Autobiography of Lawrence Niels Nelson by Ruth C. Nelson Stubbs, daughter compiled by Grant N. Stubbs, grandson

Stubbs Nelson Hart Pickett Home Tervort Wride Davis Bradshaw

Lawrence Niels Nelson was born 12 September 1886, in Manti, Sanpete, Utah, in his fathers home at 204 West 5th South. His father Fritz built this home. Dad lived in this home all his life from the time of his birth to the time of his death. He was the last child of Fritz Emanuel Nielson/Nelson and Caroline Elizabeth Domgaard His father Fritz died six months before his birth. Without a father, to raise him, he was very close to his mother and sisters, Anna and Ethel.  

Growing up in Manti, he always worked hard, even as a boy. He sold eggs for the family. He attended schools in Manti, going until the 9th grade; many felt that that was sufficient schooling at that time.       

He was a member of the Militia, which would be like the National Guard at this time, from a teenager until after he was married.       

He liked to dance; especially the Rage Quadrill, Fox trot and Waltzing at the Manti Armada, where the floor was a spring floor and gave with those dancing. In the winters they would also dance at the Manti chicken hatchery, they would clean it out, and then enjoy dancing there.       

Dad started to date Myrtle Larsen, after six months they were married in the Manti Temple by Lewis R. Anderson, on June 1 0, 1908. At the time of his marriage he was 5'8" tall, weighed 170 pounds, his hair was medium brown and later turned to grey. He had piercing steel blue eyes.  His mother Caroline died 10 February 1908, four months before his marriage to Myrtle. They moved into the family home built by his father Fritz in Manti, Utah It was a large place, the lot was one half of a city block, the house was on the south east corner of the lot, with fruit trees, corrals, and a large garden space. He piled lumber and machinery on the south of the lot. Dad would plow and harrow the garden, then leave it to his wife to take care of. There were always plenty of livestock on the place, horses, cows, a jersey Bull, chickens, pigs and Sheep.       

Dad was a very hard worker, he always had a job, and he was exceptionally good at shearing sheep. They’re very few men that could shear sheep as well as Dad. They sheared sheep in all the western states.  They would leave in February in the spring and shear sheep until into June.  While he was shearing he would hire a man to farm for him until he would return in June. He would then run the sawmill which he owned over the top of Manti Canyon and down on the Emery side. In June with all the family they would leave and go to the sawmill, along with a cow and a couple of pigs to rise. There was a cabin at the sawmill, with three rooms, a kitchen, dinning room and a bedroom the one room was a long room, built on behind the others. After a few years, they closed the sawmill down and moved over to Duck Fork, a short distance from Ferron’s Reservoir, the first summer there, everyone lived in tents; meals were served in a big tent, 20 feet long with a raised board floor. The sawmill engine room and the barn were built first for the horses and the cow.  Later he built two cabins, with two rooms in each cabin. He was in partners with Henry Hennigson. He sold his share of the sawmill to Henry later, he took it back because Henry could not pay for it, and at that time he along with his son, Robert, operated the sawmill.        Dad and the hired men would haul a load of lumber on a wagon with a team of horses, take the load to the top, just before coming down the Manti side, unload the lumber and pile it, some of the lumber they would take as far as Mill Creek. He would come to Manti, about every two weeks and bring a load of lumber with him to town, pile it on his lot in Manti.  The lot was large enough for this being it was a full one half block in size.  Then he would bring supplies for the sawmill back up.      

A very sad and hard time for Dad was when mother died in the Latter-day Saint Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, January 18, 1945. After this he sold most everything he could, the livestock, the farm to Ervin and Jennie Lou. Dad sheared sheep, combined and threshed grain; he had his team of horses, which he would also work with.      

Dad married Ludelia Anderson of Gunnison, Utah on 28 January 1949, they divorced within a year because neither one would move from their home to the other town. Dad then married, Dora Powell Young on April 12, 1957. Lawrence Niels Nelson died 28 November 1964 in the Gunnison Hospital, buried 2 December 1964, in the Manti City Cemetery, Manti, Utah. Ruth C. Nelson Stubbs Memories by a Grandson I would like to put in my memories of Granddad, I always remember him in bib overalls, busy working all the time. One of the interesting things was, whenever we went to his home to eat, the Adults always ate first and the kids ate after they were through. Granddad always treated me good. I enjoyed going to Manti and staying with Grandpa and Grandma. He would let me get on his machinery and play, as a young boy, you could dream of driving the tractor or working the threshing machine. He would let me ride on his horses. He would take me with him, when he was plowing and let me ride on the tractor with him all day long. He seemed to have a lot of patience with me.      

Every morning you would get up early, they always had a large breakfast, including mush. (Cooked cereal). There was so much around the place, with the animals, machinery, and lumber. He would let me help him turn the lumber; it was work, but also fun to do. Grant N. Stubbs