Roy Anson Welker

The above photo of Roy Anson Welker was found on Family Search.org. There is another photo of Roy under the Media Tab above which depicts Roy (center) with 6 of his 7 sons-in-law, some of whom were identified on the photo as follows: (left - unknown), next - Roy Erwin Babbel, (next - unknown), right of Roy Anson Welker is Rodney Hansen Moyle, (to his right - unknown), and on far right is Carl Gilbert Ries. Another photo depicts Roy, his wife, Elizabeth Hoge, daughters and sons-in-law during at their 50th wedding anniversary. People shown in that photo are, left to right: Roy Anson Welker, Elizabeth Hoge, Dale Leo Horn (son-in-law), Elizabeth Maurine Welker, Rodney Hansen Moyle, Ella Welker, Arlin Rich Pugmire, Ruth Welker, Roy Erwin Babbel, Rhoda Mae Welker, Grant Elliott Nielson, Margaret Welker, Earl Guy Hafen, Joyce Welker, Carl Gilbert Ries, Norma Elaine Welker, Doneal Brown Hymas, and Sherill Pugmire Hymas (granddaughter and grandson-in-law). Sherill was the daughter of Ruth & Arlin.

Roy Anson Welker: Collegiate Graduate of Brigham Young University, Roy A. Welker received an A.B. Degree in 1913. Source: Annual Record, B.Y. University, Book 7, page 290. Collegiate Grad of BYU, Class of 1926. Roy A. Welker. He received an MA Degree in 1926. Source: Annual Record, B.Y. University, Book 7, page 290.

BIOGRAPHY: Roy A. Welker. The man who devotes his life to the scholastic training of youth must of necessity be possessed of many qualities not essential in other callings. A first class education, an infinite capacity for taking pains with pupils, a large stock of tact and patience, may be enumerated as among the qualifications necessary to success and these are visible in the daily school life of Roy A. Welker, principal of the Fielding Academy at Paris Idaho.

He was born at Bloomington, Bear Lake County, the state of Idaho in November 1878, a son of Adam Welker and Clara Osmond Welker, natives of Utah. The parents removed to Bear Lake County, Idaho in 1864, and Adam Welker took up a tract of land at Bloomington which he immediately set about improving and preparing for cultivation. In the course of time he came to be recognized as one of the most progressive farmers in that part of the state, and he has since continued to operate his land in Bloomington, being now one of the few survivors of an early day in that neighborhood.

He has ever been an active and zealous member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and has always been interested in its good works. Roy A. Welker was reared in Bear Lake County and received his early education in its schools. Later he attended the Agricultural College at Logan Utah for two years, and spent two summers at the University of Utah, finishing at Brigham Young University at Provo, Utah, from which he was graduated with the Class of 1913.

For seven years prior to his graduation, Mr. Welker had been teaching in the Fielding Academy, and since his graduation has also taught in the same institution, making fourteen years in all. During the last five years he has been Principal. He enjoys the confidence of the patrons of the school and is justly regarded as one of the most advanced teachers in his part of the state. On June 7, 1906, Mr. Welker was united in marriage to Lizzie Hoge, a daughter of Walter Hoge and Amelia Hoge, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Mr. and Mrs. Welker became the parents of seven children as follows: Garreth, the first born, who died in March 1907; Roi H.; Maurine; Ella; Ruth; Rhoda; and Margaret. Mr. Welker was an active member of the Mormon Church and in 1900 was called to fill a mission in Germany on its behalf, returning to this country in 1903. He was second counselor to the stake president, William L. Rich, and he has held numerous other church offices.

Politically he is a supporter of the Republican party. He served on the Paris City Council for one term, and in other directions has given of his time and ability to advance all projects calculated to serve the social and cultural activities of the community in which he resided. History of Idaho,

SOURCE: The Gem of the Mountains, By James Henry Hawley, Volume IV, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, Volume IV, 1920.

Roy Anson Welker was born on November 9, 1878, in Bloomington, Bear Lake County, Idaho. His parents were Adam Pugh Welker and Clara Osmond Welker. Roy married Elizabeth Hoge on June 7, 1906. Roy A. Welker died on November 28, 1973 in Logan, Utah. His interment, Paris, Idaho. He was the author of "Preparing for Marriage According to the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints" by Roy A. Welker.

