JOHN ANDERSON


1886 - 1968

SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF JOHN ANDERSON
by Luella A. Shipley

My father John Anderson was born December 3. 1986 in Logan, Utah to John Hyrum and
Anna Charlotte Eliason Anderson, the eldest of nine children.

His formal schooling began in 1895 in the Benson School, a short distance west of the
family home. I know very little about his later schooling and experiences.
He graduated from Brigham Young College on May 18, 1905.

Dad lived with his parents in the family home at 162 East 4th North in Logan where the
Wheatly Nelson Funeral Chapel is now located. His father was sustained Bishop of the
Mendon, Utah Ward on April 26, 1900.  Grandfather rented a home in Mendon where his
family lived, but he had a business to supervise in Logan so this meant frequent trips
between the two towns, sometimes on a bicycle and sometimes with a horse and buggy.
He, Dad and Aunt Charlotte stayed in the family home in Logan.

In his patriarchal blessing Dad was told that he would be "A savior on Mount Zion, a
leader among his brethren, a preacher, a mighty preacher of righteousness".  This has
certainly come true as he has always been in the service of our Heavenly Father.  He
served two missions and was known as an affluent speaker and teacher.  Nearly every
week he was asked to speak at a funeral.

Although she was two years younger, Mother and Dad first became acquainted while
attending Brigham Young College.  One day while talking to his good friend William
Mortimer, Dad pointed out a beautiful young lady and said "That is the girl I am going
to marry".  And on the l7th of March, 1909 he and Coila Montrose were united in
marriage in the Logan Temple with William Budge performing the ceremony.

Dad was sustained as ward clerk in River Heights Ward July 4, 1909.  I believe he was
their first clerk.  He later served as second counselor to Bishop Lehi Olson.  He also
served as a counselor in the Ward Sunday School organization, then as Superintendent in
1920.  About October 15, 1925 he was set apart by H. K. Merrill as a member of the
Stake Sunday School Board.

In 1933 the River Heights Chapel burned.  This was a serious tragedy for this small
community and it was decided to build another as soon as funds could be obtained.
Father was asked to serve as chairman of the fund raising and building committee, and
they were successful in raising the amount needed to replace the former structure.

Dad recalled his early "merchandizing" experiences which started at about age five
when he would stock shelves and do other small jobs for Grandfather Anderson.  Years
later he and Uncle Joe (who also started working at a tender age) purchased the business
from grandfather in May, 1935 and continued as partners until the business was dissolved
in 1967, ( August I believe.)

As a young boy Dad had chores to do with the garden, farm animals, hay crops, flowers,
etc.  But his time was not all spent on hard work.  The family worked together and
played together.  Early in life he learned to love the out-of-doors.  He often went
fishing and hunting and loved to be with Grandfather who often had to caution him to
"remember the limit !" As we children came along it was always a thrill to go fishing
with Father.  I remember his last trip to Bear Lake.  It was a cold Thursday, which was
his "day off" from the store.  I had just lost my last lure and called to tell Dad I was
going to the car for more.  He had waded out into the lake and waved to me.  Just as I
reached the car I heard him call.  I turned and ran back but couldn't see him anywhere.
Just then his hat came bobbing in on a. wave.  I grabbed it with one hand and shook the
water off as I stumbled along in my hip boots.  I then saw Dad flat on his back in the
water, pulling himself towards shore with his elbows, still holding on to his pole.
As I reached him he put out his hand for his hat.  I said "it's wet".  He answered
"but my head's cold", and he laughed and put on his wet hat.  Needless to say, I got
him home as fast as possible and put him to bed, and he suffered no ill effects. He
had been so regular in going to the lake that one point on the east side was called
Anderson's Point".

His gardens were always wonderful, both vegetable and flower.  President George
Raymond once compared Dad's garden with the Garden of Eden..  Both, he said, were
places of beauty and love and tenderness and culture.  Honey was always on our table as
Dad was an ardent beekeeper.  He kept several hives and each of us children helped him
in the various phases of bee keeping.

To him a Buff Orpington was one of the most beautiful chickens.  He took such pleasure
in hatching, raising, grooming and finally coming up with a prize show bird.  Naomi said
that for years it was hard for her to eat chicken each Sunday because sometime during
the course of the meal Dad would say "This was a beautiful bird -- too bad it had such a
deformed breast bone" or "too bad his comb wasn't good", or "his right foot was
crooked", or some small item that made him no good as a show bird but alright for the
table.

One summer day he came home from work his shirt looking so clean and white and with
a shining straw hat pushed to the back of his head.  He sat down on his heels beside me
as I was making sand pies.  He was interested and asked me what I was doing and what
materials I was using.  I answered "just sand and eggs.  "Oh, and where did you get the
eggs?"  "Under the setting hen in the coop" I said.  With that Dad straightened up and
went into the coop.  He came out and gave me quite a talk about never using eggs again
for sand pies.  I had used his expensive prize setting of eggs that he had paid quite
a price for.  He was so gentle and kind but I never used eggs  again!

