Joseph Ephriam Barker

Joseph Ephraim Barker was born in Saint Charles, Bear Lake County, Idaho, on Halloween, 1878, to parents John Thompson Barker, 38, and Jane Maria Pickett, 29, who had immigrated to America from England. They were married June 29, 1870, in Salt Lake City, Utah. In the 1880 U.S. Federal Census, Joe was 2 years old, living with his parents and siblings: Jane M., 9, John T., 7, George H., 6, and Amos E. 4. Joseph's father, John, was working as a Freighter and his mother was keeping house. By 1900, the Barkers are still in St. Charles, and in the home is John T., 59, Jane, 51, John T., Jr., 26, Hyrum G., 24, (or George H. in previous census), Amos E., 22, Ephraim J. (Joseph Ephraim), 20, along with additional siblings, Elias E., 18, Mary E., 16, Pearl A., 15, Alice N., 13, and Zina C., 8.

Joseph married Rosetta Almeda Harmon September 3, 1904, in Bear Lake County, Idaho. By 1910, Joe and Rosetta are living in Fairview, Uinta, Wyoming, and they have three sons. Joe is 31, Rosetta is 21, and their sons are Ephraim E., 5, William V., one & a half years old, and Wesley L., who is one month old. In the home with them is Joe's brother, (Elias) Ether E., who is 29. Joe is working as a laborer at odd jobs, as is his brother Ether.

When Joe completed his World War I Draft Card Registration on September 12, 1918, he was 39 years old, and described himself as being of medium height and build with blue eyes and black hair, and was working as a farmer for Simon Land Company in Lewiston, Idaho, and lists his wife as Almeda Barker.

By 1920, the family is still living in Lewiston, Cache County, Idaho, and Joe is 41, Rosetta, 31, and their children are Ephraim, 15, William V., 11, John R.L., 9, Eva A., 7, Vila, 5, and Velda, 3 years two months old. It appears that Wesley L. has passed away, since he is not listed in this census. They own their home free from a mortgage, and Joe is working as a farm laborer, as are his sons, Ephram, William and John. At some point, the family must have moved to Weber, Utah.

Sadly, 9 years later, Rosetta passes away on January 6, 1929, in Weber, Utah, at the very young age of 40 from heart problems (chronic myocarditis and nephritis, per her death certificate). Less than one month later, on February 2, 1929, her husband Joe commits suicide at the age of 50 years, 4 months and 1 day by taking about 4 ounces of Lysol, and dies at the Dee Memorial Hospital in Weber, Ogden County, Utah. He must have been very despondent over Rosetta's death to take his life that way when he may have had two or three young daughters under the age of 18 still living at home at the time.

Prior to their deaths, Joseph and Rosetta were living at 2204 Grant Street in Weber, Utah, and he was working as a laborer, per his Utah death certificate. The names of Joe's parents are not listed on his death certificate, so perhaps the "informant" listed on his death certificate (his oldest son, Ephraim Eldis Barker) did not know the names and birth places of his father's parents and could not advise the hospital of that information.

Joseph was buried in the Smithfield City Cemetery in Utah on February 6, 1929, next to his wife, Rosetta. They must have loved each other very much! And it's sad to see that their children lost their parents at fairly young ages. It's also sad to know that Joseph and Rosetta had four stillborn daughters in 1919, 1922, 1924, and 1928. I wonder if these additional pregnancies had some affect on Rosetta's heart and contributed to her death! This family had so much tragedy haunt their lives!

On August 25, 1926 Joe and Rosetta's oldest son Ephraim Eldis, had married Gladys Cannell, and by 1930, they had two children, Ronald, who was 3 years old, and Leora who was 4 months old. In the 1930 U.S. Federal Census for Ogden, Weber, Utah, Ephraim Eldis and Gladys are 25 and 26, and living with them and their two children are Ephraim's younger, orphaned sisters, Eva, 17, and Velda, 13. Vila does not appear to have moved in with her brother's family, but was known to be married to Thomas Boyce. Although if she was married to Thomas in 1929, she would have been only 15 years old at the time of that marriage.

Eldis and Gladys owned their own home, which was valued at $1,250, and they have a radio in their home, which is located at 2001 Jackson Avenue. Eldis is working as a laborer in the stock yards. By 1940, Eldis and Gladys are still living in Ogden, at 1753 Gibson Avenue in a home they own valued at $1,800. Eldis is still a laborer in the stock yards, and for the 39 weeks he worked in 1939 at 42 hours per week, he earned $1,800. E. Ronald is 13, G. Leora is 10, and they have two more children, R. Jay, 8, and LaMar, 5. I don't know what ever happened to Eva and Velda after 1930. Eldis passed away on April 18, 1973, and his wife Gladys on January 3, 1999, and they are both buried in the Smithfield City Cemetery.

Joe and Rosetta's second son, William Vermont Barker had married Rozella Beatrice Laursen on August 8, 1928, in Logan, Cache, Utah. By the 1930 U.S. Census, William was 24, Rozella, 23, and they had two daughters, Vanessa, 3 and Dolores, 8 months old. They were living in Smithfield in a home they owned valued at $850. William Vermont is listed as a laborer doing odd jobs. In the 1940 census, W. Vermont and Rozella and their children are still in Smithfield and now Delores is 10, but Vanessa is not in the home with them, so she must have passed away. They now have an 8 year old son Eugene V., and a 2 year old daughter, Carol Ann, and they are living in the same home. William V. is working as a truck driver for a feed store, and for the 39 weeks he worked at 48 hours per week in 1939 he earned $875. William passed away January 7, 1986, and Rozella March 31, 1993, both in Logan, and they are both buried in the Smithfield City Cemetery.

In 1928 Joe and Rosetta's third son, John R.L. Barker married Florence H. Campbell, and in 1930 they were living in Ogden, John was 20, Florence, 18, and they had a one and a half year old daughter, Betty L. They are living in the rear house at 200 17th Street, which they are renting for $18.00 per month. John is working as a laborer in the stock yards. The people living in the front home at this address were Mary E. Dana, 63, a widow, and her son Leslie L., 20. They owned the home which is valued at $2,000. Leslie was working as a laborer at a gas service station. Leslie and his mother, Mary, may have been John and Florence's landlords.

By the 1940 census, John and Florence are still living in Ogden, but now they own their home on 3rd East Street, which is valued at $500. John is 30, Florence is 27, Betty Lou is 11, Richard Lee is 9, LaVell is 7, Gerald is 5, Patricia is 4, and Robert D., is 1 year old. they were living in the same house in 1935. John is now working as a cement finisher on a WPA bridge construction project and for the 44 weeks he worked in 1939, his income was $620. John and Florence had completed two years of high school. All of their children were in school at the time of the census, except the 3 youngest ones under 5 years of age. Florence passed away in February of 1977 in Ogden, Utah, and John passed away in August of 1984 and was living in Morgan, Utah, at the time of his death.

I don't know where Vila was living at the time of her parents death, but she had married a Thomas Boyce, so she may have already been married when her parents passed away, and that's why she did not go to live with her brother Eldis as her other two sisters did. Sadly, Vila, passed away May 9, 1932, in Ogden, Utah, and is buried in the Smithfield City Cemetery with her parents. She died at the very young age of about 18, according to her death certificate, also from heart problems just like her mother. Per her death certificate at the time of her death, she was an Inmate at the Utah State Industrial School and was married to Thomas Boyce. Perhaps she was going to school to learn a trade at the time of her death.