SOURCE: Encyclopedic History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Bear Lake Stake of Zion.

At an important conference held August 25th and 26th, 1877, a permanent and complete organization of the Bear Lake Stake took place with William Budge (who had formerly acted as presiding Bishop in Bear Lake Valley) as president with James H. Hart as first and George Osmond as second counselor. Pres. Budge presided over the stake until June 10, 1906, when he was succeeded by Joseph R. Shepherd, who was succeeded December 23, 1917, by William L. Rich, who was succeeded November 26, 1922, by Roy Anson Welker, who still acted as president of the stake, December 31, 1930.

Following are the names of the brethren who have acted as counselors and clerks of the Bear Lake Stake:

First counselors:

Joseph C. Rich, 1870-1874;

James H. Hart, 1877-1906;

Wm. L. Rich, 1906-1917;

Ola Tranström, 1917-1922

Morris D. Low, 1922-1930.

Second counselors:

James H. Hart, 1872-1874;

George Osmond, 1877-1892;

Wm. L. Rich, 1892-1906;

Wilford W. Richards, 1906-1912;

John U. Stucki, 1913-1917;

Roy A. Welker, 1917-1922;

Ezra S. Stucki, 1922-1927,

Alfred A. Hart, 1927-1930.

Stake clerks:

Thomas Minson, 1877-1892;

L. Tracy Shepherd, 1892-1893;

John U. Stucki, 1893-1895;

Thomas Minson (second term), 1895-1901;

John U. Stucki (second term), 1901-1912;

Fred J. Price, 1912-1927;

John J. Shumway, 1928-1929,

J. Delos Thompson, 1930.

SOURCE: Encyclopedic History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Fielding Ward.

On March 26, 1901, the name, Fielding Academy, was chosen in honor of President Joseph Fielding Smith. Following are the names of the principals of the Fielding Academy:

Gottfried L. G. Hessel, 1887-1888;

George Osmond, 1888-1889;

John H. Miles, 1889-1893;

Jacob Spori, 1893-1895;

Emil Maeser, 1895-1897;

W. W. Billings, 1897-1900;

Albert Matheson, 1900;

W. H. Griffin, 1901;

Richard T. Haag, 1901-1907;

Ernest Bramwell, B. A., 1907-1910;

W. E. Morgan, M. A., 1910-1915,

Roy A. Welker, B. A., 1915-1922.

The academy buildings were destroyed by fire Sept. 8, 1928.

SOURCE: Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, Stake and Ward Officers, Bear Lake Stake, Weston, Samuel.

Welker, Roy Anson, president of the Bear Lake Stake of Zion from 1922 to 1930+, was born November 9, 1878, in Bloomington, Idaho, the son of Adam Pugh Welker and Clara Osmond. He was baptized in June, 1887, ordained a Seventy May 14, 1901, by J. Golden Kimball and filled a mission to Germany in 1901-1904. He was ordained a High Priest June 30, 1917, by Joseph R. Shepherd, and set apart as president of the Stake November26, 1922, by Rudger Clawson.

SOURCE: History of Idaho By James Henry Hawley

ELLA WELKER MOYLE'S TRIBUTE TO HER FATHER, ROY ANSON WELKER, FROM FAMILY SEARCH.ORG:

The following is Ella's tribute to her father, Roy Anson Welker, at his funeral, which was found on Family Search.org: Since this is a departure from the normal procedure in circumstances of this sort for a member of the family as close to the deceased as I, I ask the Lord to give me strength to carry out this assignment, and for your tolerance if my emotions are not under control. I am honored to extol the virtues of my father, whom I consider to be a great man. My father, Roy Anson Welker, was born November 9, 1878, the first of eight children born to Adam Pugh and Clara Osmond Welker, at Bloomington, Idaho. He spent his early life in Bloomington, not leaving there until after a short attendance at an educational institution gave him the qualifications for teaching school in Georgetown. It was there he received his call to his first mission, a call, which in his weak faith, as he related to his family, he almost turned down. He did not, of course, and spent nearly three years in Germany. Upon his return, he met, courted, and married my mother, Elizabeth Hoge Welker, in the Salt Lake Temple on June 7, 1906. Theirs was a love story continued over a span of 65 years. There was never a doubt in the mind of either that they were meant for each other and his tenderness, love and consideration of her, especially in her later years when her health became precarious, were an inspiration to not only his family but impressed all who knew him. Until her death just two years ago they were lovers. One of her last coherent statements was to him when he visited her at the rest home where she died, and she told him, with the last of her frail strength, that she loved him with all her heart. My father spent his lifetime in service to the LDS church. He was a teacher in the church’s school system for more than 40 years, beginning at the Fielding Academy, Paris, Idaho in 1905. He served there as a teacher until 1917, then as principal until 1922. He was the first director of the Bear Lake seminary at Paris, and then when the school was removed from the church system and made a state school, he continued as director of the seminary.

