Abel Nephi Casto by Magdalene Miller Nordmark (My father's mother's father.)

   

Abel Nephi Casto was born in Manti, Utah 22 April, 1959.  He was the sixth child born to Matthew Galland Casto and Mary Elizabeth Daniels Casto.  When he was six years old he went along with his older brothers to help clear the temple building site.  The younger boys picked up the smaller sticks and stones that they could lift and put them in the wagon driven by an older brother.

     While Abel was working there Brigham Young drove up to the temple site.  He was to speak there later that day.  Abel was really impressed by the team of black horses.  They were sleek and trim.  He watched intently at the way Brigham spoke to his horses and noted how willingly they obeyed.

(Many years later his youngest daughter, Ila, asked her father what impressed him most about Brigham Young when he met him at age six.  Abel said, "I was more interested in his matched team of black horses and the way he handled them than anything else.")

     Abel was in Manti during Indian troubles.  One time he particularly remembers, the Indians broke jail.  One Indian left his blanket on a tree.

     At twelve years of age he went with his parents to help settle the town of Salina.  His mother, Elizabeth Casto, was the first school teacher in Salina.  They were there during more Indian troubles and then moved back to Manti the next year.

     He worked at clearing the ground for the Manti Temple off and on for three winters.  When he was about fifteen years old he was present at the laying of the cornerstone of the Manti Temple.

     As Abel grew to manhood, he met a girl from Richfield.  Her name was Eliza Jane Manning.  It took two days to walk to Richfield and two days coming back.  This was a lot to go through for a date.  In between times they wrote letters.  They were married January 2, 1881 by a family friend and Justice of the Peace, Thomas G. Humphrey, at Salina, Utah.

     Their first home was a small log cabin built by Abel on Gooseberry.  He made a cupboard for his bride out of a goods box.  It had three shelves in it.  Eliza would place the saucer upside down, then set the cup on top so you could see it better.  They lived there until the fall of 1882 when they went to Arizona with others from Gooseberry.

In getting ready to leave Gooseberry they sold their chickens for enough money to buy Eliza a sewing machine.  She took it with her to Arizona and Brought it back to Gooseberry when they returned.  She used this same machine for the rest of her life.

     In going to Arizona they settled in Curtis which was four miles up the Gila River from Forth Thomas.  They arrived at the Mathes ranch about tree days before a baby girl, Martha Jane, was born to Abel and Eliza on Dec. 17, 1882.

     Abe and Eliza lived in Curis during troublesome times when the Apaches were breaking away from the reservation.  He had to tie the teams up by the window and have a gun ready to guard the horses from being stolen either by bandits or Indians.

     Abel said, "A man with a good team isn't safe unless he has his eye on them all the time.  One one occasion my team strayed away.  One of them had been raised up towards Black Rock and I supposed she had led the other one back to where she had been raised.  I got a neighbor to go with me.  We found her track near Frank Storey's ranch, the place I got her from."

     "Mr. Storey had taken his bed and fled from his ranch.  There was a sign on the door that said, 'Indians seen at Bear Springs.'  It was shot up by the Indians so we could just barely read it.  The Indians had entered his house and taken supplies such as tea, coffee and rice, sifting them around the door yard."

   "This being a watering lace, cattle had come in from all sides spoiling the tracks we were following.  After leaving about a half a mile, I was looking for a colt track that belonged to one of the team.  I discovered a colt track and in a short distance I discovered moccasin tracks."

    "I said to my neighbor, 'Hold the horses. I want to crawl into the bushes and find which is freshest, the colt or the moccasin tracks.  I found that the moccasin track partly blotted out the colt track.  This gave me to understand that the moccasin track was right fresh.  The moccasin tracks left the trail into the bushes.  I saw where a group of them had been standing, dismounted and holding their ponies..."

     "As we had been separated and hollering to each other, I thought they aimed to let us pass so they could fight us away from the settlement towards the mountain.  Then it appeared they changed their minds.  There was a square elbow up the canyon and I fancied I could smell Indians.  I went back to my neighbor and we had a pretty good race down the canyon.  At the mouth of the canyon was a watering place, an engine pump, a well, tanks and troughs and rubber pipes.  As we passed there a little after sunset, everything was intact and all right.  We slowed down from then on.  After going two miles we looked back and it was a blaze twenty feet in the air.  We got home about twelve midnight.  The next day we found that the engine had been burned and dropped into the well about 60 feet deep.  All the rubber pipes had been cut with a knife."

