MARTIN TAYLOR SORENSON
(1865-1949)
Norway, a long, narrow rugged country, bordering Sweden on
the east and the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans on the west and north, located in
the north-western part of Europe is the homeland of MARTIN TAYLOR
SORENSON. This mountainous country
is characterized by its very irregular, jagged coast line -- a coast one made
up of countless islands, glaciers, precipitous mountains, awe-inspiring fjords,
crystal clear lakes, bays and magnificent breath-taking scenery. Truly nature's masterpiece of mystery
and beauty!
It is the home of the Scandinavians, the Northmen, the
Vikings -- bold, fearless, hardy,
sea-faring men, who in the early centuries swept southward along the coast of
Europe, exploring, plundering, and conquering the more civilized peoples of
Europe and spreading their culture.
The northern part of Norway, which extends beyond the Arctic Circle and
into the Arctic Ocean is truly "The Land of the Midnight Sun."
From the earliest times the Norwegians settled along the
seacoast since their main industry was fishing. The heaviest populated area is the southern part, where the
weather is less severe. Oslo, the
capital city of Norway, is located here.
In this area is Asker, in the county of Akershus, where Martin was born
July 2, 1865, the youngest of a family of five -- the son of Carl (Charles)
Sorenson and Martha Sorine Isaacsen.
Other members of the family were Mary Annette (Johnson), Christian,
John, and Sidney Sorenson.
Through the Mormon Missionaries, they all joined The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) in Norway. Shortly after they became members of
the Church, Martha's husband Carl died January 28, 1868. Many of their friends and relatives
turned against them for joining the Church. Martha even had trouble finding a place to bury her husband
because of the bitterness toward the Latter-day Saint Church.
Martha had a brother, who had joined the Church, had come to America a few years
earlier, and was living in Richmond, Utah. In a dream it had been made known to him of Carl's death and
of the difficult time Martha was having so he sent her money to pay their way
to come to America. In August
1869, she and her five children left their home in Norway. After their journey across the ocean,
they traveled to Utah by train on the first train to cross the country. They arrived in Ogden, Utah, September
19, 1869. During the first year in
America, she lived with her brother in Richmond.
In 1870 Martha moved to Montpelier, ID, where she found
employment in the Old Rock Store Building in up-town Montpelier. Since she could not support her five
children, she had to place them in different homes in Utah and Idaho, where
some of them could work for their board and room. Mary Annette, 15, stayed in Ogden, Utah; Christian, 13,
lived with a family in Plain City, Utah; Sidney, 8, remained in Richmond;
Martin, 5, lived with a family by the name of Anderson in St. Charles, Idaho;
John, 10, stayed with his mother, and they made their home with her cousins,
the Hogansens, in Montpelier. Idaho.
In 1871, John F. Carlson met the young widow Martha Sorenson. With the consent of his first wife,
Catherine, John and Martha were married November 4, 1871, in the Endowment
House in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Martha then moved to Ovid, Idaho, to live with John and his other wife
Catherine, in the new house he had recently completed.
John Frederick Carlson was born in Denmark, May 9, 1817, and
married Catherine, a widow with five children November 10,1849. She was a weaver by trade. In Denmark they met the Mormon
Missionaries and were baptized and confirmed members of the Latter-day Saints
Church June 2, 1859. About a year
later they sold their home and possessions, leaving Catherine's grown married
children in Denmark, and with faith and a strong testimony of the Gospel, they
sailed for America. After arriving
in New York, they traveled west to Nebraska, where they joined a handcart
company and walked across the plains, arriving in Salt Lake City in September
1860. They lived in Logan, Utah,
for a while, then Brigham Young called John to help settle Bear Lake
Valley. They arrived in Paris,
Idaho, with the first group of settlers, November 2, 1863, and lived in a
dug-out the first winter.
In the spring of 1864, he was sent to make a settlement a
few miles north of Paris. At first
the place was called North Creek, then Ovid Creek, later Ovid Fort, and finally
Ovid, named after a Roman poet.
Before long, John built a fine sturdy "L" shaped log and frame
house, the first house built in Ovid.
It was located on a site near the Ovid home, John brought his new wife
Martha Sorenson and lived with his two wives--Martha and Catherine.
