Benjamin Vere Wilson
Benjamin Vere Wilsons Autobiography written in the 1970sWedding and Family
I was home with those I went to school with. I wanted to go to school, and start thinking about a home and family, but first of all I needed a job. Some work I could do, so I began looking but things were still tough in the way of money.
I was called everywhere to talk and report my mission, so I had plenty to do to take care of the adjusting period. I went to Salt Lake to look for work, but I could only get a little here and there.
I had already decided to ask Lola to meet me in Salt Lake at June Conference. She would continuously pop into my mind. Something was pulling us together and I wanted to meet her as soon as possible. Her letters came more often. She seemed to be all I was looking for.
I rode up to Salt Lake with some friends and we were there in plenty of time. I walked around the grounds a little while, then went to meet Ashel Evans and Lola. I spotted them also going over early. I don’t think I was ever so excited in my life. I wanted to hug them both and maybe I did. I hardly knew what I was doing, except I was glad that we were finally together. I can see her yet, wearing a light blouse and a black and orange skirt, with straps over the shoulders which were black. I loved her, I think, even then. Each day I liked her better. No doubt the letters and the picture I saw in the mission field brought us together. When I took her home that night I kissed her and she was both shocked and surprised. I didn’t stay around to see if she was going to slap my face or not. I rushed off. It was a little test and she passed. I enjoyed taking her to Cocoanut Grove and to Salt Air, and we had so much fun, I decided to go back to Vernal with her and Ashel. We had parties and picnics and when I left to go back to Hurricane, I hated to leave her, and I suppose I knew then that I loved her. “I was on the ship, and she was on the shore”. Weeks passed and when the loneliness became too great I wrote and asked her to come down to Hurricane for Peach Day. She got her folks talked into bringing her down, but her Dad could not make it and I had not received her letter, so I looked and waited all day for them to come, but they did not arrive. The next day I received her letter telling me they could not come. I decided that if time and distance could make me this miserable that I had better do something about it. So, in the next letter, I asked her to marry me. A proposal my mail is the next best thing to being there! Except that I had to wait so long to get my answer that the suspense nearly killed me. The answer I received was yes, so I hitch-hiked to Vernal again to see her and finalize our wedding plans.
We were married in the St. George Temple Sept. 22nd. That was a happy day, but afterward I was afraid that some of my friends would chivaree us so we got out of the car of the relative who we rode with, and ran through the fields to my home. Lola was tired and nervous and frightened. The following night my parents honored us with a wedding dance in the Church and a nice crowd came and we had many gifts to help us start our new life together.
I still did not have a job and so we went back to Vernal to live with Lola’s parents because Lola did have a job.
We have had our differences, but she has truly been a faithful, loving wife and a good mother to my children.
We soon learned that we were to become parents and I felt sure that it would be most rewarding. Lola was continuously picking out names so no matter what, there would be enough names to go around.
I worked at anything that I could get, to keep from going hungry and to keep Lola from getting too discouraged. I worked at the saw-mill, farmed, did carpenter work, and plastered. You name it and we did it. I was at the saw-mill when Ashel wrote and said that there was an opening in California as a hod-carrier and so we decided that I should go down there to work even though Lola was expecting the baby within a few weeks. I hated to leave her, but I was not getting paid the wages due me at the saw-mill (in fact have never been paid) so I packed my things and got ready to go on the bus. Lola drove me to the bus but she did not want to stay to see me off. I kissed her goodbye and moved toward my seat. She did not want me to see her crying. Many thoughts went through my mind. Why couldn’t I stay to be with her when she needed me most? And I wanted to see our baby so much. But I had to go and that was the way it was.
I stopped in Hurricane to see my family for a short visit, and then on to California. It was beautiful there. I went to work driving truck for Don and White Pearce, they were having quite a lot of trouble with the Unions and we also had lots of rainy weather, so I did not get much work at first and only made about 12 dollars a week. Hardly enough to live on and I was not able to send very much to Lola to help on the Doctor bill. The two months that followed were disastrous. I couldn’t eat or sleep, my ulcer was very bad, and my nerves just about pulled me apart. Finally a letter came saying that we had a baby girl and that her name was Sharon, as we had decided on previously. The letter was written as though Sharon had written it herself. I still have that precious letter.
