Wallace Hamblin

The above photo shows the Wallace Hamblin and Ida Minerva Rollins Hamblin family. Back row, left to right: Rollin, Eugene, Marcene. Middle row, left to right: Lee, Addie, Ida, Clark. Front row, left to right: Clark, Wallace, Vella Lucille, and Ida Minerva.

Wallace Hamblin was born in July, 1862, to Oscar and Mary Ann Corbridge Hamblin. Sadly, his father passed away just four months later. By 1870, his mother, Mary Ann, 34, had married Albert Stoddard, 38, and they were living in Minersville, Utah, with his siblings, Orson, 13, Elizabeth, 12, Wallace's twin, William, 8, and Caroline, one month old, and a servant named Tammy or Fanny, 18. Albert Stoddard was working as a farmer, and his real estate was valued at $500 and his personal estate at $1,500. He had been born in Canada. Mary Ann was born in England, and all the children were born in Utah. Albert and Mary Ann had the following children: Effie May, born June 27, 1870, Ellen, born April 15, 1872, Essie Maud, born September 13, 1873, and Ellen born about 1875.

Albert and Mary Ann's neighbors in Minersville were John Henry Rollins, Sr., 29, his wife, Nancy Malinda West Rollins, 25, and their first five children, Ephraim Edward, 9, Nancy Malinda, 7, John Henry, Jr., 4, William Samuel, 2, and Guy Washington Rollins, 5 months old. John Henry Rollins, Jr. was my great grandfather. His father, John Henry Rollins, Sr., was the brother of Ida Minerva Rollins, Wallace Hamblin's future wife. By 1880, John Henry Rollins, Sr.,and his wife and children had moved to Arizona, but his sister, Ida, the youngest child of their parents, James Henry Rollins and Eveline Walker Rollins, was still living in Utah.

By 1880, Wallace Hamblin, 18, was living in Star, Beaver county, Utah, with his mother, Mary Ann, 42, and siblings, William, 18, Effie M., 9, and Essie M., 6. Mary Ann's husband was listed as Robert Goddard, 58, so evidently she divorced Albert Stoddard. Albert Leon Stoddard, 48, was listed in the 1880 census living in Frisco, Beaver County, Utah, working as a teamster. He was living alone at the time. Both Wallace and Robert were working as ranchers. The next year, 1881, Wallace married Ida Minerva Rollins.

By 1900, Wallace, 38, was living in Uinta County, Wyoming, with his wife, Ida, 37, and their children, Eugene, 17, Claudious Lee, 14, Rollin, 13, Addie, 9 and twin sister, Ida, 9, Clark, 6, and Marcene, 3. Wallace was working as a farmer and his son, Eugene, as a farm laborer. Ida's father, James Henry Rollins, and his wife, Eveline Walker Rollins, moved to Lyman, Wyoming in 1898, and James Henry died there the following year, in February of 1899, from Bright's Disease. Ida's mother, Eveline lived another 13 years, and she was buried in the Lyman, Wyoming, cemetery with her husband James Henry.

In the 1910 census, Wallace, 48, and Ida, 47, were living in Elkol, Wyoming, with their children: Claudious Lee, 25, Rollin, 23, Addie, 19, Ida, 19, Clark, 16, Marcene, 13, Robert, 8, Lucille, 3, and Rollin's wife, Mary E., 18. They had been married for five months. Wallace and Ida had been married for 28 years and had 9 children, all of whom were still living. Wallace was working as a laborer in a coal mine, Ida as a dressmaker, Oladarvus, was also working as a coal miner, Rollin as a laborer on the home farm, and Ida, as a sales lady in a store. They were living in a rented home.

By 1930 they were living in Lyman, Wyoming, again, and Wallace, 57, Ida, 57, Marcene, 23, Robert, 18, and Lucille, 13, were back living on the farm. Wallace was working as a farmer in the hay and grain business, and Marcene was working as a hardware salesman. Robert was working as a farmer. Sadly, seven years later, Wallace passed away on September 30, 1937. His wife, Ida Minerva Rollins Hamblin, lived another twelve years, and passed away on October 5, 1949, in Rock Springs, Sweetwater County, Wyoming.

The following document, entitled, "The Courtship of Ida M. Rollins Hamblin and Wallace Hamblin," as told by Ida M. Rollins Hamblin was found online:

I can't tell you when we first met, but it was when we were both babies. My brother Charles had me in his care and Ephraim Marshall had Wallace and William Hamblin twins taking care of them. They were all playing together and I think perhaps that was our first introduction. As we grew older, as children often do, we singled out certain persons and claimed them among our school mates, as our beau or boyfriends. So of course, I claimed Wallace as my beau. One night a bunch of us children about ten or eleven years old were invited to an old fashioned candy pulling party. We had them in those days very often. The candy was made out of molasses. My father had a molasses mill and of course it was not very hard to obtain it. When this party ended, Wallace accompanied me home as far as a bridge over a large ditch some distance from the house. I told him I could go the rest of the way home alone alright. I was afraid if he went any closer my brother Charles would see us and he would tease me about it. That was the first time Wallace had ever taken me home.