July 25,1875, Martha's second husband John F Carlson
died. Again she and Catherine were
left widows. They continued living
in their home, helping each other and making their own living. They were both weavers; they sheared
the wool from the sheep, washed, corded, and spun it into yarn. They wove it into yard goods and
carpets, which they sold throughout the valley. Martha served as a midwife and her services were sought far
and near. July 24, 1874, Martha
became President of the Relief Society, a position she held for 24 years. She missed only 2 Relief society
meetings while she was president--once when she was ill and another time when
she was at the Temple in Logan.
She cared for the sick, prepared the dead for burial, and served well
her fellow men. Martha died in
July, 1907, in La Grande, Oregon, where she had been living with her son
Charles F Carlson. She was buried
in the Ovid Cemetery.
It must have been a sad and frightening experience for
5-year old Martin to leave his mother in 1870 and go to live with strangers in
St. Charles, Idaho, the Andersons.
Little is known of his early life with the Andersons, except that he had
to work very hard when he was very young and that he did not always have
sufficient food for a growing boy.
This may account for his small stature when he grew to manhood--his
height was about 5' 4" and his weight was about 140 lb.. His brothers were all quite tall men.
Martin received his elementary school education in the St.
Charles 2-room public school and must have been a good student, for as an adult
he could read and write well. He
seemed to have a yearning for knowledge, for he loved to read, was always
interested in local and national happenings and news, and had a good
understanding of the scriptures.
The Anderson home was on the southern outskirts of St.
Charles, a short distance from the beautiful blue Bear Lake. They probably raised cattle on the lush
pasture land which extended to the lake shore, "put up" the hay and
fed the animals in winter. No
doubt Martin worked hard doing the chores and other work on the ranch. He learned how to work and to work
well, for as an adult he was never idle.
During those early years in Bear Lake, the winters were
severely cold, freezing over the lake.
Martin told of his driving a team of horses hitched to a sleigh across
the frozen over lake to the opposite side to bring back various things. It could have been the red rock
sandstone used for building various structures, such as churches and even the
Tabernacle in Paris.
The years slipped by, and when Martin was about 21, the
arrangements for his board and keep through the years evidentially had been
satisfied, he left the Andersons and went to Ovid, Idaho, to live with his
mother, Martha Sorine Sorenson
Carlson, again a widow after her second husband, John F. Carlson died. She was still living in the
"L" shaped, four room, well built, log and frame house her husband
John, a carpenter, had provided for her.
She now rented out one or two rooms to help pay her living expenses.
Now coming into Martin's life was a family, who was to bring
a great change in his future.
Thomas Walton from the Salt Lake area had married Martha Duerden in 1869
and ten years later she died, leaving a young daughter, Sarah Elizabeth, who
then went to live with her grandparents, the Richard Duerdens in Bountiful,
Utah. Her father Thomas Walton
then prepared himself to teach school and graduated from the University of
Deseret (now the University of Utah).
In 1880 he married Electa Lowder and about four years later,
he embraced polygamy and married Sarah Elizabeth Coles. Since polygamy was against the law of
the land, (but approved by the church for a while), U.S. Marshalls were after
all polygamists, including Thomas Walton.
To elude the officers of the law, Thomas was constantly on the move,
teaching school in outlying communities in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. Eventually he came to Ovid, Idaho, to
teach in the two room school there.
He brought with him his wife Electa and family and his 16-year old
daughter, Sarah Elizabeth, who had been living with her grandparents, the
Duerdens since her mother's death.
In Ovid, the Waltons rented two rooms from widow Martha
(Sorenson) Carlson, whose son Martin was living with her at that time. It was here that Martin met Sarah
Elizabeth Walton and started courting her. Encouraged by Thomas Walton, the courtship culminated in
marriage in the Logan Temple, June 27, 1888.
Their first home in Ovid was a two-room house which they
rented from Isaac Tunks, the village barber. Later C. F. Carlson rented it for many years. Here their first three sons were born
-- Ezra, Leroy and Bill (William). Martin was an excellent, hard worker and had
learned to work well as a young man with the Andersons in St. Charles, Idaho. During their first years of married
life, he worked at various jobs -- on farms and ranches, in the canyons cutting
and scalding logs, at the sawmill in Sharon, and helping to build roads. He was often paid with script in place
of money. Before long he acquired
horses, wagons, and sleigh to help him in his work.
