old, he started school where he went to the 4th reader. They used home made benches and tables in place of desks.

Money was very scarce so the only toys that Grandpa ever had

was something useful. They always managed to have a pocket knife which they used to make toys. Once Grandpa said he and his younger brother Spencer made a wagon which several of the neighbors wanted to buy. All offers were refused, but the little boys agreed to trade it for some seed wheat, which was never received.

About this time Grandpa was given his first pair of store bought pants, a pair of waist overalls which really made him feel grown up.

At a 24th of July celebration, Grandpa entered a foot race. The prize was a bag of marbles. After several attempts the race ended in a tie between him and another boy. The judges decided to give a straw hat as another prize and since grandpa was from a poor family. They felt he needed the hat the most. Later that day some bigger boys took away his straw hat and ruined it. That Fall Grandpa and Uncle Spencer worked in the spuds and made just enough between them for one pair of shoes which they took turns wearing the school that winter.

For the use of the his mothers homestead an older brother had agreed to care for the two little boys as Grandpa and Spencer were called. They had been withering some horses for an older sister and her husband. The following is a letter his sister received from Grandpa.

Menan, Bingham Co. Idaho April 16, 1893

Dear Sisters it is with pleasure that I set down to drop you a few lines to let you know that we are all well and hope this finds you all the same. Well we started plowing on the 8th of this month and have plowed about 6 acres. Well the school teacher is teaching up to the Teton Basin and he left here owing me and Spencer $3.50 how much will you take for your bay colt, she is as ugly as she can be she has not grown any since you left here Well I cannot think of any more to write so I will close my letter at this time from your ever loving brother, Parley Byington.

Aunt Martha told us a few years ago that she was sure he got that runty ugly colt.

At this time the brother took the little boys to Marsh Valley where they worked on the railroad changing the tracks from narrow gage to wide.

He also worked clearing sage and shocking grain which he tied by

hand for 500 a day. With some of this money he bought his first suit.

Next he moved up to Sand Creek near Taylorville where he stayed with his sister Martha and her husband for about three years. Grandpa and Spencer baled hay during the winter and worked on ranches during the summer trying to get a start in livestock.

He worked helping mine gold in Stanley Basin and dredged for gold in the Snake River near Minedoka. This is where he met Grandma in 1903. She and her mother ,were cooking for the miners. It was about one and a half years later that they were married at Laguna Utah. At this time he was working on the railroad. Grandpa studied, and worked on steam engines. All his life he had a secret desire to be a railroad engineer. In 1905 he and Grandma moved into a little house at Broxom where he worked helping build a canal for irrigation. Prior to this as a young man he had helped build the Island Canal at Annis. In June they moved to Annis Idaho on his mothers old homestead. Times were hard, but they were used to it, since things never had been easy for either him or Grandma. They had a cow, wagon team and 4-10. They planted a garden and Grandpa got a job at anything he could do, as it was too late to plant a crop.

Their first child was born that fall. The next spring one of his horses got a disease, so it had to be destroyed and they weren’t allowed to bring another horse on the place for one year.

Grandpa went up behind Old Baldy in Swan Valley and worked at a sawmill. He got some rough lumber and some slabs and moved on a dry farm in Poplar in 1907 where he had filed on a homestead. Keith this lumber he built a one room house. In the daytime he would plow and clear the land of sage and in the evenings while the horses rested he would work on building the house. Some of the men working on the Anderson dam would hear him hammering along time after dark.

Grandpa and Grandma worked hard to get the homestead cleared of sage. The plowing had to be done with a walking plow. The winters were hard, and one time during the winter the wind blew so hard Grandpa had to shovel the snow away from the barn door and then away from the horses before he could get them out to water. During harvest Grandpa traded work with the neighbors for help to get his own done. Sometimes threshing wouldn't be finished until Christmas.

He played on a ball team until a sprained ankle made him quit, but several years later he played with several of his boys again. He enjoyed several

all kinds of sports and was very good at horseshoes until the last few years, when a heart condition made it so he couldn't play.

Grandpa worked on the Anderson Dam several times to repair and rebuild houses that were washed away in high-water. He also helped at different times bring several rafts of house logs and lumber down the Snake River. Some were taken out at Lorenzo and some by the Upper Ferry Snake Some were taken out at near Heise Hot Springs.

In 1923 the family moved a few miles from the dry farm homestead to the home where he lived until he died. The family had grown in number so that he now had nine children, two girls & seven boys. They were all happy to get where they could have a lawn, flowers, trees, and a garden and not have to haul all their drinking water. Grandpa and Grandma bought this place. They had also acquired some dry farm land on Antelope, but the crops were poor and not worth much. He was forced to go to work on the river, rebuilding the Dam again to make ends meet.

Five more children came to bless their happy home. Even though money was scarce at times they loved to get together at the school house for community parties and dances, also to go on picnics or gathering wild fruit up in the canyons.

Grandma was in ill health for several years and grandpa was always ready to take her for a ride or anything to make her feel better. She finally passed away September 10, 1953. He asked his sister Martha to come and live with him, which she did. All our lives were made happier because of this, as she did many things to make Grandpa less lonesome. It seemed that all his life Grandpa had family and friends around him. He and Grandma made everyone welcome and were always ready to help anyone in need.

Grandpa and Grandma and Aunt Martha always loved to have the little children around them and were blessed in this respect. None of the 13 children, who are all married with families of their own, live more than fifteen miles away. There wasn't a day passed but what some of the grand or great grand children would run in to see Grandpa and he always had candy or cookies for each and every one.

Aunt Martha passed away December 9, 1959 leaving Grandpa alone once more. Even tho someone was around most of the time, he was very lonely. His heart had been bothering him for some time although he didn’t, go to a Dr. until his feet started swelling. Although he was under a Drs. care, he started declining until on the 20th of February 1964 he passed away. He is survived by -13 children, 10 boys 3 girls 89 Grand children and 73 great grand children.

Right up to the last minute Grandpa was telling witty stories and was interested in changes in community and government affairs. He was real happy when he could solve puzzles or do problems that would stump any of the family, which he often did. We will all miss his wit and wisdom but we are deeply grateful for having had it.

Grandpa was the last of 10 in his mothers family and 11 half brothers and sisters, one child, five grand children and four great grandchildren preceded nim in death.

In closing I would like to read an original poem.

I am alone now. Were the words that he said. For the rest of my life, Until I am dead. He was alone.

How could this be true? When his children were counted, There were more than a few.

But the loneliness you feel, when you're in a crowd, is much worse than when, there is no one around.

He was the last one to go, of his sisters and brothers, his dear wife had gone, along with the others.

His life now is over. We'll see him no more. Now grandma is with him. He's not alone, anymore.

by Alice Camphouse