David Birch --- obituary
St. Anthony, Idaho – David Birch, 87, died Monday at his residence after an illness.
Born September (August) 12, 1867 in Hoytsville, Utah to Richard and Mary Ann Hale Birch. Married Nancy Garn March 9, 1852 (in the) Logan Temple, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a farmer and cattle raiser. Director of Twin Groves Canal for several years.
Survivors: widow; sons and daughters, Mrs. Ruby Hall, Ogden; Fern, Boise; Ernest and Reef (Reed), St. Anthony; Mrs. Lois Bean, Twin Falls; Mrs. Millie Bean, Shelley; and Mrs. Eva Penfold, Hagerman; 35 grandchildren; 27 great grandchildren.
Funeral Friday, 1 p.m., St. Anthony Second Ward Chapel. Friends may call at Hansen Funeral Home.
Short life sketch: David Birch
David Birch was born 12 August 1867 in Hoytsville, Summit, Utah to Mary Ann Hale and Richard Birch. He spent his early years there. The Birch children walked to a community type school at Hoytsville. His sister, Mary Jane and he had a third grade education. They were able to read and write and do arithmetic. Even though he had very little schooling, he could estimate weights of animals and hay almost exactly but Nancy, his wife, would have to do the arithmetic for him. David Birch and Nancy Eldredge Garn were married 9 March 1892 in the Logan Temple.
David had blue eyes and dark hair which was curly and later turned white gray. In his later years as this hair thinned on top he would let the side and back grow longer and then comb it up over the bald spot.
He was stern and determined. As Lois, a daughter, expressed, “the more I get to know of the life of these early settlers the more I realize they had to be tough to take the hardships.” Reed, the youngest son, said, “Dad was very strict. He had a commanding manner. You did not dare to sass or cross him.”
He was a healthy active person with lots of drive and ambition.
David loved and was loyal to his brothers and sisters and half brothers. The ones in Idaho often visited and he was sad at their passing from this life, but always kept his mind on things to be done. He loved his mother, Mary Ann Hale.
He liked horses and would spend hours training them especially the buggy and riding ponies and for the racing cart. On summer evenings he could be seen going up and down the road training and exercising these horses. Because of this the children had nice horses to ride and drive on the buggy, cutter or sleigh. In winter he would put bells on the horses and a fine tanned horse robe over the knees when taking a ride in the cutter.
He had a deep sense of responsibility for the physical welfare of his family. He spent time each fall and winter getting out wood from the forests to be used in keeping his home warm and for the preparation of food.
David kept abreast of new things and ways to improve his farming operation. Reed remembers his father being one of the first in the community to get a Fordson tractor. He also had a Sampson tractor which was a three wheeler. Before either of these he had invested in a steam engine. He did try new ideas, but he did not always approve of them.
He passed on a legacy of work to his children. He taught them that it was honorable and that the good things of this life are available to all if they are willing to put forth the effort. The children were all given responsibilities and were required to do them right, no halfway stuff.
Fern remembers a tender, loving side as he lay on the floor and played with the babies and little children.
His family along with others, generally relatives, took an occasional fishing and camping trip to the Island Park area. These times were too few and far between for the children.
He made one trip to Canada to look over big farming possibilities there. He was glad to get home to Idaho and brought presents for all the family.
David did some land speculation before the Depression, but this did not prove very successful because of the hard times.
In the spring of 1888, David Birch, age 21, filed on 160 acres of dry sagebrush land 2 miles south of St. Anthony, Idaho. Only a vision in their minds as to the potential of this vast desert prairie, coupled with the enthusiasm and strength of youth could possibly have persuaded any man to settle and plan for a future in such a place. But David and his brothers caught and held fast to that vision. They saw a land of abundance with plenty of water from the Snake River to give life to the soil. They saw good roads connecting cities and schools. They saw comfortable homes for their families.
From the newspaper article entitled, “Old Timers – Weather Thru”, we can read this observation about David: “Being a man of industry, good habits, bright ideas, forceful energy and believing this community was pre-eminently well adapted to his qualities he set out to secure an independent financial position by engaging in agriculture pursuits.”
From Lois Birch Bean’s history of her parents, we have this important addition: “And so with foresight and high hopes the Birch brothers, David, Robert and Richard filed on a water right on 6th September 1888. The surveying completed, they began work on a rock dam across the Snake River, and then the laborious task of digging a ditch from the river to their farms began. Early in the spring the water was turned into the ditch. But alas, the precious water ran down the ditch only a short distance and then sank into the gravel and disappeared.
Several other settlers had now joined them, the Murri brothers and Alma Singleton. They commenced to enlarge the ditch. However it took two years for the water to finally reach the Birch brothers land. The basin below the top soil had to be filled with water before it would run through the ditches. Thus sub-irrigation was born in this new land. Fainter souls would have given up and left before nature had time to fulfill her promise.
The new ditch was first named and recorded as the “Birch Ditch”. Later it was proposed by Alma Singleton that it be called the “Twin Groves Canal” as he thought this name would be appropriate because in the Snake River where the canal was diverted were two islands covered with groves of aspens. And so the decree was set by the court at 7500 inches and the date changed to June 1, 1892. This proved to be a tragic mistake as it lost for them their earlier right to their irrigation water. An unsuccessful attempt was made later to have the decree set back to the original date. Who at that early date could have guessed that the mighty Snake would ever lack for water for irrigation?
David served for many years as a director on the Twin Groves Canal Board. On the 17 January 1955, he passed away at 87 years old at his home in St. Anthony, Idaho.
(For more information about David and Nancy’s lives and those of their children, see Remembering David and Nancy And Their Family, by Jesse Dean Birch & Twila Davis Bird.)
Power County Press; September 11, 1980
Vard W. Meadows, 76, died Tuesday as a result of a farming accident.
He was born Jan.20, 1904, in Alicel, Ore., to Franklin R. and Amanda M. Garn Meadows.
in 1906 he moved with his family to American Falls, where he was raised and received his education. He attended the University of Utah for a time.
He served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in England from 1925-1927. Upon returning to American Falls, he worked for the Sperry Elevators as a bookkeeper and later as manager for Oneida Elevators. He purchased a ranch in the Roy area and later a ranch near Rockland.
On July 4, 1946 he married Eloise Mauer in Le Mars, Iowa. That marriage was later solemnized in the Idaho Falls Temple in November 1950.
Vard served the community in many ways. He was mayor of American Falls for many years, was the state senator for Power County, and served on the Idaho Wheat Commission. For over 30 years he was a member of the American Falls Library Board and was instrumental in building the new library. He served as secretary treasurer of the Falls Irrigation District, was active in Boy Scouts, was voted to the Idaho Agricultural Hall of Fame and the Idaho Water Users Hall of Fame, and was a member of the American Falls Chamber of Commerce and a Former Rotary member.
Mr. Meadows was active in the LDS Church, and had served as bishop of the American Falls Ward for 19 years. He was a member of the High Council of the Pocatello Stake, and later a member of the High Council of the American Falls Stake. Among many other responsibilities he has been stake Sunday School superintendent and stake auditor.
Survivors include his wife, three sons, David, James and Arthur; one daughter, Coral; one brother, Dean; one sister, Merle.
Funeral services will be Saturday at the LDS Second and Third Ward chapel on Pocatello Avenue.
Burial will be in Falls View Cemetery.