His father-in-law in his wanderings finally moved to Star
Valley, Wyoming, with his two wives, raised a large family, and lived the rest
of his life. There Thomas Walton
acquired a homestead, founded the community of Smoot, and named it after
Senator Reed Smoot. Needing help
to develop his homestead, he offered Martin a job, helping to develop the
land. In 1895, Martin and Sarah
gathered up their worldly possessions, and with their little family, they moved
to Star Valley, settling in Smoot with high hopes for better opportunities.
In Star Valley the summers were invigorating and beautiful
with lush vegetation and impressive scenery, but the winters with deep snow and
huge drifts very often snowbound the inhabitants. Because of the severe cold and frost, the valley became a
picture of a "Winter Wonderland".
In spring or summer it was difficult to break and work the
green virgin land without the use of modern machinery. When the rich black soil was finally
brought under cultivation, it was very productive. The crystal clear lakes and numerous streams yielded an
abundance of the choicest trout and other fish. This was truly a "Fisherman's Paradise". For the hunter of game animals, this
was a choice country.
Their family members increased when Richard Spencer, their
fourth son was born in Smoot, Lincoln County, Wyoming, September 10, 1896, the
only member to arrive away from Idaho.
He was a husky, healthy youngster with red hair.
After about 4 years in Star Valley, because of the isolation
, severe climate, lack of opportunity for progress, Martin and Sarah decided to
return to Ovid in Bear Lake Valley to make a fresh start.
After returning to Ovid in Bear Lake Valley, Martin filed a
Claim to Homestead a 160 acre tract of land about a mile north of Ovid and
adjoining the foothills. He made
application, filed a Claim, and paid the required fees at the Bear Lake County
Court House at Paris, Idaho, the county seat, in 1898.
A few years later after he had developed and improved the
Homestead and had fulfilled the requirements of the Homestead law, he returned
to the Bear Lake County Court House to "prove up" or get title to the
land. But to his great surprise
and terrible disappointment, he found that there was no record of his filing
for the Homestead Claim.
Previously when he had filed his claim and paid the fees, a corrupt,
dishonest County official (Clerk) had evidentially kept the money for himself
and failed to record the claim.
To get legal title to the property, it was then necessary
for Martin to go to Pocatello, Idaho, to the District Office to arrange for
settlement of the claim and get legal title. At that time his only means of traveling to Pocatello was by
horseback, a distance of about a hundred miles one way. Riding horseback, he made the trip to
the District office in three days.
There he was able to get the matter settle, get legal title to the
Homestead, and return home within a week, with the assurance that his ownership
was secure.
Martin and his boys worked very hard developing the land and
building a home and erecting their other buildings. The Homestead farm home was typical of the log houses built
by settlers on their farms in those early days. With wagons and sleighs, they hauled logs several miles from
the canyons and lumber from the saw mill to build their first farm home and
other buildings--barns, sheds, granaries, etc. The home had two large rooms with a lean-to. There was an attic under the shingled
roof, which served as a sleeping room for the older boys. Coal, oil lamps and lanterns were used
for light, and heat was provided by wood-burning cook stove and haters; water
was carried from a spring for culinary use. Some distance from the house was a "privy" or a
"two-holer", which served as the restroom. Martin was a good carpenter, handy man, and hard worker, and
soon the home site grew and developed with many improvements.
Trees were planted around the spring, and today, huge trees
serve as a landmark of the Sorenson Homestead, which is now owned by the
Sorenson grandsons.
Three more children were born to them, while they lived on
the ranch -- Jesse, Merinda, and Russell, making now a family of seven. When the older boys became old enough
to attend school, the family moved into town and rented a place for the school
year. Martin then traveled back
and forth to the farm to take care of the Homestead.
With the help of his boys, Martin worked long hours,
breaking the virgin sage brush-covered land, plowing and planting the rich
black soil. The first plowing was
done by hand plow with four horses pulling the plow, the driver walking behind
and guiding the plow with his hands.
They always broke the ground in the spring while it was soft. Later they got a sulky plow, with
wheels and an attached seat, on
which the driver could sit while he drove the team. They broke the ground little by little until they had 100
acres under cultivation. Sixty was
somewhat rocky and was used for grazing and pasture. The grain was planted by sowing it--broadcast by hand as he
walked over the field. Then it was
harrowed to cover up the seed.
Later they purchased a drill to plant the grain and a binder to cut
it. At first Uncle Joe Johnson
custom cut the grain with his binder, which bound the grain into bundles. Then the boys shocked the bundles
putting them in bunches and later hauled them to the barnyard and stacked them.