He presided over the Bear Lake Stake as President from 1922 to 1934, at which time he was called to preside over the German-Austrian Mission with headquarters in Berlin. After his return from Germany, my father directed the LDS Institute at Snow College, Ephraim, Utah; the St. George Institute at Dixie College; the Laramie Institute at the University of Wyoming, and then assisted at the Institute at the University of Utah for several years. Following this he spent some time with the LDS Department of Education as a writer, and in training young teachers. Books and manuals written by him during his time were: “Preparing for Marriage”; “Spiritual Values of the Old Testament”; the “Church and I”; “A World Without the Christ”; and “The Church, It’s History and Mission”.

During his tenure at the University of Wyoming, he served as a Bishop under the direction of President Vandenberg, Assistant to the Quorum of the 12, who was then Stake President. He has admitted that of all the positions he held in the church, the one of Bishop was the most difficult, but he cherished it because of his close Association and the friendship he had with Brother Vandenberg which continued throughout his life.

In Bear Lake County he was deputy assessor, City Treasurer and a member of the City Council. He led the campaign to hold the County seat in Paris. While Stake President, the present large pipe organ was installed in the stake tabernacle, and under his direction the tabernacle grounds were landscaped. Minnetonka cave in St. Charles was given its name by him. He was adept at figures and had opportunities for positions in that field, which would have paid him higher dividends in money, but his love was teaching, and his many years as a teacher influenced the lives of literally thousands of young people, many, many of whom have so attested to him over the years. As a father, he could not be surpassed. The early years in our home with our loving parents were delightful. Each one of us felt we were special to them. We all had a happy childhood. Mother and Father were pals to us. They participated in our games with neighborhood friends included, they took us on camping trips as a family; they treated us as equals, not as superiors and subordinates. They pointed out the beauties of nature and we developed a sense of appreciation for such. We functioned as a family, we felt, in spite of the fact that in a family of seven daughters, we had our share of hair pulling, spats, feuds and sulks, and Dad had to be stern at times. Dad and Mother believed in discipline, which seems to be outmoded now, and I believe we learned some of our respect for them from their fairness in their discipline of us.

There are so many memories which we carry with us and over which we have reminisced so many times, all happy. We have tried to forget some of the heartaches which our parents suffered in earlier times, which all families have to undergo. Dad felt his greatest accomplishment was the children he and mother produced, a matter of some skepticism among his remaining daughters. They were the parents of two sons, Garth and Roi H., both of whom preceded him in death, and seven daughters, one of whom, Norma Elaine Reis, also preceded him in death; and I would like to say that Norma, their youngest child, was a source of great happiness to them because of her talents which included great musical ability, a fine mind, and a very sweet loving spirit.

His remaining daughters are Maureen, Mrs. Dale Horn of Fortuna, California; Ella, Mrs. Rodney Moyle of Star, Idaho; Ruth, Mrs. Arlin Pugmire of Logan; Rhoda, Mrs. Roy Babel of Twin Falls; Margaret, Mrs. Grant Nielsen of Van Nuys, California; and Joyce, Mrs. Earl Hafen of Salinas, California. Other survivors include 26 grandchildren, 35 great grandchildren, and two sisters, Mrs. Clara Johns of Salt Lake and Mrs. Pearl Shaw of California. Others, whom we consider survivors, are six of his seven sons-in-law. I would like to pay special tribute to them at this time for their unfailing courtesy and consideration to their father-in-law. He has said so many times that he could not have had finer sons-in-law if he had chosen them himself, and each one in his own way, including one now deceased, has shown through all the years of their association in our family, their love and affection which we as wives have felt must have been as strong for him as for their own fathers.

