I suppose one of the advantages of writing about my youth when I have little recollection is that I can only image I was the perfect child. While out children have a large store of photographs to help keep their memories fresh, I have only a few pictures during my youth. The early memory I have was when I was my 6th birthday and I was giving a balsa wood version of the paper airplane. I only remember going to the upper story window in our house and throwing it out to watch it glide down.

During my tenth year, my parents purchased a summer home near Sterling Utah, a small town approximately 130 miles south of Salt Lake City. The “ranch”, as it became known, became a place where there were unlimited possibilities for manual labor.

The place evolved into varying types of businesses, centered around a resort type atmosphere. Initially we spent only the summertime at the ranch, but once a furnace was installed we also went down in the wintertime. Leaving on Friday afternoon and returning early Monday morning became a particular problem for a high school boy since it left little opportunity for a social life.
I recall spending Sunday mornings watching the water flow down the self made irrigation ditches. I really disliked doing this type of work, but then I wasn’t too disappointed about missing the Church meetings. I never understood the purpose in spending all weekend working on a place if there was never time for other activities.
Maybe I am painting a somewhat inaccurate picture since there were times for recreation. We had horses and later a boat.

Next I will write about my teenage years, when I am quite sure I was the perfect teenager.

Categories: Franz Family History
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I was born in 1948 to Lorin Paul Jones and Norma Jean Ford in Spanish Fork, Utah. I have a brother named Tom who is a year older than I am.

My growing up years were spent in Provo, Utah. We lived in several homes in the Provo area. The first home that I remember was one that was across from the Hospital. We probably lived there until I was about 7 years old. It was this home that we got our first TV. It was black and white and such an exciting time. I remember watching Flash Gordon in the evenings before supper. I attended Timpanogos Elementary School, which was just a few blocks down the street on 500 West. We used to walk to school. I also spent a lot of my early years with my grandparents, as both my mother and father both worked. My mother worked for the Telephone Company and my Dad for Sears. I have great memories of my grandparents, Emily and Thomas Ford.

We spent many days playing at their home with the kids in the area, going swimming at the city pool, going to the library, and playing in the front of their home in the irrigation ditch floating our home made wooden boats down the ditch.

Grandma drove an old brown Packer with running boards down the side of the car. On one particular day Grandma was driving me to the Library and I can remember that the door I was sitting by flew opened and I had to hang on until Grandma brought the car to a stop. I also remember helping Grandma hang the wash out on the clothes line in the back yard or “sprinkling” the wash so that when it was time to iron the clothes the wrinkles would come out easier. Grandma ironed everything from sheets, to pillow cases to clothes. Grandma also used to take us to the Saturday morning movies in downtown Provo. The movie was probably 25cents. The ticket you were given was also used for prizes that they gave away prior to the movie. They would pull your number out from a big roller drum that was set up on the stage. Sometimes they would give away bicycles, roller skates dolls or stuffed animals. I don’t think I ever won. Holidays were spent at Grandma’s house. I especially remember the 4th of July’s. We would watch the parade on University Ave and then go to the carnival in Pioneer Park to play games. We always had a picnic at Grandma’s and then when it got dark we would light the sparklers and race around the outside of Grandma’s house hoping that the sparklers would not go out before we made it all around the house.
At about 8 we moved to a home off of Provo Canyon road. It was a fun neighborhood and I had lots of friends. It was this home that I remember getting the measles and having to be kept in a dark room and in bed for several days. There was something about having the room dark that was important when you had measles. We would have neighborhood sleepovers in which all the kids in the neighborhood would get together and sleep out on the front lawns and watch the stars and tell ghost stories.

The good memories about this time were my church experiences. I had wonderful friends, Linda Erickson, Liz Hall. These friends were active in the Mormon church. Linda lived just up the street and I spent hours and hours at her home and with her family. They became my second family. Linda, Liz and I were inseparable. We were in Primary together, 4H Club, Softball Teams, Young Woman’s, Girls Camp, and High School. We worked summer jobs together picking fruit, and just hanging out together. To this day we are still good friends and keep in touch.

At about the age of 15 our family moved to another home in Provo. I believe we moved because my Dad lost his job and we needed the extra money. I pretty sure we had to sell our home and I also know that my parents were having trouble in their marriage. I was around 16 when my Dad and Mom divorced. We were living in this home at the time. This home was not far from the High School and I remember walking to school, to church and to activities.

Because of the divorce my Mom needed to move again so we moved into the back apartment of a home on Center Street. It was a classy home with a huge front porch. I believe my brother was already in college and he was not living with us. It was just my mom and I. We lived there for about 1 year and then moved to one more home in the Provo/Orem area.

It was in Edgemont and is pictured below. I was a senior at the time of this move. I loved my senior year. I was active in debate, school plays, the pep club, belonged to a sorority called Sub-Deb, loved school and church activities and met Franz and started to date around Feb. of 1967. I met Franz through a mutual friend, Christina Nibley. Christina was dating Franz’s roommate and we went on a blind date arranged by Christina and Mark Stabler. Our first date was to a movie at the Wlikinson Center. It was “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.”

Categories: Ann Family History
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I finished updating our family history website and felt that a accompanying blog would be useful so I started this new blog. I have many different websites and blogs I have created and keep up, but none of them deal with my past life or my ancestors. So I felt it would be useful to start a new blog where I can write about my past life and about what I am able to discover about my ancestors. This entry starts with the very early part of my life. It is not that I have very many memories of this period of my life so much of the information is what I have been told by others.

The Early Years

My life on earth started in 1948, in Salt Lake City, Utah, when I was born as the fifth of nine children to Clarence O. Kelsch and Rhoda May Draper Kelsch. The above photo is when I was about 3 years old. My first years were spent at our home on Preston Street, so I am told, but I have no recollection. Soon after my birth my sister, Jody, died of leukemia. I am sure the experience was traumatic for my parents and most certainly had a major effect on their relationship with me as a new baby, especially considering that Jody was only three years old at the time.

This photography is the only one I have when I was an infant.  It is with my other brother, Ron.

Rhoda May Draper

My mother, Rhoda May, was born August 20, 1916 in Moroni, Utah. So she was 32 years old when I was born. I am sure it was a difficult experience to lose a child and at the same time have so many other children to take care of. She often mentioned that she had a very difficult time holding me when I cried at this emotional time in her life. Besides Jody, I had two older sisters, Jana Kay and Myrna, as well as one older brother, Ron. At the age of three we moved to a new home at 1411 Laird Circle, also in Salt Lake City.

It was at this home that I have my earliest memories. During the next eleven years, my parents had four more additions to our family, three girls, Kathy, Susan, and Kristine, and one boy, Michael. That brought our family to 8 siblings. Unfortunately my older brother and younger brother were separated by nine years and eleven years in age from myself. It was only my younger sister Kathy who was approximately my age.

I never thought at the time about being part of a large family. The children were so spread out in ages that seemed at times as different families.

Clarence Keslch April 11, 1934

My father, Clarence, was born May 15, 1915 in Orem, Utah. Maybe it was because he descended mainly from German lineage that he was a firm believer in the work ethic and was always focused on being productive with his time and efforts. The times that I spent with him were mostly restricted to those when I was working along his side.

Later I will write about my youth.

Categories: Franz Family History
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