Personal History of Simeon Ralph Sterrett, part 2

            By now Soda Springs had become a summer resort town and social life was at its’ best.  What a time for a handsome cow puncher in his early 20’s to live!  Sim was over 6 feet tall, well built, with dark wavey hair and hazel eyes.  Mary Crandall had taught him the good manners and fine breeding she had learned as a girl.  This was tempered with an adventurous soul, charming personality and ready wit.  Little wonder that Sim was welcome in any social gathering, particularly where there were young ladies.

            Soda Springs was the social center for the surrounding communities and many young people came to the affairs from far and near.  It was on such an occasion that Sim met a tiny and lovely girl by the name of Minnie Harris.  Though she was very popular, Sim managed to escort her to some dances and on buggy rides.  This was followed by an invitation, in December of 1891, for Sim and his sister Ada to spend the Christmas Holidays at Minnie’s home.  Minnie’s parents had died and she was living with her sister Harriette.  As it happened, later on Minnie’s brother Walter married Ada and at the Christmas time Minnie and Sim became engaged.

            Announcement of the engagement wasn’t met with much approval, however, for, although Sim was popular and charming, his life had been filled with more adventure and roughness than was thought fitting for the daughter of Alexander Harris.  Harriette felt responsible for Minnie’s future.  Nevertheless, when Spring came, Sim rode to Mound Valley in a buggy and took Minnie to Soda Springs to be married in the home of his parents.  The date was 27 April, 1892.  Then they boarded a train for their new home, Hamsfork, Wyoming.  There Sim worked in a saloon and the life of a rough western town tried the love of the delicate, new bride.  But in November they returned to Soda Springs and on 29 December 1892 their first child, Mary Ruth was born.

            Two years later Sim bought a small farm in Gentile Valley and built a home for his family.  Simeon’s parents also came to live with them.  On 20 August 1894 their second daughter, Harriet Leah, was born.

            Some time later Sim took his family and went to live and work on the C.T. Woodall Ranch, 12 miles north of Soda Springs.  It was one of the largest outfits in that area and Sim was range foreman.  They left his parents at the farm and W.W. Sterrett became the first postmaster of Cove, Idaho at this time.

            Then on 10 January 1898 Simeon and Minnie became the parents of a third daughter, Mabel Josephine.  In the Spring they moved back to the farm in Gentile Valley.  Then two years later Mary Jane Crandall Sterrett died on the 26 March 1900.  A month later the fourth daughter was born, on 26 April 1900 and was named Sarah Dorleska, but later called Dorothy and Dot.

            Little of religion had entered into the life of Sim up to this time, although his parents were good, faithful members of the LDS Church and now his father had become a Patriarch.  But Minnie had a quiet influence on his life and with the growing family his sense of responsibility grew also.  Although he had been baptized as a child, the records had been lost and he was re-baptized 4 August 1900 along with Minnie, whose records had also been lost.  Simeon was ordained a teacher on 2 December 1900 by Bishop Ira Hogan, and an Elder on 3 March 1901 by Nathan D. Thatcher, who was ordained a Seventy Nov 4 1893 by Abraham H. Cannon; who was ordained an Apostle Oct 1, 1889 by Joseph F. Smith; who was ordained an apostle July 1, 1866 by President Brigham Young; who was ordained an apostle under the hands of Oliver Cowdrey, David Whitmer and Martin Harris -----uary 14, 1835; who was ordained under the hands of the First Presidency, Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. ---------, -----y 14, 1835.

            In September 1901 Simeon received a call to go on a mission.  Before going into the field he attended missionary school at Brigham Young college in Logan for three months, from September 22 to December 20.  He was then released from the school and called to labor as a missionary of the LDS Church in Australia.  He felt that his financial circumstances would not permit him to go on a foreign mission so Brother Lewis S. Pond, the President of the Bannock Stake, advised the First Presidency to change his field of labor and he was then called to labor in the Southwestern States Mission.  He then arranged all his affairs, paid his debts, leased his hay land to William Larkin and got everything in first class shape so that his wife and father could manage the place while he was away.  He was compelled to sell a span of beautiful black horses which he prized dearly in order to raise money to help defray his expenses.  His father who was at this time carrying the mail from Cove to Thatcher, receiving twenty dollars a month and this would help support the family while he was away.

            On February 14, 1902 another baby girl was born to them.  They named the baby Neta and when she was three weeks old a farewell party was held for Elder Sterrett at which he received nineteen dollars from his many friends which was really quite a large amount at that time.

            On 17 March 1902 he bid his family of five girls goodbye and started for Salt Lake City.  It must have been with heavy hearts that the family separated, but they had faith that it was the wise thing to do, as was proven as time passed.

            On 12 March 1902 he was ordained a Seventy and set apart for his mission in the Salt Lake Temple Annex by Brother Joseph W. McMurrin.  He left the same day for Kansas City, the headquarters of the mission.  That mission comprised of the states of Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana.  It has been divided many times since then.