Elizabeth Welker

ELIZABETH HOGE – HER EARLY YEARS...Paris, Idaho is the county seat of Bear Lake County, and the birthplace of Elizabeth Hoge. Her parents were Walter Hoge and Amelia Smith. They were both converts to the Mormon faith, Amelia in her home in Bristol, England, and Walter in Utah after a harrowing trip from his home in Newcastle on Tyne, England. This young couple met when Walter settled down from his travels to teach school in Providence, Cache County, Utah, and Amelia became his student. One year after their marriage they received a call to Homestead and settle the Bear Lake Valley about 50 miles to the Northeast of Cache Valley. They arrived in Paris on November 10, 1870, just seven years after the first settlers arrived there Walter, from that time for 41 years was a stalwart, hard-working leader of the area. He held positions of responsibility in civic and church capacities. A statement written in his own handwriting says: “From the day we arrived in Bear Lake Valley until now, (September, 1910) with all of the “ups and downs,” failures and disappointments incident to a new country and frontier life, I have never had any desire to move elsewhere, although many and varied inducements have been offered me. I have always believed in the knowledge that I was called here by Almighty God through his authorized servants, and I expect to remain here until that same authority calls me to some other place.” He, with his noble, gentle and genteel wife gave their children a heritage of honor, reverence, and dedication to the teachings of Christ and the higher principles of life.

Lizzie was the fourth child and daughter born to Walter and Amelia. The first daughter, Edith, died the day she was born. The second girl, Rhoda, was born a cripple and weighed under two pounds. It was said she was so tiny that she could have been put in a quart jar. The fact that she lived was a miracle, especially for those early days, but her life was a series of operations, pain and discomfort. Ella, the third daughter, was in perfect health, as were the other children. But from 10 births, only five of Amelia’s children lived. Elizabeth (called Lizzie) was also healthy and strong.

Early in life she was labeled a “Tom Boy,” certainly being more like a boy than a girl during her childhood days. She was filled with tricks and antics, and soon acquired a reputation among the townspeople. When Lizzie was a little girl her two older sisters delighted in spoiling her. They loved to dress her up and show her off. One afternoon her mother entertained a group of friends at a tea. Ella and Rhoda dressed Lizzie in a sheer white dress with a long torso and a white embroidered ruffle on the hem. There was a blue sash tied around her waist in a large bow in back. Lizzie stayed with the ladies for a while looking from one to another, watching them laugh and talk. This soon became boring, however, so wondering what to do next, she went outside. Noticing the rain barrel at the corner of the house, she rolled the block of wood from the shed until it was next to the barrel. Climbing up on the block she saw that the barrel was almost empty. Her child’s mind indicated a need to fill the barrel so she found a small brass bucket and went to the ditch to fill the bucket with water. As she returned to empty her first bucket full, she climbed up and leaned over to see how much she had added and fell in head first. She stood on her hands and screamed, but the ladies in the parlor could not hear her.

Sister Spencer, who lived across the street heard her and came running. All the women in the house were then alerted and came out to watch the spectacle as Sister Spencer pulled Lizzie out, hair and dress dripping wet. Lizzie tried to explain that she had only wanted to fill up the rain barrel! A nickname was acquired by Lizzie that remained with her until she was married.

A little English lady named Hannah Humphreys had immigrated to Paris, and was in need of employment. By this time, Walter Hoge had acquired a fair degree of wealth and had built a large three-story home. Amelia had her hands full with the children and household duties, so Hannah was hired to take care of the children and assist Amelia with her work. Lizzie was quite a small child at the time and Hannah became a second mother to her. She gave her the endearing term “Buss. The entire family adopted it and used it, especially around home.

Grandchildren were made aware of this name scratched into a kitchen window with a diamond. Across the street to the East of the Hoge home lived the George Spencer family. It was a family of boys almost the same ages as the Hoge children. Lizzie played with them often, and but as they became older, one boy looked at Lizzie with amorous eyes. She was not ready for that, and resisted the very thought of anything more than a friendly relationship. One evening she saw the young man coming across the street. Lizzie said to her mother, “When he knocks, tell him I am not here!” Grandma cautioned her, “I will not lie for you, Lizzie.” Lizzie retorted, “I promise it will not be a lie”. She ran upstairs to her room where the rain pipe was positioned outside the window. Pushing open the window, she grasped the large pipe and she shinnied down it, jumping over the rain barrel to the ground and fleeing out through the field. She was right; Grandma was not required to lie for her.

When the Bear Lake Stake tabernacle was being built, Lizzie watched its progress with interest. She was between the ages of seven and eight when the building was completed to the square, before the roof was started. Lizzie had a deep desire which had grown in her with the growth of the building: she must walk around that building! Somehow she climbed the narrow brick wall and walked completely around the square of the building. She did not tell her mother about it, but it was a feat she was proud of the rest of her life.

