I, Alvin Kimber was born on March 29, 1901 in a two-room adobe home known as the Kimber ranch. The ranch was located twelve miles southeast of Grouse Creek, Utah. I was the seventh of eight children born to William James Kimber and Jemima Mumford Tanner.

My brothers and sisters were William Charles, born on April 8,1890, Thomas Edward, born on October 3, 1891, Joseph A., born on April 10, 1893, Bertha Caroline, born on March 23, 1895, Clara Ann, born on January 16, 1897, Lawrence J., born on May 10, 1899, and Howard, born on March 28, 1904.

My children:

Rulon Dean            pril 3, 1924           February 4, 1964

Maurine                March 19, 1926      Not deceased

Elda Mae               January 21, 1928     April 17, 1981

The first I can recollect is moving to another home not far away and my father hired a school teacher to teach my brothers and sister and me. In between the homes were patches of rye grass. I can remember wanting to see what was going on. When mother wasn’t watching I would run from patch to patch until I could get to the window to look in.

The irrigation ditch ran in front of our home and my mother said I was the worse child to always want to play in the water.

My mother always went to church, but I never knew why my father didn’t attend. He read books a lot and took good care of his family.

My father raised horses, cattle, alfalfa, hay, some grain, and some fruit. I naturally grew up with a fairly good knowledge of farming and animal raising, especially horses and cattle.

The people in Grouse Creek were predominantly members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints so I was a ‘Mormon boy.’ My father joined the church in England and came to America, the land of the free, when he was thirteen or fourteen years old. He wanted to be where the Church was.

I finished the ninth grade in school. At that time that was the highest grade in High School. We lived at the ranch in the summer and a home in Grouse Creek where mother and the children stayed during school time. I always got along good with the women school teachers.

The games we played were hide and seek, throw the picket, ball games, dances, candy pulls and sleigh riding in the winter.

No electricity when I was a boy. We read and studied by the kerosene lamp. No indoor plumbing either. All the water had to be carried into the house.

We didn’t have Primary but attended religion classes during the school time.

The first time I was determined not to smoke was when I awakened to hear my father coughing.

Now to when I met my sweetheart, Alice Barlow. Her father was building a new home in Grouse Creek and there was a girl cutting alfalfa for the pigs and I helped her. We went to school together; played together; went to Sunday School together; etc. but first dated when I was fifteen years old.

In 1922 Alice moved with her family to Malta Idaho. She was twenty years old and I was twenty-one. We corresponded and a year later I went to stay with her folks for a few days in Malta, Idaho. It was conference time and we decided to go to conference and get married. It took us all day to go from Malta to Ogden, Utah and the next morning on to the Salt lake Temple where we were married at 8:00 a.m. on June 6, 1923. I didn’t even get shaved the morning before I was married. We spent our honeymoon in Salt Lake City going to Liberty Park and Saltair. The furniture we bought then was a bed and a stove.

We lived on the Kimber ranch for the summer, then we left there and went to Burley, Idaho where I worked all winter on the canals. In the summer we worked on a ranch for a man named David Langlois. Joe Martin was my next employer, as a farmer. Next I was a sheep man on a ranch owned by Wallace Ward. The next move was to Bridge, Idaho on a farm raising hay and milking cows. During this time I was ordained a High Priest and served on the High Council.

My father-in-law died on September 9, 1925 so we left Bridge, Idaho and went to live in my mother-in-law’s home at Malta, Idaho. I worked building roads. Our two girls were born in the Barlow home. My mother died on March 6, 1927 while we were living at Malta.

The year 1932 we were on the move again — Burley Idaho for one year, then in 1933 to Woods Cross Utah to work at the Duck Club. My sister-in-law and her husband Loren got a big truck and helped us move. The wind was blowing very hard that day. It not only blew dirt but gravel also. We were blessed to arrive safely at the duck club. The club was on a little island surrounded by water. Our home was two rooms for the five of us. I was the custodian which included picking the ducks for the men who owned the duck club.

In 1935 we had enough of this type of life and moved to West Bountiful where we could be close to school and church. After living in several rented homes, I bought our first and only home in 1935. It is at 255 East 3rd South, Bountiful, Utah. We were all so happy and thankful to know we didn’t have to move again.

Alice and I loved growing fruits and vegetables, and landscaping at our new home. Our backyard provided a cool, peaceful, beautiful atmosphere.

Further employment:  1938-1942 Cudahy Meat Packing; World War II – Remington Ammunition making ammunition; one more year at Cudahy Meat Packing; and twenty-three years at Phillips Oil Company. I received a retirement from them.

I spent some time riding the range hunting and fishing. I enjoyed the outdoors. As for indoor activities dancing the waltz and the foxtrot were my favorites. In my day the Church had ward dances where the whole family came and we had a great time. Later when the children were gone from home Alice and I joined a dance club. Alice loved to dance too. I loved to sing too.

I was too young for World War I and too old for World War II.

I am so very thankful for my calls to serve in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Each one has increased my knowledge and testimony of the Gospel. Heavenly Father does live. Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer.

My motto, ‘Live every day of your life as if it were your last. Whistle while you work.’

My father was dearly loved by all who became acquainted with him. He displayed such a positive, friendly, loving, sincere attitude. After my mother passed to the next life, he came and stayed with us very often. He brought such a spiritual, helpful, happy spirit into our home. In fact, he influenced for good all the other families in our neighborhood. Work was one of his crowning virtues. Each day was not complete unless he had accomplished work for himself, family, neighbor or anyone else he heard who was in need.

I look forward to living eternally with “my dad,” an inspiration and example to me.

Alvin died on October 14, 1976. He is buried in the Bountiful Memorial Park.

Dictated to his daughter, Maurine Kimber Townley

submitted May 1996