Fearzmore (Phil) Lee was born in Grouse Creek, Utah October 2, 1887, a son of Joseph Bracken and Mary Ann Mecham Lee.

His brothers and sisters are:  Joseph Valentine, Mary Ellen, Isaac Franklin, William, Edward, Lorenzo, Hannah Bell, Lucius, Casper Earl, Lester, and Alfred.

He was reared and educated in Grouse Creek and various other places. Fearzmore finished 5th grade at the Box Elder County public schools.

His dad worked for the railroad at Terrace then the family moved to the Twelve-Mile ranch in Nevada, so named because it was twelve miles from anyone else.

In January of 1890, Fearzmore was very sick with a very bad sore throat.

The boy was very critically ill, and “Polly,” (Mary Ann) would kneel at his bedside and pray for him several times during the day. Joseph had gone to another small town, and he would not be back to help. At the end of the day, the boy was no better. About 10:00, the outside gate of the ranch open, and his mother rushed to the door to call for help from the cowboys whom she supposed it to be. Instead, it was her father and mother. He told her that they had a strong feeling that she needed help, and they had come prepared with consecrated oil to administer to the boy.

They had to take him to a railroad town for help. The snow was three feet deep, and it took them five hours to go the twelve miles.

The next fall, he became sick again, so they moved back to Grouse Creek, not that there were any doctors there, but the people were of their faith, Latter Day Saints.

Until 1896 they farmed and ranched at what is now known as the Hart place on Etna, which is five miles west of Grouse Creek. Then, in 1897, they moved to Marion, Idaho, where they lived for about eight years. During that time, they bought and worked on another small ranch.

Times in Marion were very hard for them. Sometimes, Joseph had to go out and work on contracts in order to get enough money to meet the payments for the place. Mary would be left alone to take care of the children as well as the many chores which had to be done.

In about 1903 they sold the ranch in Marion and returned to Grouse Creek and took up ranching there again. Joseph leased what is now known as the Hales place. From there, they moved to a little lot on Grouse Creek that they had bought from Charles Kimber. Joseph had a sawmill up in the mountains and sawed the logs and lumber with they built a large, two-storied frame house.

On October 3, 1917 (the day after his birthday) Fearzmore was drafted into the Army. He was assigned to Battery E, 143 Field Artillery in the 40th Division. He trained at Camp Kearney in CA for eight months before being transported overseas to France on June 28, 1918. His questionnaire, which Fearzmore filled out himself, states that he was assigned to the Western Front. He also noted that he was wounded in action on October 5, 1918 while in the Argonne Forest. He took a shell wound to the right arm and was unable to return to service. He received the Purple Heart and was officially discharged on March 7, 1919.

He served with 2 of his brothers and they all returned from the war.

Joseph Lee Family
Hannah Bell, Joseph Valentine, William, Alfred, Edward, Joseph B, Lorenzo, Isaac Franklin, Mary Ann, Lester, Casper, Fearzmore, Mary Ellen & Lucius Lee

Fearzmore returned to Utah after the war. The 1920 census places him in Grouse Creek living with his parents. By 1930, the census places the family in Heyburn, ID. At that time, Fearzmore was 42 years old and working as a truck farmer. In 1952, when Fearzmore was 65 years old, he was married to Mary Hyde Poulton in Idaho and adopted at least two of her children from a prior marriage.

Fearzmore was 87 years old when he died on October 7, 1974 and is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Heyburn, ID.

Lee Family – 1940 BR-William, Lester, Lucius, Alfred, Isaac Franklin, Edward, Lorenzo FR-Fearzmore, Mary Ellen, Hannah Belle, Joseph V & Casper