Charles William Ballingham was born June 11, 1878, in Uckington, Gloucestershire, England, to William and Harriet Evans Ballingham.
The Ballingham family accepted the Gospel and became converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This family wanted to immigrate to America to be nearer the Church of their choice, but funds were scarce. At the age of thirteen years Charles came to America by himself where he found employment at Goshen, Utah. He worked and saved his money to assist in paying for the rest of the family, to come to America. His family at that time consisted of his parents, two sisters, and three younger brothers.
Part of the funds to pay for the transportation of the Ballingham family from England to Grouse Creek, Utah, were advanced by a brother Kimball. Upon their arrival in Grouse Creek, William Ballingham worked for Kimball to pay back the money. Eventually, William Ballingham became employed by D. P. Thomas, and moved to a ranch north of Grouse Creek, which was then known as the Thomas Ranch, and which is now known as the Tanner Ranch.
Charles or Charlie as he was known to all, worked part of his early years with his father and brothers running the Thomas Ranch on a lease agreement, but eventually he became interested in mining and worked for a while in the mines in Silver City, Utah, and at Park City, Utah.
When he was about twenty-seven years of age, Charlie went to work in the mines at Copper Mountain, near the town of Montello, Nevada, where he became mine superintendent. It was while he was thus employed that he met Anna Newman, whom he persuaded to become his wife. They were married on October 19, 1907. Charlie and Anna became the parents of three children; Cecil, Floyd, and June. Floyd preceded his Father and Mother in death, in 1966.
In 1916 Charlie purchased a ranch in Grouse Creek, Utah, from Thomas Thomas, and the family moved to that location. Most of their married life was spent on that ranch, where their children were raised and educated.
Problems arose, and Charlie and Anna separated. In about 1943, Charlie sold his ranch to the Kimber brothers and moved to Rupert, Idaho, where he lived the remainder of his life. Anna passed away in 1969.
On July 18, 1950, Charlie married Mabel Lewis, in Elko, Nevada. The couple made their home in Rupert, Idaho. Mabel passed away in 1971.
Charles W. Ballingham is survived by a son Cecil, of Sparks, Nevada, and a daughter, June, of San Leandro, California; five grandchildren, and eight great grand children. He is also survived by two of his own sisters, Ellen Betteridge, of Ogden, Utah, and Annie Kimber, of Grouse Creek, Utah.
His life was one of service. In church capacities, he served in the Y.M.M.I.A and in the Sunday School organization. He was a good mechanic and was known as the “Thresher man”, rendering these services to his community and the surrounding area for many years. He was always willing to help anyone in any way he could.
Fine automobiles were his pride and joy, and he always had one which he maintained in top mechanical condition to exhibit to his friends and neighbors. His last automobile was a 1940 model Chevrolet which he owned until about two years ago. Just before he let a neighbor have it, he was showing it to me. He had just completed giving the motor a tune-up and it started and ran like new even though it was over thirty years old and had covered well over one hundred thousand miles.
Uncle Charlie’s life was a hard one. He had to make his own way from a very early age, and the going was rough much of the time. These experiences taught him self-reliance and convinced him that a man can be what he wants to be regardless of his background.
Adversity instilled in him the desire to succeed, and this truly is the mark of a great man.
Such was the life of Charles William Ballingham; “Uncle Charlie”.
Charles passed away on July 9, 1976 and is buried at the Pleasant View Cemetery in Burley, Idaho.