     "The next day my neighbor says, 'We'll gather a bunch of men and go until we get the horses."

     "That night those Indians had gone towards Black Rock and killed a man that was just getting home returning to his ranch after being in town that day.  They killed the best horses and took the man's team.  They had also killed a man at Bear Springs."

     "Our crew separated in three parties, one on each side of the canyon and one in the center.  The party in the center drove some horses down with them.  I and one other man saw the party drive my horses down and we all went down together.  This was during the time of Geronimo's run."

     "It was during the time they were living there that Chief Geronimo, Apache Devil, was making his raid and depredations and was finally captured."

     The main crops Abel grew in Arizona were sorghum cane, hay, grain and garden crops.  He grew melons weighing 65 pounds and a pumpkin weighing 100 pounds.  "I used to give melons away by the wagon load." Abel said.

     "Owing to the chill and fever, I moved back here in '87 and settled on Gooseberry.  (April 1887)  I now had three children; Martha Jane, Frank and Clara Elizabeth.  I traveled practically alone.  I hired a man to come with me to the Indian Reservation.  When I arrived at the Colorado River it was above the mark for crossing at the lower ferry.  The old ferryman wasn't there.  The new men were green hands and wouldn't venture the lower ferry.  We had to go up over Lee's Backbone.  It was a shack of a boat.  We had to take the horses over in one trip, give the wagons a start and let her go."  Being on the brake side I saved the wagon or I would have lost all."

     "In a month I traded for the Old Place.  I traded a team of mules and a set of harnesses for the squatter's rights and improvements and secured it with a homestead right.  I seeded the place to hay with corn and garden truck."

     "Then I started with a few pet lambs and gradually increased the herd to about 1800 head of sheep.  I sold these and at two or three different times I built up the heard to about six or seven hundred head on the range.  Later on I kept between 20 and 250 head of sheep on the farm.  Around 1900 I bought the Water's place for $450.  It is now valued at $4,000 (1932).  Later the property sold for $6,000.  I built five reservoirs to increase the water right.  The Farnsworth reservoir cost $1500 and the others cost $250 each. I have a permit for 55 head of cattle on the range."

     "In Grover Cleveland's day we used neither sugar nor coal oil.  I was saving 40 cents to buy another sheep.  We used fat pine for light on the fire place."

     He was a registration officer for several years.  He had been the water master at Gooseberry for many years.

The above is a compilation of a 1932 interview Ila had with her father, Abel Nephi Casto and things Ila recalled from her early life as told to her daughter, Magdalene L. Nordmark for the years 1887-1989.

     Life became a little easier without Indians to fight.  Abel concentrated his efforts on making his farm produce as much as double and even triple his grain yields.  He developed a special garden pea which he named "Casto Pea".  He sold this as a truck garden item and raised his own seed for planting but to sell as well.  He was very choosy about his seed.  He saved the seed only from pods containing nine or ten peas.

     He thought carefully about everything he did on his farm to make sure he got the most out of the energy expended.  When he would cut white cedar fence posts he would chop the tree down with a point at the large end.  He trimmed the branches off close to the trunk so that as soon as the tree had been felled and limbed the post was ready to be put in the ground.

     His way of keeping his barbed wire fences from getting loose was to weave saplings between the wires in between the fence posts.  The cattle and sheep didn't get the idea to break out because the fences were always tight.  He called these saplings 'dancers'.

     He worked long and hard.  In order to keep up such a schedule he always took a long noon hour.  He figured his horses needed a rest as well.  After eating he liked to lay down on the white pine floor where it was cool for a nap.

     He trained all of his children to take good care of their horses when they were out riding. His saying was, "If you take care of your horse, the horse will take care of you."  Ila remembered that if she had been riding for a good while she always gave her horse food and water at the end and exercised him so that he could cool down gradually and not get stiff.