Each time that Lola wrote she was getting stronger and I could scarcely wait for them to come. I found a little apartment and paid the first month’s rent. I met three busses before her bus arrived, but the sight was something to behold. There in the basket lay our lovely, beautiful baby daughter. How I wanted to hold and cuddle her. We talked some, but Lola cried most of the way home. The trip had been hard for her and she had to take a later bus as the first one was full. She had gotten off in Hurricane to show the baby to my family, and had to wait for another bus in St. George. Then one time she left the baby asleep in her basket on the seat so that she could get off and go to the rest room and was nearly left by the bus driver. This frightened her so much that she would not get off the bus either to eat or drink.
I had been unable to get the electricity turned on in our apartment and of course they were closed over the weekend, so we did not have hot water or lights. I had borrowed Horace Flake’s car to go up to Los Angeles to meet the bus.
After we got settled, things seemed to get smoother, but it was a whole new life and as parents, we had to put the needs of our child before the needs of ourselves and we have been doing so ever since.
About three months later, Horace Flake bought a new home and sold us his for $250.00 down payment. It was a lot for us to manage, but we took in boarders and finally got out of debt.
We saved up and bought our first car, an old 33 Chevrolet with wire spokes in the wheels. We used this for three or four years and it served us well. Wish we still had it—it would be worth quite a bit now as an antique.
California was a worldly place but we were busy in Church and made many wonderful friends. I was called on a stake mission and enjoyed that. We brought a family into the Church and influenced others. We were quite happy there.
Work improved but it was very hard work. I don’t know of any work harder than carrying hod. We got very busy and they were turning out a house a day. We usually worked in large tracts of a hundred or more homes in one section. People were coming into California huge numbers. I was told that 50,000 per day were migrating into the state. There were many things I liked about California. The climate was wonderful and we did enjoy going to the beach. I’ve always been fascinated by the water. Sometimes I’ve wondered why I did not turn out to become a mariner.
One of the main things that I can think of was our first home—bought from Horace Flake on McNerney Street in Lynwood. The whole block was nearly all Mormons and we called it Mormon Row. We were all like a big family.
I was asked to teach the Elder’s Quorum in the South Gate Ward and I really began to enjoy the instructional part of service, though it required much time to study and prepare. I’m sure my testimony increased and my love of the Gospel continued to grow.
I met all kinds of people and I could write volumes about them, but I am going to tell of the one whom I remember and loved most, Bishop Ivan Magnuson—a fair-hearted man and a servant of the people. One day he said, after discussing the return to Jackson County Missouri: “I’d be happy and honored to write you a recommend to the Company going back.” I was very thrilled and began to dedicate my life and service to God in order to make myself worth to receive such a recommend.
One day when I came home my wife, Lola, approached me with a little different philosophy of mind and I found through questioning her that she was expecting another child. So I decided then to step down to place #3 in her circle, but I was rewarded with the sweet love and development of our lovely daughter, Sharon.
One time when she was taken to Vernal to visit the Grandparents, she watched Granddad feeding the chickens and noticed the baby chicks busily scratching away. She said: “Oh, look, the chickens are wiping off their feet.
Truly from the mouths of babes comes forth wisdom. One meal-time Sharon left the table and I thought she had finished eating, so I proceeded to clean up her plate. Then she came back to the table and exclaimed: “Who ate my food all gone?” I sheepishly admitted to the terrible deed and she said: “Well, Dad, ‘pit it out!” I began to laugh, but her little moment of truth came to live with us. We were quite the pals, but I could not get the time I wanted with her. We occasionally took her to the beach. We paid 13 cents per gallon for gasoline and some weeks lived on three dollars worth of food. Now we pay something like sixty dollars per week and a wage of $3.00 per hour. Things have really changed.