My father’s patriarchal blessing promised him that he would retain the love and affection of his posterity and his associates throughout his life and through all eternity – and we ask ourselves, how could he not? His kindness and courtesy and mannerliness were evident to everyone. Even the attendants at the hospital and the nursing home remarked on his sweet character and commented on his kindness and thoughtfulness when he would thank them so sweetly for every small service they would render. We do not consider our father’s passing as a sad event. There will be a void in our lives now that his presence will no longer be with us, but his great yearning the past two years since Mother’s death was to join her, and after watching his great suffering over the past months, our feeling is one of happiness that he has been released, and our greatest joy is the contemplation of the joyous reunion he has had with our beloved mother and his beloved wife.

Roy A. Welker -- His Early Years, from Roy Anson Welker & Elizabeth Hoge: Their History.....

In the southeast corner of the state of Idaho lies Bear Lake Valley, nestled in a circle of low-strung hills, in clear, vigorous air. In the year 1878 this Valley had been settled but for 15 years. Indians had occupied the region for long years past; and white settlers, sent by the Mormon Church to homestead the area, had established themselves among the squirrels, grasshoppers and mosquitoes. Late spring and early fall frosts plagued their sparse crops. The first three years were devastating and many of the original company left in despair, after working their hearts out. There were no roads, fences or signs of civilization. Hurriedly constructed huts and dugouts kept out the snow, but not the cold or heat.

Amidst these rigid conditions a baby boy, Roy A. Welker, was born to Adam Pugh and Clara Osmond Welker on November 9, 1878. Parents of this couple had been among the first settlers to the hamlet of Bloomington, in the Bear Lake Valley. James Wilburn and Annie Pugh Welker had become converts to the L.D.S. Church in Jackson County, Ohio, and Knoxville, Tennessee, respectively. They had emigrated to Utah, then to this remote area. Annie was a true Southerner, and the few inhabitants of Bloomington were shocked to see her sitting on her front porch in summertime smoking a corncob pipe. She eventually learned to follow the precepts of the Church and gave up her favorite pastime.

Clara’s parents, George and Georgina Huckvale Osmond joined the same church in England and sailed to America with other converts. They were married in St. Louis before starting the pioneer trek westward. They first lived in Bountiful, Utah, with the Anson Call family. In 1865 President Brigham Young called them to settle the Bear Lake Valley area.

Adam and Clara met and courted under the stringent pioneer conditions. Both families approved the match, and marriage followed. Their progress towards self-sufficiency was gradual. Food was sparse with little variety. Wheat, often frozen, was used in every possible way. The virgin soil was coaxed to bear fruit and vegetables, and streams laden with trout were fished daily. Soon chickens and animals were brought in to supplement the fish. Clara’s parents, the Osmond's, were able to get apple trees to plant, which took 15 years to bear fruit.

Roy Anson, the first child, was taught to work outside and in, and he became a teacher to the other children in the family, who came along at close intervals. Their childhood days consisted of more work than play, and the few toys were crude, homemade playthings.

When Roy was one year old, Adam and Clara received a call, with a few other Bear Lakers, to go to Temple Fork in Logan Canyon and help get out lumber for the building of the Logan Temple. Roy was the only child in the camp of adults, and was given love and attention. A man by the name of Charlie Card, a son-in-law of President Brigham Young, gave Roy a half dime, which was a keepsake for several years. Eventually, when Roy was a teenager, the temptation to spend it became too great, and Roy traded it for a glass of pink lemonade. He later commented that he regretted not saving it for his posterity.

Roy’s parents lived in a log house north of Bloomington for a period of several years; then they acquired a lot on Canyon Street at the foot of the steep hill leading to the local cemetery. This is the home that provokes fond memories in grandchildren as they remember the big raspberry patch, the colorful flower gardens, the fresh vegetables and round pans of milk in the cellar. Grandma would skim the leathery cream from the milk, spread it on thick slabs of freshly baked bread, and then sprinkle sugar over the top. It was ambrosia to young appetites.