     Around the time they bought the Water's place they had also purchased a house in Salina.  They no longer had schools at Gooseberry so the family had to have a house in town so the children could get to school.

     Four more children were born at Gooseberry.  They were Mary Grace, Rhudolph, Edwin and Ferdinand.  Ila was born eight years after Ferd in the house in Salina which was called the "rock house" as it was built of rock and still stands today.

     When Abel retired he sold his ranch on Gooseberry to his son Rhudolph.  He liked to go back and help out at times.  During the long winter months he had developed the hobby of carving wooden animals.  He kept this up until he died. l As a young girl in California, I remember his coming to visit us.  After breakfast he would get out his tools, the wood he was going to use that day and put on a heavy denims apron and get to work.  Many a grandchild had a set of giraffes, elephants, cows horses and pigs.

     He died July 22, 1942 of skin cancer at the age of 83.

Abel Casto second from the right.

   

   

   

Eliza Jane Manning (my father's mother's mother)

"Eliza Jane Manning Casto" by Magdalene Miller Nordmark

     Eliza Jane Manning was born 24 Sept. 1864 in Heber City, UT.  Her parents were Freeman Manning and Catherine Ann Watkins.  She was near the middle of the family with sisters that were older who taught her how to dance barefoot in the door yard and several brothers and sisters who were younger that her mother depended upon her to help take care of.  She had to work hard as she grew up.  She had a special ability in caring for people.  At the time she was 10 years old a local nurse recognized that and wanted to have her go with her as an assistant.  Her parents felt she was too young to do anything like that.  Besides, her mother needed her help at home.

     She went to school as far as the third reader, but after that there was just too much to be done at home.  It became a real necessity at a time when her mother was expecting another child.  After this, nature became her teacher and school.

     Her mother was careful to teach her all that she knew in the ways of taking care of a family, cooking, making soap, washing, baking bread and untold other chores that had to be done to make a go of it in this frontier environment.

     There was never any extra money for toys or dolls in the Manning home, so Eliza never had a doll.  She learned to make her own Holly Hock dolls.  There was a neighbor who had planted many holly hocks all around the chicken run.  The flowers made a place for the little chicks to hide and shade for the rest.  One never knew when a hawk or owl would come swooping in for its dinner.  The neighbor would give her a few blossoms each day.

     Here is how she made her dolls.  She would turn one blossom upside down for the bottom half.  Next she would stick a pin up through the blossom and into a plump gooseberry and in a big red currant.  A second blossom was used for a hat.  Two of the petals were split to make ribbons to tie the blossom on to the currant.  Now she had a holly hock doll.

     The summer she was fifteen her family was living in Richfield.  The county was building a canal through Richfield.  She and her brothers came to watch.  The boys thought it would be fun to throw rocks down on the workers.  One of them promptly came top side and gave them a sound scolding.  This worker happened to be Abel Casto from Manti.  For some reason he was a little bit fascinated by Eliza.  Her took her to some of the Saturday night dances while he continued to work on the canal.  Their friendship grew.

     The canal was soon finished.  Abel returned to Manti, but kept thinking about Eliza.  He decided to go see her again.  This meant a two day walk from Manti to Richfield and two days to get back to Manti.  They went to another dance while he was visiting and planned to write.  The next time he came he had borrowed a horse.  This time he asked her to marry him.  She accepted and on January 2, 1881 was married by a family friend and Justice of the Peace, Thomas G. Humphry, at Salina, UT.

     Their first home was a homestead on Gooseberry.  Abel had built a one room log cabin.  He made a cupboard for his bride out of a wooden goods box with three shelves in it.  Eliza took pride in placing her three cups, saucers, and plates in it.  Abel's brother, Brig, had also homesteaded at Goseberry.  In the fall of 1882 authorities of the Mormon Church issued an invitation for families to go to Arizona to help establish a colony near Fort Thomas.

      Brig and Abel and their wives decided to go.  It took a lot of preparation.  Abel traded their chickens for a treadle sewing machine for Eliza.  This was her most treasured possession.  She used this machine for the rest of her life.  On it she made all the clothes for her eight children and herself.  She even used it to mend the horse harnesses at times.