Next, the threshing crew moved in with their horse-powered
thresher. It required six teams
and six men to operate the machine and more men to haul the grain went on for
three or four days or longer when the crops were good. Some years the frost brought crop
failures, resulting in financial problems for the family.
During threshing time, the household was hustling and
buzzing with activity as Sarah prepared and cooked great amounts of food for
the 15 man crew of hungry men.
Martin usually killed a beef, a pig, or sheep to provide meat for the
group and brought in extra food not produced on the farm. The garden provided potatoes and other
vegetables; huge crisp cabbages were bought from Mr. Myers, an expert
gardener. The cow supplied the
milk and butter and a coop of chickens, the eggs. Sarah baked all her own bread, churned the butter, and
cooked large bowls of nourishing food three times a day for the workers. She was an excellent cook and baked
delicious pies and puddings and other desserts.
When the threshing was over, the crew was paid with grain
for their work. The grain was
stored in bins in the granaries.
Martin took wheat to the grist mill in Montpelier or Paris to be ground
into flour, paying for the work with wheat. A year's supply of flour was stored in huge flour bins in
the home.
In a few years, when all the usable land on the farm was brought
under cultivation with better machinery and improved farming methods, the
yields increased and Martin became one of the best farmers in Ovid, while they
were still living on the ranch.
While living on the dry farm, the Sorensons, like other
settlers, had good years and bad years with their crops. Martin took advantage of every
opportunity to work to supplement his income to provide for his family. While still homesteading, he hauled
lumber from the sawmill in Sharon to Montpelier for $3.00 a load in the
summertime. In winter he sometimes
worked in the canyon in Sharon cutting and scaling logs and worked at the
sawmill. During the money panic,
he rode horseback to Montpelier to work on the section of the railroad for one
dollar a day. One summer he worked
in Cokeville on the McLaughlin ranch irrigating.
On the dry farm, they had a garden by one of the springs
some distance from the house and raised good crops of potatoes and other
vegetables. They were stored in
outside dirt cellars for use in winter.
They milked a few cows for their milk and butter, kept a flock of
chickens for their eggs. In winter
they sometimes sold eggs at sixty cents a dozen. In the fall Martin would drive in his covered wagon, over
the hill to Mink Creek, to bring back a load of fruit -- apples, plums, and
other vegetables, to store in the outside cellar. Later, sometimes he went in his covered wagon to Brigham
City for peaches and other fruits, which were canned and placed on shelves in
the cellar. When money was in
short supply, sometimes he would take a sack of wheat on his horse and ride
into Ovid to the Rosenbaum Store (located where the Grant Sorenson home now
stands) to get groceries and supplies.
By 1906, Martin had become financially able to buy a larger
home in Ovid from Val Headberg, and "L" shaped four room house, built
by John F. Carlson when Ovid was first settled. It was situated on a large lot, bordering the Ovid Creek in
the east part of town. It was the
very same house, where Martin had lived with his widowed mother, Martha
Sorenson Carlson, after he had left the Andersons in St. Charles when he was
21. It was the same house where
Martin had met his future wife, Sarah Elizabeth Walton, while she was living in
Ovid with her father Thomas Walton, when he was teaching school in Ovid.
Into this house Martin moved his family of seven (six boys
and one girl), from his homestead dry farm north of Ovid in 1906. This new location offered more advantages and opportunities
for school, church, and work. He
continued to operate his well-developed farm, traveling back and forth to do
the work. His older boys were a
great help to him on the farm and around the home and had more opportunities to
work for other people to earn money for themselves.
In this new home three more children -- Ella Mae, Earl, and
Grace -- were born to the Sorensons, increasing the family to ten, seven boys
and three girls. When Elna Mae was
six weeks old, she contacted pneumonia and died.
Besides being a good farmer and excellent worker, Martin had
acquired numerous skills. Being a
good carpenter, he made several improvements on the home, building an extra
room with a large screen porch. A
short distance from the back door was a drive well with an iron handle hand
pump to draw water for domestic use.
A well-beaten path led to the outhouse, a "two-holer", built
some distance from the house by the north fence. Always on hand for sanitary purposes was a good supply of
Montgomery Ward catalogues and newspapers. (Toilet paper had not yet come into use).
In the barnyard to the east bordering the Ovid Creek were
erected several buildings, including a large barn, chicken coop, granary,
sheds, and a blacksmith shop.