Roy attended school in the log schoolhouse. Bloomington has the distinction of having the first school in the valley which was built strictly for educational purposes. The first church house was also primitive, and it burned to the ground destroying all records of membership, baptisms, etc.

Among his most distinct memories was of sitting on Grandfather James Wilburn Welker’s knee, hearing him describe the Prophet Joseph Smith, who this grandfather had known before coming west. He said the Prophet had piercing blue eyes and a wonderfully strong body. Roy was impressed by his grandpa’s personal testimony and knowledge of the prophet, and expressed the desire that his posterity should be made aware of it.

The second child to come to Adam and Clara was another boy, Ray. He was born two years after Roy and they were bosom pals. They experienced the typical summer games and winter sports together. Roy remembered a coasting incident as spring neared, when the snow had flawed and re-frozen to become icy. The homemade wooden sled, with Ray lying on his stomach, sped rapidly toward a barbed wire fence. The wire skinned Ray’s clothing, knocking him off the sled. The sad fact was that Ray didn’t stop, but slid downhill behind his sled, screaming loudly. Roy ran behind to finally stop Ray, and laughed heartily at the badly skinned face and hands. Ray’s memories of the incident were not so pleasant.

When he was a youngster in elementary school, Roy awoke one morning with a bad case of pinkeye. There was no known medicine for such a thing in the community, so he had to suffer. Grandma Welker doctored as best she could but it continued to get worse. Eventually a doctor of sorts informed Grandma that Roy could lose his eyesight, and he must stay at home and remain completely quiet. It was frustrating for a young lad, so to keep him busy; Grandma taught him how to knit socks. Roy became quite adept at this occupation and was proud of the many socks he knitted for a few years. His eyes did recover in time.

Additional brothers and sisters were Georgina, Rose, George, Nina, Pearl and Clara. George died at age 11 after being shot by a friend while they were rabbit hunting. Nina died at age 22 of a strange malady. She had shown remarkable brilliance in school work, and was well loved throughout the town. All others reached maturity, married and had families except Clara, who married late in life and had no children.

Roy’s maternal grandfather, George Osmond, was an intellectual man, well read, who had a keen love for English literature. He especially loved the poets and writers of England. His influence in this field was great upon his grandson, Roy, and it has been felt on down through his posterity. He was a teacher and writer, and Roy followed in his footsteps.

When Roy was a young lad, he accompanied his grandfather to Star Valley, Wyoming, where George had been called by his church to colonize the region. Roy spent a week in Wyoming, then George brought Roy back to Bloomington in his horse drawn buggy. A hard rain hindered their progress. Due to mud and almost impassable roads, they decided to camp overnight in the Canyon. They put a canvas cover over the wagon tongue and made a bed beneath it. The canvas leaked and they were both soaking wet throughout the miserable night. Roy could hardly lie still as he waited for daylight to come. Grandpa Osmond at last gave the word that it was time to arise. He lifted the drenched campus, and as he saw a small patch of blue sky, and he drolled, “Well, it looks as though we’ll have a good day” Roy often cited that story as a lesson in optimism.

A few years later, when Roy was teaching school in Montpelier, Grandpa Osmond stopped to see him, in route from Star Valley to Bloomington. It was early in the evening as the two scholars fell into a deep discussion of English poetry. The hours were raised by as Grandpa recited poem after poem, and a discussion of their merits ensued. “Elegy in a Country Courtyard” was a sample of the poems discussed. So intense was their interest that they stayed up all night talking of their mutual interest –literature.

There was no such thing as high school in Bear Lake Valley in those days of the late 1800’s. When Roy finished elementary school and matured physically through hard work on the farm, he attended Utah State Agricultural College. Vivid were his memories of that experience. He chuckled as he recalled arriving in Logan with a small fortune of $10 in his pocket to pay for tuition and books. He did janitor work to help pay for his room and board. He was so frightened at his first interview with the schoolmaster that he could not remember his name when asked. He stammered for what seemed to be minutes before he could remember what to say.