     The day before they left Eliza spent the whole day baking so that they would have bread for the trip.  Present day maps don't show any Fort Thomas.  I am estimating that this is like a 700 mile trip.  The Gila River runs in an east to west direction across the lower third of the state; such as between Phoenix and Yuma.  Eliza was pregnant which added another burden to the trip.

     Somewhere in Arizona they stopped at the Mathes ranch.  It was getting near the time for Eliza to have her child.  Martha Mathes was a very kindly person and invited them to stay there.  She also acted as midwife for Eliza.  A baby girl was born to Eliza and Abel 17 Dec.  1992.  They named her Martha Jane after the kind friend who had taken them in.  In the meantime Brig and his wife had gone on to Curtisville, AZ.  Abel would stay until Eliza and baby were able to travel again.

     When Eliza was able they went on to Curtisvulle which was on the Gila River,  four miles from Ft. Thomas.  They chose a spot to homestead and started farming.  There was a lot of trouble with Apache Indians.  There were many mosquitoes that left Malaria with their bite.  They raised tremendous melons there.  Abel had one melon that weighed 65 pounds and a squash that weighed 100 lgs.

They remained in Arizona for about 3 1/2 years.  Two more children were born.  Frank was born 23 Aug. 1883 and Clara Elizabeth was born 7 Nov. 1886.

     By April of 1887 they had returned to Goseberry.  They traded a team of mules and a set of harnesses for the squatters rights to the place he had originally homesteaded in Gooseberry.  The following year Eliza gave birth to a daughter, Mary Grace on 8 Nov. 1988.  The one room cabin was too small for the family now.  Abel bought an additional piece of property referred to as the Water's place.  It had a large two room log cabin on it.  Abe farmed both places.  Here three sons were born.  Rudolph M.  was born 17 June 1890.  Edwin James was born 2 Nov. 1892 and Ferdinand M. was born 14 July 1894.

     For a while there was a school at Gooseberry and the Casto children attended.  One winter the school was discontinued at Gooseberry so Eliza and Abe tutored their children themselves.  They knew their children needed more education so Abel purchased a lot in Salina with a two story rock home on it.

     While school was in session, Eliza would stay in town with the children while Abel would stay at the ranch to take care of the stock and do what ever chores needed to be done.  He would come home once a week, weather permitting, to stock up on some home baked bread and pies and whatever else he needed.

     Sometimes the boys would go back with him after school Friday and stay until Monday morning when they either rode their own horses the 10 miles to Salina or found a ride with a neighbor.

     When Ferdinand was eight years old, a baby sister was born 19 Nov. 1902.  They named her Ila Ruby Casto.  He was glad that he wouldn't be the baby of the family any more.  She was born in the rock house which by this time had running water and electricity.

     This was much easier than living on the ranch.  These are some of the things Eliza had to do as a ranch wife.  First of all she was responsible for making sure that food was prepared for each meal.  It was made from scratch.  She baked all of her own bread, pies, cakes and cookies.  She kept a flock of chickens to have all of the eggs she needed as well as plenty of fryers for eating.  She helped raise a big garden each year.  It was important to plant enough for the family to eat all summer and fall, some for canning and drying, and some for seed.  She saved every scrap of fat from the meat to be rendered and used for making soap.  Nothing was wasted.  If the cream got too old for table use, they made butter out of it anyway and used that on the harnesses during the winter time to keep them pliable.  When clothes had too many holes in them to be decent, the good parts would be cut into strips and sewn together for carpet rags which were then wound into a ball and later used to make rugs.

     Eliza enjoyed having someone else come to dinner.  She was so isolated at the ranch that she yearned to see most anyone.   Her grandson, Morris Curtis, stayed with then each summer between the age of 8 and 12.  He described the situation this way.  They would detect a cloud of dust rising where the traveler forded the Salina Creek and turned up the hills toward Gooseberry.  Eliza would send someone to the garden for vegetables, another person would be assigned to kill an extra rooster which was plucked, eviscerated in very short order then put in the pan, and Eliza would whip up a batch of baking powder biscuits.  By the time the wagon would arrive at their ranch, dinner would be nearly done.  By the way, the only existing road at that time went through everyone's farm.  You had to be careful to close the gate behind you.  Their farm was first on line.

