Jessie Layland Dayton (Johnson)

Life History of Jessie Johnson Layland 1903 -1970 and Andrew Jackson ( Hick ) Layland 1898-1947

On the 21st day of June,1903, Jessie Johnson was born in the small 3-room home of her grandparents, John and Hannah Sant Millington . This home was in a small town of Treasureton, Bingham County, Idaho . Jessies mother, Betsy Millington Johnson , had returned to her parents home after the untimely accidental death of her husband of 18 months. He, Ephraim Johnson had been kicked in the head by a horse and died as a result of it, 25 Aug. 1894. Jessie had an older brother, Ephraim, born 7 Sept. 1894, ( named after his father ). and a younger brother, Edward M. born 20 Aug. 1906, both born at the Millington home in Treasureton. She also had two half-brothers and two half-sisters. Born after her mother had married Thomas Cherry.in 1910. They are Orville Thomas Cherry, born 3 July 1911; Mary Amanda born 30 May 1914; John Wilford born 1 April 1916; and Sara Alice, born 17 June 1916. Little is known about her “ growing up “ years, but it is assumed that this time was spent in the Treasureton area. Where or when she met a young man from Raymond, Bear Lake, Idaho by the name of Andrew Jackson Layland. is not known but a marriage for them is recorded at the courthouse in Paris, B.L. Idaho stating that Jessie Johnson age 17, and Andrew Jackson Layland age 22 were married on 20 Aug. 1920. Throughout his adult life, Andrew Jackson Layland was known as “Hick” Layland. A nickname given to him because of his unmatchable strength and stamina that was compared to the historical United States president “ Stonewall Jackson” whose name was also Andrew Jackson and was nicknamed “Old Hickory”. This young couple must have begun their married life around the American Falls Idaho area because their first child, Delbert George was born in American Falls , Canyon Co. on June 23rd 1922. From there they moved to the Nampa ,Idaho area . A 2nd child Pearl, was born July 22,1924 at Nampa, Canyon, Idaho. Robert LeRoy was also born at Nampa on March 7, 1926, thus completing their family. In about 1930 the country life and what the area offered them, lured Hick & Jessie & their children back to Idaho to the ranch in Raymond Canyon in Bear Lake , to the ranch that “Hicks” grandfather had homesteaded many years earlier. Actually ,it was “Hicks” birthplace. They lived in a small house on the hill above grandpas place. The children enjoyed the freedom they had at the homestead, They loved exploring and playing in the numerous groves and hills in the summertime and the sledding in winter. By the fall of 1932, the family had moved to the Pegram Idaho area where Hick herded sheep and worked as a ranch-hand. Hick worked as a ranch-hand for several different ranchers thus moving his family from place to place. Some of the living quarters provided for them were mere shacks .., most of them much too small for the family. Occasionally the boys sleeping quarters’ were sheepcamps. winter and summer. Jessie was good at making quilts, mittens, etc for personal warmth and did her best to make the living quarters comfortable. She made each place a “home”for her family the best she could. The Layland family were all hard workers, but they also knew how and where to get enjoyment into their lives. They basically found this pleasure on a river bank or a creek bank with fishing poles in their hands. Fishing was Jessies forte , she dearly loved to fish, either with family members or just enjoying the soltitude by herself. Jessie and Hick both loved the out=of-doors. The menfolk hunted deer,elk, sage chickens, grouse, ducks, geese rabbits etc. both for the food and for the pleasure of being in the country, but Jessie could not bring herself to the point of killing an animal. Hick was also an avid trapper . During the winter months when ranch work lightened up and in the evenings he was “running”a bunch of traps. Usually, or when time allowed , Jessie was by his side while he checked his traps. . Sometimes it was bitter cold but she went with him. She rode a horse all over the hills with him while trapping coyotes, badgers and bobcats. They also trapped muskrats, mink, , beaver, weasels, skunks etc. The hides were stretched and sold to fur-buyers. Thus adding a meager amount of money for their living expenses. { See back of this page for an account of a hard lesson learned}