During their early years of marriage. Mother's sister Helen helped her at home many
times. Mother had a beautiful voice and often sang in public and at times Helen was her
accompanist.  Dad had a desire to sing but had an untrained voice and asked Helen to
help improve it.  He learned many hymns but two that he loved were "A poor Wayfaring
Man of Grief" and "'.'Then You Come to the End of a Perfect Day".  Helen was his
accompanist when he sang his first solo in church.  He performed well and everyone was
certainly surprised.  When John and I were old enough, John was our accompanist and
Mother, Dad, John and I sang quartets.  Dad's favorite song was "Come Where the Lilies
Bloom".

There were also the days of the dogie lambs.  Sheepherders would give the little lambs
whose mothers wouldn't claim them to Dad who brought them home to us and we raised
them on bottles.  One of the lambs turned out to be a Rambouillet ram and Dad hadn't
noticed his near maturity until one day he went out as usual to see his animals.  Evidently
the ram resented his being there and ran him down from behind, pinning his hand
between the ram's horns and the fence.  Dad looked at his crushed, bleeding hand in
disbelief and said "By gum, he hit me.  I'll have to let him go."  And he did.  That was
about the extent of Dad's bad words.

In later years Dad felt the need for another hobby so he enrolled in night school at
the USU Woodworking department.  The result was many beautiful what-not-shelves,
lovely hardwood bowls and an assortment in many sizes of wonderful lamps and cedar
chests.  He often found pieces of wood while hiking which he fashioned into articles of
beauty.

Many people have come to me since Dad left to tell me of the ways he had helped in
times of sorrow or in need, ways he had never mentioned to any of us.  While he was in
the hospital a nurse with a very broad accent came into his room saying she had just
heard that John Anderson was a patient.  She wasn't assigned to him for duty but wanted
to help if she could since he had sponsored her and family to come to America from
Sweden,  Now she wanted to do something for him.

Even during his final illness he was preparing notes for a speech that he might give some
time.  Each week he had a new set of notes.  Little by little his reading ceased and I
seemed to see him looking more to the future than to the past or present.  These thoughts
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox seem to sum up what I think he might have been thinking each
day:

	Let me tonight look back across the span twixt dawn and dark, and to my
	conscience. Because of some good act to beast or man, " The world is better that I
	lived today.

Dates and Events

February 2, 1887	-- Blessed by Robert Crookston
May 16, 1893		-- Patriarchal Blessing by E. W. Liljenquist
December 4, 1894	-- Baptized by William A. Seamons and confirmed by Thomas
			    Morgan
February 23, 1901	-- Ordained a Deacon by Gustof  Thompson
When 16 years		-- Ordained a Priest by Bishop Thomas X. Smith
February 26, 1906	-- Ordained an Elder
May 27, 1906		-- Left home for mission to Sweden
May 29, 1906		-- Set apart and given a missionary blessing by Apostle George F.
                                        Richards
November, 1908 	        -- Released
October 24, 1909	-- Ordained a High Priest by Orson F. Whitney
				Orson F. Whitney was ordained a High Priest April  9, 1906
				and Apostle by President Joseph F. Smith who received the
				Apostleship from President Brigham Young, one of the
				Twelve ordained by the Three Witnesses and by President
				Joseph Smith and counselors in 1833 .it Kirtland. Ohio. 
				Joseph F. Smith was ordained July 1, 1866 by Brigham
				Young.
January 3, 1928	        -- His second mission call.  To the North Central States Mission.
				Set apart by B. H. Roberts.  He labored in Minneapolis,
				Minnesota.
May 19, 1928		-- Set apart as District President.  Then moved to Saskatchewan,
				Canada May 23. 1928.
July 29, 1929		-- Released
April 19, 1929		--Called to Logan Stake High Council.  Set apart by A. E. 	
				Anderson. Also Stake supervisor for lesser priesthood.
January, 1932		-- Served as district chairman of the Boy Scouts of America, Logan
				District.
September 9, 1945	-- Released from the High Council after serving seventeen years in
				Logan and Mount Logan Stakes.
1946			-- Counselor to Stake Sunday School
1947			-- First Counselor in the River Heights Ward High Priest Group.
Many years		-- Teacher of the Gospel Doctrine class in his home ward, a
				position he held at the time of his death on May 17, 1968.

John and Coila Montrose Anderson are the parents of the following children:
	John Montrose Anderson, born December 26, 1909 (married Pearl Andregg June
		17,1930)
	Coila Luella Anderson, born January 24, 1911 (married Merlin Cecil 	
		Shipley Nov.27, 1931
  	Naomi LaPriel Anderson, born April. 16,1914t (Married Alton Haws Peterson
		June 7, 1938)
	Ruth           	born November, 1917     )
	Anna Harriett,  born October 26, 1919  ) These babies died shortly after birth
	Girl           	born December 6, 1922 ) or were stillborn.
	Boy                  born February, 1925      )


		Seven Grandchildren
		Twenty-one Great Grandchildren

			Memories of my Father  20 July, 1978
                                                  (signed) Luella A. Shipley



 John and Coila Montrose Anderson