We continued playing together. He would spend most of his time in the summer on a ranch assisting his mother milking cows and making butter and cheese. I visited a ranch of his stepfather's, as I and their girls were great chums. Some boys came riding up where we girls were one day and Wallace was one of them. He had a very nice little riding pony named Jack Knife. Well we girls all spoke up and said we claimed a ride on the pony. Well, of course, I got the first ride and I had not been used to riding. The horse started to trot and I clung onto the horn of the saddle and the horse stepped into a hole and I fell off and somehow or other the horse fell on me. I was not hurt, only badly scared and my face and clothes were black with dirt. Well that settled the horseback rides for that day.

Another time Wallace and I were out riding. We were older then, and he had their work horses and his mother didn't like that, and as we rode past their place she called to him to go put those horses up. I thought it was terrible for her to call him and make him put those horses up. Our next ride was in a wagon with three or four spring seats, and about three or four couples with four horses on the wagon. Then we would go for a ride in the field or up the canyons for an hour or so after church on Sunday. Then in the winters our sports were dancing and sleigh riding.

Wallace always went on the ranches in the summer time working for the Murdock's, his brother-in-law. While he was away so much, I kept company with a home-town young man and I thought at the time he was very nice, but he visited the saloon and played cards or gambled and one time he took me to a dance. He became intoxicated and was very sick and could not take me home so that settled it with he and I.

Wallace had made a trip with cattle to Wyoming (this was in the year 1880) and before he left he asked me for my hand. I told him I would have to think it over and give him my answer later. We were both 18 years old then. I went off to Provo to attend the B.Y.A. I heard from him occasionally while there. When I returned from school he had gone on another trip with cattle and he did not get home until about October of that year so when we met again he wanted my answer. I thought he was such a nice, large, good-looking young man and he had no bad habits and was a good living young man that he would be the one for me. Consequently, I gave my answer in the affirmative.

My brother Watson and Harriet Eyre were going to be married the following December so we made up our minds to be married at the same time. I suggested that we go to the St. George Temple to be married. He said he was afraid he could not get a recommend, but he had no trouble getting one.

When my girl chums and I were together talking of our fellows, as we sometimes called them, some of them were keeping company with some outsiders, as we called them. I remember I made the remark that I would not marry an outsider and one of the girls spoke up and said, "Shucks you don't know - you might fall in love with one." I said I would not go with them at all and then I knew I would not marry them.

Wallace rustled a spring wagon and a pair of mules and my brother Watson took a white top buggy and we started for the St. George Temple and were married Wednesday the 14th of December 1881. We left Minersville on a Sunday and returned the next Sunday so we were just a week making the trip. It will be just 54 years since that time and I have never seen another man I would trade him for.

The following are memories of Wallace and Ida Hamblin from their descendants:

Granddaughter, Lorene Hamblin Bradshaw:

When grandpa died of a massive heart attack, I immediately went to Lyman to be with grandma. She asked me to help her dress him in his temple clothes. I considered that to be a great honor. It was a difficult task as grandpa was such a big man; but when we were through he looked so handsome. Grandma stood by me, crying and telling me how good he had always been to her, and how handsome he was as a young man. As I looked at him, I noticed that his hair was very thick and dark brown, with just a touch of grey at the temple. He had died at 75 years of age.

Grandma was always beautifully dressed, and her hair was thick and dark brown. On some occasions she was accused of dying her hair, which was considered a sin at that time, but she told me her only secret was rinsing it in vinegar water to bring out the color and shine. It still works. Her hair didn't turn white until she was in her eighties.

Granddaughter, Geraldine Hamblin Bangerter

Grandma and grandpa had a feather bed, and yes it was so much fun. This bed was in one room of their house along with two big chairs, grandma's sewing machine, and everything else they owned. The other room in the house was the kitchen. I never felt that their house was too crowded, I enjoyed the coziness of being with them in their last little home.

Granddaughter, Darlene Hamblin Anderson

I spent many summers as a young girl with grandma. She was so glad for me to come and she spent many hours telling of her life and that of her families. Each morning she would grind some wheat and we would have delicious cracked wheat cereal. She would grind it in a little coffee mill. I slept with her in her feather bed and how wonderful it was to sink into it up to your ears. I loved that bed, and I know grandma loved me.

Ida Minerva Rollins Hamblin passed away the 5th of October 1949, just three days after her 87th birthday. She died rather suddenly.

SOURCE: http://thefrees.com/history/the_courtship_of_ida_m_rollins_hamblin_...