Especially during the severe depression years, money was so scarce that there was none to buy toys or gifts for her children at Christmastime. So Jessie busied herself by making rag or sock dolls for Pearl and tractors ,trucks or cars from blocks of wood and using jar lids for wheels for Delbert and Bob. She also made “motorboats” that really sped along in the river. The children loved this activity. She was good at crocheting , Some of the wives of the ranchers gave her yarn and crochet cotton which she greatly appreciated and she made doilies , sweaters and other craft items for her daughter and later for her grandchildren etc. In 1940, Hick and Jessie purchased a 160 acre ranch east of the Wadsworth now the Cochran ranch in Pegram The ranch, close to the river, provided hay and pasture for eight milkcows , several sheep, and two teams of horses. For approximately 4 years they enjoyed living in the small home that was only one railroad tie wide and two ties long. By 1944 Delbert had married Jean Sarbach and Robert had been drafted by World War II ,consequently the workload of the ranch was too much so they sold it and bought a two room log house just South of the city limits of Montpelier on Highway 30. . Pearl married Dean Cook 16 June, 1945, and had made her home in Dingle, ; Robert had been wounded in battle at Okinawa and received an honorable discharge so he returned home in October of 1945 . He obtained work on construction with the Morrison Knudsen Co. so he basically lived in his small trailer house at the job sites Although her husband was an unusually strong man, sometimes doing the work of two men, his heart gave out and he passed away on 30 April, 1947 in the hospital at Soda Springs ,Idaho. His sudden death was hard to accept. The family life had changed abruptly. Jessie soon obtained employment as a waitress at the Burgoyne Cafe in Montpelier. On the 10th of March,1948, Jessie married Florian ( Blue ) Dayton from Dingle Idaho. Thus making her home in Dingle. She sold the house in Montpelier to her son Robert ( Bob). where he took his bride, Esther Law after their marriage 24 May 1949. to make it their home. Blue and his brother Jimmy owned a cattle ranch across the Bear River near “Rocky Point” The only access to it was by way of a steep sideling dugway . They handled the situation well; even hauling feed to the cattle during the snowy winter months. Since her daughter Pearl and family also lived in Dingle, they spent many evenings on the riverbank fishing. Rusty, her grandson recalls the many times he was picked up from school to go with them Carol, Pearls daughter remembers laughing at the “floppy” hats her mom and grandma wore. They not only fished the river , but knew every fishing hole in all of the creeks around here. Thomass Fork by Geneva was a favorite. They also had other fishing enthusiasts as friends. Dan and Marie Bailey had a cabin on the Crow Creek and this group took advantage of it on many weekends. In Bear Lake, the winter evenings are long. Too dark for outdoor activities but a good time to get together and play cards. Pinochle seemed to be a favorite for Jessie and Blue and Pearl and Dean. They enjoyed many evenings this way. Jessie and Blue also enjoyed being with Blues sister Olive Michaelsen and her husband Chancey. They traveled many places together and also enjoyed playing card games. In the early fifties Pearl and Dean purchased a television, ( quite the attraction.) Jessie and Blue enjoyed many evenings with them watching the Lawrence Welk show and other productions. There were many occasions when the whole Layland family would meet for a great dinner etc. It was interesting to watch Jessie as she ate. She previously had the necessity of getting false teeth. They must not have been fitted properly because she did not wear them, but she could eat beefsteak, corn on the cob, anything she wanted . Amazing !!!! Transportation was seldom a problem for them as long as the old truck had gas. Jessie did all of the driving. A family member tells of the time Jessie won a car somehow, maybe a raffle or whatever. The car a beautiful black Chevy, loaded with groceries from Max Haddocks I.G.A.store was actually won by Jessie . Apparently the old truck was good enough for them, because she unloaded the groceries for their use but sold the car. There must have been a good reason for doing this . Right ???/ The old truck seemed to take them where they wanted to go. Soon after Delbert married Carol Walker, they had made their home in Nampa, Idaho. Jessie and Pearl, with her 3 children, Rusty age abt. 10, Carol Dawn, age 7 or 8, and Julie Ann ,age 2 or 3 decided to go visit them. They made a bed ( cozy and warm ) for the children in the truck bed, and traveled at night . Kids and all had a great vacation. In her lifetime, Jessie Johnson Layland worked hard, played hard , loved her family and fished a lot. Her life came to an end on December 21st 1970, at her home in Dingle, Idaho. She left her three children and their spouses, ten grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. She was buried in Dingle Idaho on Christmas Eve. Dec. 24 1970.

Written by Esther L. Layland, wife of Robert LeRoy Layland, their 3rd child, 2014 . https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KPS9-K4X