That year I was given a Sunday School class to teach and in the course of the assignment, found myself yielding to a plea for a class party to take them to the beach. So we took leave at 5 o’clock and I took them in a borrowed truck to Long Beach. Things went beautifully until about 9 o’clock when we began to pile in and head for home. I noticed a damp, misty atmosphere beginning to move in all around us. As time proceeded, the fog became so thick that vision was almost zero and by the time we had gone the 19 miles between Long Beach and Lynwood, three hours had passed. At one point, I even had to have one of the boys walk in front of me so I wouldn’t run into something. Whew! Some day!
Lola, by this time had passed the time set for her delivery and great concern began to eat at us. We waited—ten months had passed and her discomfort was mounting every day. She went to her doctor and he said that he could not start her labor because the baby was turned wrong, and to wait a week longer. So that night we went to seek a blessing from Bishop Magnusson. I anointed and I knew that she would receive a great blessing. In the course of administering to her, the Bishop promised that things would speedily be right for her. He said: “Your son has been on a special mission for the Lord and he is a very special spirit. He will be with you very soon, and everything will be alright with you.” What a beautiful blessing and we were both shedding tears of joy and a great relief came to us. At four the next morning, Lola’s labor pains began. When she arrived at the hospital the doctor said the baby had turned and everything would be normal. By ten our son was born—over ten pounds and could hold his head up and feet also. The doctor commented that he was surprised that the baby had turned in correct position so quickly, without him having to turn it himself. And so another great testimony was added to our life’s experiences and we thanked God for our new son, Kristen. He was very special, but had impetigo when we brought him home from the hospital, and for a month had to be swabbed with blue or purple medicine. His black hair stood up on his head like quills on a porcupine and with his purple war-paint, he was quite an unusual looking baby, to say the least. He grew rapidly and had a great place in our little family circle, and in our hearts.
Kristen was actively engaged in everything he could reach, constantly exploring his world and keeping us hopping to keep up with him.
One day at the breakfast table he said: “Hey, Did, do you know what I saw behind my eyes last night?” Then he told me his dream.
The Japanese had attacked our Navy and destroyed it, to a great extent. We were at war and I was wanting to help in the war effort. I got a job at Baash-Ross Tool Company and made tracks for the flaps on airplanes. After a while, I began to operate huge 3-ton cranes. I disliked that job with a passion, as I was so afraid that I might drop one of those loads on someone. I remember making a shift of the 200 inch tube which the huge telescope was to fit into which was to be used at the big observatory near Los Angeles—then the largest telescope in the world.
From here, I decided to make my wages do all they could for me, for soon I might be drafted. When I got a chance to go to work for Western Pipe and Steel Company and learn to be a welder, I was getting $2.00 an hour and thought that was good pay. Here we made boilers for ships which were used to haul fuel to our fighting men.
The war came close to us one night when the air raid sirens went off, the black-out was in effect, and we would see tracer bullets being fired at a tiny spec in the sky as the search lights swept back and forth. We were excited and nervous. The only thing said about it on the news was that there was an unidentified object or airplane over Los Angeles. We never did know the truth of the matter, I don’t believe. But it did accomplish one thing—people were very careful from then on to obey the black-out regulations.
Ever since I had returned from my mission I was plagued with a sharp pain in my stomach and the doctor said I had an ulcer. We did not know if the army would take me regardless, as they were taking anyone who could walk—almost. I was called up and reported at Army Headquarters where they spent three days giving me shots and checking us over. Then one morning the Sergeant said: “Wilson, come into the lab.” So I went in where they told me they had found a big ulcer and were mustering me out. I said, “Already?” and they said: “Yep”. A sickening thud slammed me in the stomach when they said they couldn’t use me. They said: “Go back to your job and help in the war effort in any way you can”.
I was relieved that I didn’t have to leave my little family, but still many others had to. I went back to work for a time but my stomach got worse and worse until I only weighed 125 pounds. The welding fumes working inside those boilers were making me worse and I thought I would die if I did not get out of there. So we sold out and headed for Utah. But there was an error in the termination record and the draft board told me to get back there and go back to work or else.
We went back and bought a trailer house. Nola and Julia came to live near us and help in the war effort. Mother and Dad were on a six-month mission. We were surprised with a visit from Betty Kennedy. It was nice to see her, but I noticed that there had been a change in her feelings toward the Church.