In spite of Lizzie’s boyish characteristics as a youth, and her mother’s despair of raising her to be a lady, maturity brought forth an intelligent, resourceful and talented young woman. She was not content to be idle, and to her mother’s delight she began to acquire poise, charm, and polish. She said of herself that she never considered that she was a brilliant student but felt that she was quick and had a good memory. Her father was a beautiful penman, which resulted in his being asked to report meetings and copy church papers. He was also editor of the home newspaper and was often called to court to “take testimony.” These many tasks kept him so busy that he expressed a desire that Lizzie learn stenography and court reporting, which would take some of the stress from him.

Lizzie went to the Brigham Young College at Logan, hoping to get a course in shorthand, but one was not available there at the time. She did take other subjects including typing, and she stayed at Providence with her mother’s brother and family, Uncle Joseph Smith, and walked to school in Logan each day and back to Providence in the evening. The next year she went to Business College in Salt Lake. There she met a Mrs. Davis, wife of the sheriff, who taught her the Greg Lightline course in shorthand. She made rapid progress and soon completed the course.

After returning to Paris she was appointed court reporter for the Fifth Judicial District of Idaho on January 1, 1901. She held this position until she quit to prepare for her marriage in 1906. She enjoyed the work but got extremely tired concentrating so heavily for six to eight hours a day. The pay was very good and she had the opportunity to visit many of the counties throughout Idaho. Some of her reporting was done on cases tried by the well-known attorney capital William E. Borah, who later became senator for Idaho. The first time she went through the now thriving city of Twin Falls, there were only two houses there. There were a few Mormons in Idaho around the early 1900s. A courthouse custodian told Lizzie that several women in one of the towns came to look through the windows to see what a Mormon woman looked like. We must remember, too, that court reporting was considered to be a job for males only, but Lizzie proved her versatility and an early “women’s lib” advocate.

She enjoyed her independence and acquired a good-sized wardrobe along with many of the niceties she felt she wanted for a comfortable married life. Her most expensive purchase was a piano for which she paid $800, a small fortune at that time. Although she did little playing on it, she provided the opportunity for her children to learn, and even taught them the basic principles herself. Because of stenography skills, she also taught many young women to be stenographers in a freelance way.

In the summer of 1904 the opportunity came for Lizzie to attend the World Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. Because she was earning her own living and was immediately available, she was asked to accompany Mrs. Whinyates, who owned the dress shop in Montpelier. This lady was making a business trip to St. Louis to buy merchandise for her store and take in the activities of the fair at the same time. It was a chance of a lifetime for Lizzie. It was a fascinating experience for Lizzie to attend the fashion shows and view the exciting new styles of the year. When one of the models failed to show up, the manager asked Lizzie to model for the day. She admits to coveting the clothing she modeled, but bought only a lovely blouse. When Mrs. Whinyates prepared to leave, the manager called Lizzie a perfect model and presented her with a long black skirt with a short train. Now Lizzie could go home with a top-of-the-line fashion.

She persuaded the M.I.A. To have a grand ball and Roy Welker asked her for a dance. This was the beginning of their courtship. Although Lizzie hadn’t met Roy until he completed his mission, she had seen him, known who he was, and been aware of him. She admitted she had inquired as to when he was due to return home. During this period of her life, Lizzie bought a huge St. Bernard dog which she named Bruno. He became a companion to her, guarding her with his life. One morning before going to work at the courthouse, Lizzie took Bruno to the butcher shop across the street from the courthouse. It was customary to buy the daily meet for her mother, have it wrapped in several thicknesses of paper, then put it between Bruno’s teeth and instruct him to take it home.

When Bruno reached Grandma’s he would bump the door and she would come and take the meat, unwrap it and cut off a piece for Bruno. As Lizzie bought the meat this day, Roy came into the butcher shop. He had just recently returned from his mission. As the two had never met, they did not speak, but looked at each other. Outside the shop Lizzie was distressed to see Roy’s buggy with a nice looking young woman sitting in it waiting for Roy to come out. Lizzie found herself strangely quiet and depressed the rest of the day. She later learned that the woman was Roy’s aunt, his mother’s younger sister. Thus we glean that a mutual attraction was already in force which would bring these two young people together.

THE GOLDEN YEARS

When the Welker family had visited with their children and grandchildren and finished the meetings and reports with the general authorities, Roy was assigned to go to Snow College at Ephraim, Utah, as director of the LDS Institute. Rhoda secured a job as secretary in Salt Lake, and was married in 1942 to Roy E. Babel, former Berlin mission secretary. Margaret and Joyce attended Snow College, and Norma was in school in Ephraim. Many choice friends were made here, where they lived for two years.

In 1939 they were sent farther south to Dixie College LDS Institute at St. George. The climate was so favorable after a lifetime of cold winters that they fell in love with Utah’s Dixie. Many dear friends were added to their roster during the two years they remained there. They had always admired Dixie’s areas of red soil and geologic formations. Their health was good and they accompanied students on outings and hikes. Many were the stories they shared about Dixie natives fun-loving natures. Lizzie had always been afraid of snakes, and the young people enjoyed trying to get her to like them as they did. She told how one boy a coiled a small snake on his head, letting it enjoy the warmth there. Another boy brought a large snake to her, holding it by the tail, showing her that it could not rear up more than half of its height. All of this learning did not make her lose her inmate fear. But she did enjoy the many trips to Bryce and Zion’s Canyon and Cedar breaks.

