THOMAS FRANKLIN KIRKHAM

                              Another life sketch written by Bessie Laverne Kirkham Fillerup
          
                                                   THOMAS FRANKLIN KIRKHAM

THOMAS FRANKLIN KIRKHAM

Thomas spent his life in Lehi, Utah, participating, most actively  in church and civic affairs.  He graduated from Brigham Young University in 1904, majoring in business training, and has practiced accounting ever since.  He has also maintained an automobile, fire and bonding insurance agency for many years, and has been a very successful operator.

 In 1906 he was called to fulfill a mission in England.  While doing missionary work in England he was selected to resume his work in Germany.  During his proselyting in Germany,. He acquired a remarkable command of the language, and was very successful in his missionary work

 Since being released from his mission, he has assisted many young men who have been called to the German Mission, with the language and has been compliment ed many times by natives of the country of their language.  He has spent many years in church service, including the following assignments:  Counselor to President of Elders Quorum, Secretary and President of the 127^th Quorum of Seventy, Chorister in Sunday School for twenty years, forty years as Sunday School teacher, Secretary of Alpine Stake Young Men  Mutual Improvement Association, Clerk of Second Ward of Lehi for twenty

For approximately forty years he has been bookkeeper for Lehi Roller Mills.  He was a member of the Lehi Home Dramatic Company, Lehi Opera Company, Lehi Silver Band and was charter member of the Lehi Lion  Club, being its first Tail-Twister.  He was Charter member of the Lehi Chapter of Sons of the Utah Pioneers, and participated in the organization  Centennial Caravan in 1947, traveling the route taken by the 1847 Utah Pioneers./  He also participated in the Mormon Battalion Trek in 1950.  he was collected many pioneer antiques for the Sons of Utah Pioneer Village in Salt Lake City, and has restored many historical items to their original condition.  He was chairman of the Lehi Centennial History Committee, compilers of the Lehi History Volume.  Thomas was a lover of flowers.  His gardens have been a show place for many years , for he had many unusual plants resulting from his labors.

Children of Thomas Franklin and Margaret Jane Cavanaugh Kirkham

Phyllis Margaret Kirkham Owen

Bonnie Jean Kirkham Dech  (Adopted)

RAYMOND LEE KIRKHAM

                                                        RAYMOND LEE KIRKHAM

The following picture is of Raymond and his sister, Bessy Laverne. 

Raymond Lee, youngest son of George and Sarah Russon Kirkham was born 24 Aug 1902 in Lehi, Utah. He was baptized 24 Aug 1910 by his father.  He received his early education in the elementary schools in Lehi and graduated from Lehi High School then continued his education at the Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.  He advanced in the Priesthood and faithfully attended his church assignments.  His schooling was interrupted with a mission for the Church to Germany where he spent thirty-six months from 1922-1925.  He served as President in three branches during his mission.

He married Mona Hindley, daughter of James Ernest and Emily Hoggard Hindley.  She was born 10 Jul 1907 in American Fork, Utah.  They were married 14 June 1928 in the Salt Lake Temple.

Raymond was employed by the Utah Woolen Mills of Salt Lake City, Utah, acting as manager in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  While in Minneapolis he was appointed as Superintendent of the MIA for the North Central States Mission.  He moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles as California representative of the same company.  In 1936, Raymond became affiliated with the Prudential Life Insurance Company, his assignment being in Hollywood, California.  Here he served as Staff Manager Agent, and in 1951 moved to Portland, Oregon, as District Manager of the Portland North District.  After 23 years of continuous service with the company, he retired 1 February 1959 and accepted the General Agency for the Provident Life Accident Insurance Company of Chattanooga, Tennessee, with his office in Portland, Oregon.

Raymond's  church activities have been many and varied.  He advanced through the Priesthood callings in the Lehi Second ward.  After the return from his mission he was advanced to the office of Seventy being set apart by Elder Brigham H. Roberts of the First Council of Seventy.  He served as Counselor to J. Mark Clark in Hollywood Ward.  He was advanced to the office of Bishop in 1936 and served until 1942.  He served as counselor in the Los Angeles Stake High Priest Presidency.  He was later called to the Stake High Council.  After moving to Portland, he served as MIA Activity Counselor.  He served as President of the Columbia River Stake High Priests. 

He has been an active member of the Sons of the Utah Pioneers.  He was the first President of the California Chapter in Los Angeles.  He was also one of the members of the organization which participated in the 1947 trek from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah

Children of Raymond Lee and Mona Hindley Kirkham
RaeMona Kirkham Reynolds
Thomas Lee Kirkham

MORE ABOUT PEACH PITTS

Sunday, March 25, 2012

the tags on the following pictures are self-explanatory. There are several versions and comments of how this "fob" came to be carved from a peach pitt. Check the directory of this blog for other information. These pictures were submitted by Michael Kirkham, son of Donald Robinson "Bob" Kirkham. The peach stone originally belonged to Lott Kirkham, father of Bob Kirkham. It was carved by George Kirkham, father of Lott. (Incidentally, has anyone tried to carve a peach pit lately, and with such perfection?)