     Eliza had a way with food.  She could make meager provisions turn into a feast.  She didn't have the recipes written down, they were in her head.  Ila remembers the way she made chicken with Danish dumplings.  Edwin Casto really liked his mom's mincemeat pie.  He encouraged his wife to make it and constantly tasted it until he was satisfied with what had been added.

     My late father, Janus Miller, was eating Thanksgiving dinner at Maude and Ed's house.  For dessert there was mince and pumpkin pie.  As he took a mouthful of the mince pie it brought back memories of the time he was courting Ila and had many a piece of Eliza Casto's pie.  Janus said, "Maude, this pie tastes just like  Eliza Casto's pie !"

Lloyd Allen holding Tillie, Clara Allen, Eliza Jane Manning Casto, Abel Casto, Ila Casto Miller

Happy Fruit Punch Day

It's Fruit Punch Day everyone!  Fruit Punch Day has it's humble roots in Morgantown, WV on June 17, probably around 2008. It has grown into the wonderful holiday it is today in 6 short years.  If you're not celebrating, you might want to reconsider.

It all began one morning when little Miss Rebecca Stoker awoke from her night's sleep and asked, "Is today fruit punch day?"  Apparently it was in her dream, so we decided, why not?   She invited a friend over and they drank fruit punch and played.  The next year Rebecca asked, "What are we going to do for Fruit Punch Day?"  Since I had all but forgotten this celebration, I was unprepared for the question. But Rebecca enlisted her sister, who invited a friend, and they dressed up, cup-stacked fruit punch colored cups, drank fruit punch, and as I recall, went fruit punch or treating at the neighbor's house. These were good neighbors, so even though they were confused, they invited the holiday revelers in to help celebrate.

The next Fruit Punch Day celebration that I recall was the summer after Eliza went to BYU.  She had mentioned to the boy she eventually married that June 17th was Fruit Punch Day.  He took the celebration up a notch by surprising her with a visit from Washington DC and giving her a book with a note that went something like this:  "Happy Fruit Punch Day.  I've never celebrated it before so I'm not sure what the traditions are but there probably should be gifts."  That and tie-dying t-shirts made that day the best Fruit Punch Day yet.

Last year we were at a Miller family reunion in Surfside, TX.  Not everyone knew that it was Fruit Punch Day, but we were with many loved ones making fantastic memories and some of those loved ones drank Fruit Punch. Another successful celebration.

Today I'm spending  my first Fruit Punch Day without the founder.  I made lemonade for the boys and said "Happy Fruit Punch Day," but it was lacking a little in the celebratory department.  Miss Rebecca should be home tonight, we'll try to add a little heart to this special day.  I do feel good knowing that she was with her beloved cousins this morning, and Eliza's husband remembered the day with a gift for his girl...a book.

So the Fruit Punch Day traditions so far are: 1. Drink fruit punch (preferably in a red cup)  2. Be with people you love. (It's best if they visit from far away.)  3. Give a gift from the heart.  (optional)  4. Wearing red is a good idea.  5. Do a fun activity  6. Don't forget.

And guess what else?  This is my 100th blog post.  woo hoo

If your dad was Paul Stoker...

If your Dad was Paul Stoker and your name was Andrew you might think he had a magic polo shirt that  changed colors every day.

If your dad was Paul Stoker he would go to scout camp with you and you would know that he can fish and put up a tent and build fires and tie knots and shoot bows and arrows.

If your dad was Paul Stoker you would learn how to play Battleship, Rat-a-Tat Cat, Stratego, and Risk.

If your dad was Paul Stoker he would teach you how to mow the lawn even if you were his 9th child.

If your dad was Paul Stoker you would learn how to bump, set, and spike, dribble and pass, catch and throw, serve, volley and "keep the L."

If your dad was Paul Stoker and Mom went out of town, you would know that the party was about to start with lots of movies, pizza, pop, candy, and no cleaning until 1 hr. before Mom was due back.

If your dad was Paul Stoker you would be expected to excel in school and everything else you decided to try.

If your dad was Paul Stoker he would talk to you about getting your eagle scout award every day from age 13 until it was done...unless you were a girl in which case you would finish your personal progress program without being reminded.