Besides doing his own blacksmithing, Martin served a sort of a
"Village Blacksmith", doing work for the community during his spare
time. A decorative strong heavy
wire fence extended along the south and west sides of the large lot with strong
heavy metal gates at the entrance.
The creek was an asset to the property since it provided water for the
animals and irrigation water for the yard and garden. Iron pipes were laid and water was pumped with a gasoline
motor.
Martin had a "green thumb" for growing things and
developed a very attractive yard and a productive garden. Because of the cool climate of Bear
Lake Valley, he planted the more hardy plants. Gallons of gooseberries and red English currants were picked
from rows of bushes. Strawberry red rhubarb went in to delicious pies, baked by
his wife Sarah. The buckets of
Bear Lake green peas could not be surpassed for flavor. His garden yielded an abundance of many
vegetables and the Sorensons ate well from the nourishing produce of the
garden.
Trees, shrubs, and flowers were planted around the house and
yard, and the lawn was a carpet of green.
The fragrant lilacs and the hardy yellow roses grew profusely and
thrived in the cool climate. A
portion of the large lot was covered with lush, green alfalfa, which was used
to feed the animals.
Martin was never idol and was always seeking opportunities
to increase his income to support his family. He milked a small herd of cows and raised a few hundred
chickens, selling the eggs for cash.
Each year he would acquire a new flock of chickens by buying a few
hundred chicks in the spring and raise them until fully grown. He would keep the best ones for laying
hens and butcher the rest to sell as fry ers.
Before the days of the milk separator, the milk was cooled
after milking and poured into large milk pans for the cream to rise to the
top. The pans of milk were skimmed
and the cream was sold or made into butter. Sometimes the milk was poured into large milk cans, and each
morning the milkman would pick up the cans, take them to the creamery, and a
week later deliver the milk check.
After they bought a hand-turned milk separator, they sold the cream to
the creamery and fed the skim milk to the calves.
Sometimes the cream was churned into butter in a hand-turned
wooden churn, which separated the butter from the buttermilk. The butter was washed and cooled in
cold water, placed in a large wooden bowl, salted, worked over with a wooden
paddle, placed in one pound molds, wrapped in butter wrappers, and sold to the
stores. The Sorenson butter was
always in demand for its superior quality and flavor. A large platter of fresh golden butter was always on hand
for use by the family and a good supply of sweet fresh buttermilk. The fresh dairy products, the
nourishing garden vegetables -- wholesome simple foods free from preservatives,
no doubt, helped to keep the family healthy and free from most diseases.
Martin purchased the Shoemaker tract of land about one-half
mile away from his home. This hay
and pasture land provided feed for more dairy cows, which he raised or
bought. His boys helped him milk
the cows night and morning, and they sold the milk to the creamery. The calf crop also brought him more
income.
With a fine team of horses, Nickel and Steel, pulling a
large double bed wagon, Martin worked as the village milkman for a short
time. Every morning he picked up
the large cans of milk from the dairy farmers and hauled them to the
creamery. Loading the large ten
gallon cans of milk into his wagon was very hard work, but he never complained.
Martin usually received a good income from his dry farm, but
during the lean years of crop failures when the family increased, he and his
older sons worked at various jobs when they were not in school or working on
the far. The building of County
and State roads provided employment -- hauling gravel in horsedrawn
wagons. A room of the "L"
shaped house was once rented to the village school teacher, "Patty
Miles" (John Miles), a very strict and excellent teacher. Martin often did carpenter work,
remodeling and shingling houses.
The older boys found steady work at various places, and the
younger boys worked on the farm.
Ezra worked at a sugar factory in Blackfoot, Idaho. Roy worked on a sheep ranch in Wyoming
for several years. Bill worked for
the railroad. Early in life the
boys learned the value of work, dependability, self-reliance, and independence. They were all excellent workers. These character traits carried over
into their adult life and helped them to become successful in their chosen
fields.
In 1912, a branch line of the Union Pacific Railroad was
built from Montpelier, Idaho, through Ovid and on to Paris, to haul phosphate
from the mines in the Paris canyons to the main railroad line in
Montpelier. The Railroad right of
way, running through Ovid, cut off the north and west part of the Sorenson
lot. The fence was about a foot
from the north west corner of their house. This ruined their beautiful front yard and garden. Later he planted another garden east of
the house.