Michael added the following message:
"Lott's stone is hanging in a hutch in his last living child, Bob Kirkham's home in Shelley, Idaho.  If you drop by his home  I'm sure you could see it and they would appreciate the visit"

NOTICE OF RESUMPTION OF ACTIVITY ON THIS BLOG

I have been inactive on this blog for several months, but feel the time has come to resume activity.  Therefore, you can expect to see new and/or revised materials and pictures in the future.  I am sorry for this long hiatus, but hope to remedy that now.  Carolyn Johnson Christensen

OLIVER GEORGE KIRKHAM

OLIVER GEORGE KIRKHAM

Oliver George Kirkham was born 9 August 1891 at Salt Lake City, Utah, the son of George and Sarah Russon Kirkham.  Oliver completed his scholastic education in the Lehi, Utah schools.  Later, he applied himself to the sugar making industry and became an expert as a sugar boiler for the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company.  His services were shared in the sugar factories located in Lehi, Utah; Shelley, Idaho; North Dakota, Montana, West Jordan, Utah; and Nebraska.   His Father taught him carpenter trade which he followed later.  He was employed as clerk by Larson Brothers Meat Market for some time in Lehi, Utah.  He gifted as a musician and was a member of the Lehi Silver Band for many years.  The coronet was his instrument.  He and his son Reid played in several orchestras for dances and entertainments in Lehi and neighboring cities. 

Oliver gave his four sons a start in their music training.  He was an elder in the Church and a Scout Master.  Farming was his hobby and he taught his sons farm work.

He married LaVerde Bushman of Lehi and they had an honorable family of four sons and one daughter.
Children of Oliver George and LaVerde Bushman Kirkham

Oliver Reid Kirkham
Avery Bushman Kirkham
Dean Alvin Kirkham
Dale Bruce Kirkham
Dona Elaine Kirkham Parkinson

FANNIE ECKERSLEY BROWN DRAPER

I received the following email from Merrill Maylett and wanted to add it to the information about Fannie Eckersley.  I appreciate any information anyone sends me.

Hi Carolyn...
Fannie Eckerlsey's full maiden name was Hannah Francisco Eckersley, according to my grandmother, Laura Dame Draper Petersen, who was Fannie's daughter.  Fannie was only a nickname for Francisco.  My grandmother was quite adamant about that as was my aunt Amy Zoe Draper.   Also, in the "Mormon Draper's" book by Delbert Draper, the picture of Doc Draper and his 3 wives were mislabeled, again according to my grandmother and Aunt Zoe.   The taller wife in the center was actually Fannie, which agrees with other pictures I have seen of her.    My grandmother even made the correction in her copy of the book.

Was just reading your blog stories and find them interesting.  One thing I find very doubtful though is the part stating that "All of her (Fannie's) children were sealed to her first husband." According to Church records, all but John Eckersley Brown, Fannie's sun by the ill-fated John Weaver Brown were born in the Covenant to Fannie and Doc Draper.  It is interesting though that Fannie's last name is listed as Brown, rather than Draper in her birth certificate.

Thanks,
Merrill Maylett

SARAH KIRKHAM SUPERVISES SHELLEY STAKE WAR TIME WELFARE EFFORTS

Sarah Kirkham Accomplishments

Shelley Stake Relief Society Prepares for Hard Times

Taken from a History of the Shelley Stake Relief Society from June 1938 – July 1948

At the suggestion of the General Board and in accord with the advice of the General Welfare Committee in 1940, a survey of bedding conditions was made by the Relief Societies of the Stake and an acute need was found for more and better bedding.  To help meet that need and at the same time help families to help themselves, permission was given by the Bishop’s Council to open the building which had been purchased for a welfare center.  The Council renovated, financed, and partly equipped the building for a sewing center and under the sponsorship of the Stake Relief Society, was opened for work on October 9, 1940, with Sarah Kirkham, Chairman, and Tressa Hunter, Supervisor.  Women came in from all over the Stake to work, with each Ward given certain days to come and each woman given a work credit slip for hours worked.  750 quilts were made by the time the building was evacuated in the fall of 1944 to make room for the welfare store.  But by that time, the project had been justified.  Of the 750 quilts completed, 83 had gone into homes of the very needy, many had been brought in and quilted without charge for those who could not pay, 24 had been turned to the Regional Store house, 18 were retained for future welfare and first aid work; and all the others had been taken into homes in the Stake at a very nominal cost.

To further help solve the bedding needs in the Stake, a government project for the distribution of surplus cotton to needy and low income families was taken over in November and December of 1941 by the Stake Relief Society, with Sarah Kirkham, chairman; Mabel Roberts and Louise Arave, supervisors; and with the co-operation of County Commissioner, Arnfred Christensen:  A. A. A. Chairman, Allan Johnson*, and County Agent, I. W. Slater.  The cotton and ticking and twine was furnished through the county and 2.00 per mattress was charged the families receiving the finished mattresses to cover the cost of supervising and incidentals, and the work was done by the families themselves.  The work was done in the basement of the 2^nd Ward Church.  19 bales of cotton and 2133 yards of ticking were used in the project.  212 mattresses were made and went into 161 homes – this included mattresses made at different times for five families who had been burned out.  The project cost to the Relief Societies was only 47.78.
As a result of the mattress project, and the quilting done at the Welfare Sewing Center and the accompanying stimulation of interest in better bedding, every home in the Stake so far as known was adequately supplied with good bedding and were much better supplied and prepared for the anticipated shortages ahead.  (World War II)
*Allan was the brother-in-law of Doris Johnson, daughter of Sarah Kirkham.