If your dad was Paul Stoker he would read scriptures every night unless it was too late and then you would recite the 13th article of faith.

If your dad was Paul Stoker and you played a musical instrument he would provide all the sheet music you could dream of and make requests.  (He paid for your lessons after all.)

If your dad was Paul Stoker and you were little he would read to you at night, and if you were big you would remember with fondness "Saint George and the Dragon," "Yertle the Turtle," "Trumpets in Grumpet Land," "Chronicles of Narnia," "Rangers Apprentice," and if you were very lucky, "Whoa, Joey, Whoa."

If your dad was Paul Stoker and you had an interest in...say...Lacrosse for instance, into your world would appear books about lacrosse, instructional videos and all the equipment you could dream of.

If your dad was Paul Stoker you would eat Stoker rolls and if you were smart you'd learn to make Stoker rolls.

If your dad was Paul Stoker you would never use a match or punk to light sparklers or fireworks.  It's torch all the way, baby.

If your dad was Paul Stoker you would also enjoy divinity at Christmas and lasagna when he was in charge of dinner.

If you dad was Paul Stoker he would tell you that he is madly in love with your mother.

If your dad was Paul Stoker and you were looking on facebook he would be over your shoulder asking, "Who's that?  Is she nice?"

If your dad was Paul Stoker and you were on a road trip and stopped at a gas station he would buy gatorades while mom was in the bathroom.

If your dad was Paul Stoker your cars would never be less than half-full of gas.

If your dad was Paul Stoker there would always be ice cream in the freezer and if he knew you enjoyed a treat, he would bring it to you sometimes.

If your dad was Paul Stoker you would know the words to "Man has a Dream," "Whenever I hear the song of a bird," and the chorus to "There's No Business like show business."

If your dad was Paul Stoker he would give you everything he has and more.

Max Edward Miner (my mom's dad)

Max Edward Miner was born on April 20, 1911 in Draper, UT.  His parents were Gilbert Leroy Miner born on April 17, 1883 in Fairview, UT and Zerelda Minerva Tew, born on November 23, 1884 in Springville, UT.  Max had 4 brothers, Reed, Lynn, La Mont and Phil and one sister, Betty.

 He went to West High School where he was the editor of the newspaper.  When he was 17, he went to Zion's National Park to work as a gearjammer (tour bus driver.)  While he was there he met Christie Gregerson who was working at Zion's as a waitress.

They decided to get married in the fall, Oct. 3, 1930.  As the story goes,hHe had to get permission from his parents because he was under age.  Christie was legal as she was 3 years older.  After they were married they moved to Salt Lake City, UT where Max worked as a car rental employee.

Sadly, Max and Christie divorced and Max went into the Army when the war started on Dec. 1, 1941.

  On April 10, 1942 he married Faires Sampson.

 They had 3 children, Nancy, Kay and Dale.

  Approximately 10th E and 4th S.
Max' parents home from ca. 1950-1971

2967 Hudson Circle SLC
Max and Faires' home from ca. 1950-1956

825 E. 1700 S.  Max' parents,
 Gilbert and Zerelda's, home

3990 S. 3250 E. SLC, UT
The home they lived in starting 1956 until he died in 1978

760 1st ave. Where the Miners lived in 1922

Not much has been written about my Grandpa Miner, but I remember him.  He was quiet and reserved but had a quick wit.  His happy laugh/giggle was worth waiting for.  I felt his love, but I could tell he wasn't a big one for early childhood curriculum.  I get that.  His job with Hertz Rent-a-car allowed him to come for frequent short visits to our home in CA. I do remember him reading to me.  His favorite activities were golfing, playing bridge, and yardwork. His yard was meticulously cared for.  He liked a clean house and usually dressed well.  He did like his TV, but that was okay with me.  I liked my TV too.  And he always had a little bowl of bridge mix beside his lazy-boy that I would share while he was at work.  

He died of heart attack September 23, 1978 during my sophomore year at BYU.  It was a surprise because he was only 67 and in fairly good health.  He had been a wonderful companion to Faires and she missed him dearly.

This is how I remember Nana and Grandpa
on our summer visits to their house, in these
very outfits.