At Ovid, a depot was built, also sidetracks, where railroad
box cars of hay and grain were loaded and shipped to market. Here also were built large storage
warehouses for the farm products of the area, also coal sheds and bins, filled
with coal, shipped in from the mines in Utah and Wyoming. The shipping and selling business
thrived for several years in Ovid, as did the shipping of ore from the Paris mines. The shipping business in Ovid was owned
and operated by John T. Peterson (Ezra's father-in-law).
The first passenger train making its maiden trip over the
new line, pulled by an old-fashioned engine with its huge smoke stack, come
whistling and blowing steam as it came around the bend and came to a grinding
stop at the Ovid depot. It was
greeted by a large crowd of curious people, who had gathered from near-by
communities to celebrate is arrival.
The train nicknamed, "The Ping Pong", made two
return trips daily from Montpelier to Paris, hauling passengers, farm products,
and phosphate ore. Sometimes
special trains were run carrying passengers from Paris to Montpelier, carrying
people from the area to special dances and events. Sarah sometimes rode the train for Bountiful, Utah, her old
home, to visit her relatives, the Duerdens.
When World War I broke out, the United States entered the
War in 1918, and two of Martin's sons served in the Army. William was sent overseas to France,
where he took part in several battles in the 91st Division. Spencer entered the service a little
later and was on a troop ship on his way to France, when the war ended and the
Armistice was signed November 11, 1918.
They both returned home safely; it was the years of the terrible flu
epidemic.
After the railroad came through Ovid, marring the home site
of their original property, Martin and Sarah started making plans to build a
larger and more comfortable home farther away and east of "the
tracks".
During World War I and after the war, wheat prices were
high, the dry farm was producing bumper crops of wheat, and the family finances
had improved considerably. The
time had come to build their new and larger home, a short distance east of the
old one. The home was a two-story
structure with three bedrooms upstairs and a large living room, dining room,
kitchen and another bedroom downstairs, besides bathrooms and pantry. In the basement, was installed a coal
furnace to provide heat. The
attractive house faced south.
Extending across the entire front was a long front porch with a sturdy
railing; there was also a back porch, from which cement walks led around the
house to the front gate. Painted
white, the house was surrounded by green lawns, shrubs, tree, and glowers; nearby
was a vegetable garden -- all making an impressive scene of comfortable
living. To cut expenses and
building costs, Martin and his son William worked along with the carpenters
doing various jobs. They shingled
the roof and painted the house outside and inside. It was a happy time for the family when the house was
finished and they moved into their new home.
His dry farm and other work continued to bring him a good
income after he had built the house, so he decided to buy an automobile. From the Beck Garage in Paris he
purchased a Star sedan. Although
he had never driven a car before, he soon learned and was quite a speeder. One time when he was driving home from
the ranch speeding along, he almost collided with the train. He hadn't noticed the approaching train
as he neared the railroad crossing.
As he started to cross the side tracks the train passed in front of him
on the main track. He couldn't
stop in time to miss the train, but his quick thinking and action saved
him. He quickly turned his car and
rolled alongside the train as it pulled into the station. That was a close one! He was always competing with his
children, who could drive, as to who was going to drive the car.
Martin loved music and encouraged his children to learn to
play a musical instrument. He
purchased a beautiful six-octave pedal organ, and all members of the clan
played at it, but none became "professionals". At least, from it they
learned some of the rudiments of music and some took a few lessons. Martin became interested in playing the
violin and did quite well, but his sons Ezra and Bill took that over and became
quite proficient playing the mandolin.
Bill also played the trumpet in the Jensen Orchestra, playing for dances
in the Olsen pavilion. Jesse
became quite an expert trumpet player, and was one of the top trumpeters in the
Union Pacific Band in Montpelier.
When the graphaphone made its appearance, how thrilled and
intrigued the entire family was when Martin purchased one with some good
records. The square music box
machine, on top of which was a small cylinder to hold the cylinder records (the
disc records came out later).
Extending upward from the machine was a huge horn, out of which poured
the music, after the machine was wound up, record in place on the cylinder, and
turned on. Among our early favorite
records were "O 'Dem Golden Slippers", "Lapaloma", and
"Over the Waves". This
truly was a welcome addition in the family. This early background in music influenced the development of
the family's musical talents and provided much enjoyment in our lives.
Through the years it wasn't all work and no play for the
Sorenson family. On special
occasions Martin would hitch a team of spirited horses to the two-seated white
top buggy (no fringe on top), pack into the rig baskets of food and goodies,
then the family piled in. They
were off for the shores of Bear Lake with other members of the Ovid Ward to
celebrate the Fourth of July or the 24th or a special event. Since it was a drive of about 20 miles,
everybody was on the way by the crack of dawn., for a day of picnicking,
boating, swimming, and a lot of fun.