Their next transfer was to Laramie, Wyoming, where Roy became director of the LDS Institute at the University of Wyoming. The two Utah institutes had been more or less routine because they were church-oriented towns, but the Wyoming Institute was another challenge. No doubt Roy’s expertise and well-grounded spirituality was needed in that environment. It was not an easy assignment, but his gentle, kind manner soon prevailed in working out the problems, and things were soon orderly and disciplined. In Laramie, Roy was called to be Bishop, and he was invited in this capacity to join the Ministerial Association of Wyoming, a group of ministers from all the churches in the vicinity. He became a close friend to most of these ministers, and later remarked that this was one of the most rewarding experiences of his life. He was asked to speak to some of their congregations, and much good will was generated in behalf of the Mormon Church.

Here also, at the death of the nation’s president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Roy was invited to pay tribute during a memorial service. Although throughout his life he had been devoted Republican and Roosevelt was a Democrat, Roy gave a beautiful tribute to his memory, always being able to observe the good in everyone. In 1947 after being in Laramie for five years, the Welker’s were transferred to Salt Lake, where Roy was associated with the Salt Lake Institute and the Church Department of Education in the research department. He was now 69 years old. The following years were special for him as he was given an office in the Church Office Building, and had a close association with the church authorities.

Roy and Lizzie bought a home on the corner of 10th East and seventh South across from the Immigration Ward Chapel. This home was a duplex and Roy’s sister, Rose Floyd, lived in the other part. While living here they had the pleasant experience of belonging to the Bear Lake club, all members having been former friends and students from earlier years. They remained active in church service, Lizzie serving as relief Society president from age 72 to 77. Roy continued to be in demand as a speaker at ward and stake functions throughout Utah and Idaho.

During this period of time while their health was still good, they traveled around the United States, especially to Texas, California and Idaho to visit their growing number of grandchildren and great grandchildren. Their 50th wedding anniversary was celebrated early in 1956 when they went on a long awaited trip to Hawaii. Here Roy bought Lizzie a beautiful gold dress in Mandarin style, which she wore to her receptions which were held later. One reception was held in the Immigration Ward Cultural hall by family members. Shortly afterward, another similar party was given in their honor to accommodate their Bear Lake friends. This was held at the home of daughter Ruth and her husband, Arlin Pugmire at St. Charles, Idaho.

Age now began to hang more heavily upon them as they reach their 80s. The decision was made to give up their duplex home in Salt Lake where they had spent several happy years. It was another traumatic time as they once more discarded many belongings to move into the Eagle Gate Apartments. They were no longer able to keep up with the yard and house work as they would like. From the new apartment Roy could walk to work at the Church Office Building where he was working on church manuals, and Lizzie could walk to the temple where she spent many hours doing endowments for the dead.

Lizzie’s health now began to deteriorate and again a decision was reached to go to Northern California. Their oldest daughter, Maureen, had urged them to come to Fortuna, where her husband, Dale Horn, had built and furnished an addition to their home in the redwoods. It was a quiet, comfortable place and the beautiful scenery was a balm to their souls. Dale and Maureen were available and at their call both day and night.

For a few months it was ideal and rewarding for them all until Lizzie’s health failed further. Rod and Ella persuaded them to come to Star, Idaho, where they could care for them and alleviate the strain on Dale and Maureen. Lizzie had been in the care of a doctor who predicted that she would live no longer than two weeks. Roy rented an ambulance plane, and Ruth flew to California to accompany them to Boise on the small plane.

Shortly after they arrived in Star it was apparent that Lizzie would have to go into a rest home. It was a difficult but necessary decision. She lived for 2 ½ years, with Roy, Rod and Ella visiting her daily. Her other daughters came as often as possible. She departed this life on December 12, 1971 at the age of 92.

Roy stayed on with Rod and Ella, occasional visiting family members or being visited by them. He was very lonely for Lizzie and mourned for her continually. His eyesight began to fail and he became frail. In the spring of 1973 he went to Logan to stay with Arlin and Ruth. Friends came to see him often and his mind and memory remained good.

Because Ruth was working as an ordinance worker in the Logan temple, his other daughters took turns spending a week at a time in Logan, assisting with his care. He reminisced and visited, enjoying the time with each of them. In November his doctor, Wendell Budge, insisted that Roy should be placed in Sunshine Terrace nursing home. He had been in and out of the hospital and was developing various problems. When uremic poisoning became apparent, the doctor said he needed care that he could not receive at home. He had used up the time allotted Medicare patients at the hospital, so it was an in evitable choice. A 95th birthday party was being planned by his daughters to be held at the Terrace, but he slipped off his bed and broke his coccyx for, and the party had to be canceled. It was downhill from then on until he took his last breath on November 28, 1973, almost 2 years after Lizzie’s death.