Stephen Fletcher Barton

SOURCE: http://greenvilleutahcousins.blogspot.com/search/label/Stephen%20Fl...

HISTORY OF STEPHEN FLETCHER BARTON

Great Grandfather of Halley David Allred

Birth: 23 Sep 1889

Place: Greenville, Beaver Co., Utah

Married: Lelia Farnsworth, Lora Jean Burt Harris, Hazel Blackett Barton

Death: 28 Nov 1975, Logan, Cache, Utah

Parents: Stephen Rollins Barton and Sarah Elizabeth Miller

When Fletcher Barton entered the world, Greenville was a fairly new community, having been established in 1860. The Millers and Bartons were among the first to settle the area. He lived in Greenville from birth until his marriage. Four Barton brothers, Fletcher’s father being one of them, owned a large track of land jointly. Together they “built houses, dug wells, and surveyed and made ditches to raise nice gardens.” They also played a lot together. The whole community would get together for surprise birthday parties (he particularly remembered playing Post Office), and holidays.

May Day was particularly festive with a parade, picnic, programs, singing, games and sporting events (track, high jump, broad jump, pole vaulting, kid races, and a baseball game between the married and single men). These games were the beginning of his athletic career. He felt at a disadvantage though because after 8th grade he was held back from high school for 2 years, having to wait until his two younger sisters were old enough to attend. During those two years he took a major role in running the farm. Finally in 1906 he attended Murdock Academy, graduating with his sisters in 1910. They boarded in Beaver, going home for most weekends. He was active in track sports and basketball. He remembered one game in particular: they were “beat to a frazzle” making only 20 points…he made all of the points!

Summers found him logging and surveying in various places away from Beaver, yet he somehow found time over the next two years to court and marry Lelia Farnsworth July 3, 1912. That fall he began teaching, along with farming in the summer, in Greenville and Sevier County finishing up in Beaver. He and Lelia moved several times, but never far from family. They had 4 children together (Margaret, Esther, Penn and Steve) before she passed away in childbirth November 7, 1927. In 1932 he married Jean Burt Harris (Lester had died in 1929), Lelia’s best friend.

They had a good relationship, but between the depression and trying to meld the two families together things did not work out well. Even after their divorce, however, they remained good friends. In 1944 Fletcher married Hazel Blackett Barton and they purchased the Farnsworth home in Beaver which is still standing.

Fletcher spent his last years living with his daughters and passed away at age 88 in November of 1975 in Logan.