Then there were the shopping trips to Montpelier in the
white top buggy to buy store
bought goods. (Later we rode in
the Star Sedan automobile.) Martin
always purchased a special treat for his family on their trips -- a big sack of
peanuts for the family to eat on the way home.
Martin was a religious and spiritual man, who was very
active in church affairs. He was
dependable and conscientious in all his church responsibilities and in
attending his meetings.
He was the Superintendent of the Sunday School in Ovid for
many years. When he was released,
the Ward presented him a large Book of Mormon. As Ward Clerk he served
for 25 years. For years he was
head of the Religion Class in the Ward and served faithfully as a Ward
Teacher. He had a beautiful tenor
voice and sang in the Ward Choir and in quartets. In the field of Acting and Dramatics, Martin also
participated. When the Ward put on
stage plays, he quite often had an important role in some of the plays.
Martin and Sarah were devoted parents to their family of ten
children -- seven boys and three girls, (one girl Ella Mae died in
infancy). Five of the boys
followed the occupation of their father -- farming and ranching; one,
railroading; one, mining ; and the two girls turned to school teaching as their
career. (Grace taught three years
and Merinda taught 45.)
The oldest son, Ezra, served an LDS Mission in England. William and Spencer fought in World War I in France. Three of them served as Bishops --
Ezra, Roy and Russell. Ezra served
as a Stake President for 18 years, and Merinda spent two years in New Zealand
as a teaching missionary. All
their children were good workers and successful in their chosen fields--none
were ever on welfare.
Martin and Sarah were blessed with a numerous posterity,
with 28 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren -- with the numbers
steadily increasing (1980).
In Martin's later years, Grandpa Sorenson was often seen
with a grandchild on his lap, sitting in the big brown rocking chair in his
home, happily rocking them and singing their favorites, such as "The Bear
Went Over the Mountain" or "There Was an Old Niger and His Name was
Uncle Ned", or some other fascinating song -- rocking and singing until
the little one dropped off to dreamland.
He loved his grandchildren and his grandchildren loved to be with him. These were some of his happiest
moments.
As the years passed, the family members married, left the
family nest and went their separate ways into homes of their own. They always returned "home"
from time to time with their children for family visits, dinners, reunion,
Christmas or Thanksgiving to renew
family relationships, to enjoy each other and to keep in touch. The spacious home was the gathering
place for the Sorenson clan for many years.
In their comfortable home, Martin and Sarah spent the
remaining years of their lives -- a well-earned reward for their hard work,
trials, and efforts through the years.
Sarah died November 20, 1942.
Martin died May 22, 1949.
Both were buried in the Ovid Cemetery, an attractive burial ground, with
a view of the beautiful blue Bear Lake in the distance.
A
TRIBUTE TO MARTIN TAYL.OR SORENSON
Martin Taylor Sorenson spent most of his life in Bear Lake
Valley, making very few trips to nearby places after he left Norway at the age
of four. Active and alert, he
enjoyed good health most of his life.
Being a spiritual, humble, dedicated person, he loved the
Gospel and lived it. A holder of
the Priesthood, he was ordained a Seventy and a High Priest and served well in
all his callings.
A devoted father and husband, he was kind, patient,
understanding, and thoughtful, not only of his family, but also with
others--always giving of himself.
Clean and neat in his appearance and in speech and habits, he was
respected and an asset to his community willingly serving where ever he was
needed. Strong of character and
genuine, he had a strong sense of values.
With compassion for his fellowmen, he was sincere, honest, trustworthy,
and always willing to give a helping hand.
He was never wealthy, but rich in the non-material things of
life--good health, love and peace in his home, loyal friends, strong religious
convictions, devoted family and happiness, and a numerous posterity--honorable
and successful.
A patriotic citizen, he love his country and was interested
in politics and the affairs of the nation and always kept informed on local and
national new. He was a staunch and
loyal Republican, always voting in elections and honoring his obligations and
responsibilities. He loved life
and people and helped to make his community and the world a better place to
live.
--By
Merinda (Sorenson) Lambert, daughter
--Contributions
by William C. Sorenson, son
(c.February 1, 1980)
--History of Bear Lake
Pioneers
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