In Bloomington he had acquired a musical instrument called a cornet and had become quite proficient in learning to play it. He helped organize, and became a leader of the Bloomington Brass Band at the age of 16. This ability served him well at school in Logan, where he’s also became leader of the band.

His thirst for knowledge began to become quenched now. He thoroughly enjoyed all of his classes, and time passed quickly. When his year was finished he proudly returned to Bloomington with one dollar in his pocket, and a certificate to begin his career as a school teacher.

Roy A. received an offer to teach secondary school at Georgetown, five miles north of Montpelier, and he gladly accepted it. This was a very real challenge to him, as there were a few rowdy boys who questioned his authority. He soon made it clear that he would tolerate no nonsense, but the boys had to prove it. Their leader was a big tough kid who made his boasts of how he intended to beat up his new teacher, as he had done with former ones. Roy had befriended one of the boys in the gang, who soon proved his loyalty. He told the leader that Roy was a prize fighter with vast experience. This falsehood frightened off the bully and saved Roy from a serious confrontation.

During his stint in Georgetown he received a letter from the proverbial “Box B” in Salt Lake City. It was a call to serve three years as a missionary in Germany for the L.D.S. Church. His emotions were mixed concerning the call. He was nearly 23 years old and his life lay before him waiting to be lived. He had a good job and was doing well. On impulse, he wrote to the First Presidency declining the call, took the letter to the post office and mailed it. He was well acquainted with the postmaster, Wilford W. Richards, Sr., whose son, W. W. Richards, Jr., later became his choice friend. A few hours later, before the mail had gone out, Roy walked back to the post office and asked Wilford if he could have the letter back. Wilford smiled as he handed it to Roy, and said, “I knew you’d be back for it.”

Because the church fire had burned his baptismal records, Roy had to be re-baptized before he left for his mission to Germany. The long trip, first by train to New York City, then by boat to Europe was a frightening and humbling experience to this country lad. He met many interesting people and had some absorbing discussions with worldly people, which added to the dilemma he was beginning to feel.

At the beginning of his mission in this strange land with its foreign language, responsibility was heavy the on Roy’s shoulders. He labored for some time without feeling the spirit of the work. He knew he must gain a testimony to be successful in his missionary labors, but his prayers seemed to go unanswered. As time went on he agonized over the situation, feeling he was a failure, and sensing that he was betraying the trust of his family at home who were sacrificing for him. His despair increased daily and a heavy cloud weighed on him constantly. The evil one was expanding his serious efforts on Roy.

In a period of the lowest ebb of his life, and also his most sacred experience, he wandered to the banks of the Spree River which winds through Berlin. It was a dark and foreboding night to him as he gazed into the waters in anguish, despondently reaching out and pleading to his Heavenly Father for help. At that moment of contemplated self-destruction, the knowledge he so desperately sought came to him in a blinding flash of power and glory. Right prevailed and the evil one was banished. The depths of his soul rejoiced as tears washed all darkness and hopelessness from him. Now he could go on in perfect knowledge of the truthfulness of the work, and with a burning testimony which carried him throughout his life.

His letters to his family had carried to them the struggle and despair he was experiencing, and they suffered with him. His sister, Rose, told how they sensed his discouragement even before they opened his letters. Then, one day as she called at the post office and received his letter, she felt a change. She ran all the way home with the sealed letter, calling to the family in the elation, “It is over! Roy is all right. His struggle is over!”

As the Welker family read the exciting news of his spiritual change, tears of happiness were shed by all. From that time on, his mission was a success, and his own conversion was complete. One of his missionary companions was Joseph Cannon, husband of Lucy Grant, President Heber J. Grant’s daughter. She was also a friend of Roy’s future wife, and the two couples shared a friendship throughout their lives. Charles R. Mabey, who later became governor of Utah, and a Brother Seegmiller were also companions who shared many experiences in the mission.

Roy kept journals throughout his mission and his entire life. His 26 journals are in the archives of the L.D.S. Church Historical Society, and are available on film to family and friends for research. When Roy returned home after three years of missionary service in Germany, he was matured and much more a man of the world. His mind was a questing funnel which absorbed and retained facts and figures. He read many essays and complete works of literature and was able to express himself articulately. Almost immediately upon returning home he began a career as speaker and orator