Autobiography of Asa Newton Allred

Asa N. Allred, from  Allred Family Year Book, 1962

[Submitted by Peggy Lynch:

I was born August 5, 1879, at Garden City, Rich, Utah, located on the west shore of the beautiful Bear Lake.  My father was Medwin Newton Allred.  My mother was Maria Josephine Stock.  I have eight brothers and one sister--Alvin, Edith, me, Seymour Bert, Edwin N., William Lyle, John E., Rollin L., Arlin R., and Darrel S.--at the present (1961) writing.

My mother’s father, John Stock, was an English merchant, leaving England at the time of the Boer War, and moved with his family to South Africa.  While there, he was converted to Mormonism and baptized by L. I. Smith in 1853.  Mother was born September 3, 1858, at Port Elizabeth, South Africa.  Grandfather Stock, with wife, Jane Adams, and nine children left Africa in 1860, to arrive in Boston three months later.  There they joined with the William Budge Company.  After over three months travel with handcarts and ox teams they reached Salt Lake. 

In 1868 they moved to Fish Haven, near Bear Lake, and in due time I came along.

In 1885, we moved to St. Charles where Father homesteaded a place known as Dry Canyon.  Many were the exciting adventures during my growing up days.  These are in my detailed history.  My parents were wonderful, understanding, and very careful to teach us the way of life fitting to a good Latter-day Saint.  However, as young boys will, there were times I must have exasperated my parents almost beyond endurance.  I may site one example of my very patient and understanding father.  I was an excellent marksman with a rock in my left hand.  In fact, I usually carried one in my hand.  It was my nightly duty to gather the cows.  As small boys do, I was usually late in returning home.  One evening my father decided to find out for himself what I did to keep me out so late.  He quietly followed me, then got ahead of me, and crouched out of my sight behind a bush.  It was nearly dark, as I slowly wandered past the bush, and as usual, I carried a big rock in my left hand.  My father thought if he could give me a scare I might realize there could be danger in my being out in the wilds so late alone, so as I got opposite his place of concealment, he quickly raised up, and growled.  Without thinking, only seeing a black something raising from the brush, I let go with my rock, catching my father squarely on the head just above the left eye, cutting a gash in it.  He came up right now calling my name.  As soon as I saw the blood on his face, I began to really howl.  Instead of scolding me, he put his arm around me and said quietly,  “Don’t cry, Son.  It was my fault for trying to scare you.”  That was my father, and I might add, that was the only time I ever struck my dad.

We moved several times in the next years, each day, week and year filled with stories and adventures, both humorous and very spiritual.  It seemed the Lord was with us always to help me to live a righteous life.  An example, one  Saturday night a group of us decided it would be fun to steal strawberries from a neighbor’s garden.  Since the escapade was a complete success, the boys wanted to try it again the next night.  I refused, saying I never missed my M.I.A. [Mutual Improvement Association] meetings on Sunday.  The rest went to the same place about 10 p.m. that night.  However, this time the farmer was ready for them.  He had a shotgun filled with buckshot, and since he couldn’t see them, he decided to fire in the air, then thinking that might not give them a proper scare, he shot down low to the ground.  He shot too high, and the pellets hit one boy squarely in the face, killing him instantly.  I learned it was a good idea to always be in church on Sunday nights, also that I must never impose on other peoples property without permission.

In the fall of 1894 we moved into Star Valley, Wyoming.  In 1898 I was called by the Stake Sunday School to go to Brigham Young University for training in Sunday School class work, and teacher training.  I learned many things that stayed with me all my life.

One New Year’s Day, my father said to Mother, “Our children are getting old enough to follow my example in smoking, so I shall stop now.  This he did, and the following July, he died, leaving my mother with nine sons to raise, the youngest about 18 months old.  Times were had, but we were happy.  We older boys worked to support and raise all the rest.

In April conference, in 1900, I was called to Salt Lake City where I was set apart by Elder B. H. Roberts to go on a mission to the southern states.  Again I must say my adventures were many.  It too can be read in my  biography.  After sixteen months in the field, I was released and sent home.  On the way an amusing incident took place.  In Denver, Colorado, we had to wait over for a few hours, so decided to tour the town.  In one place we heard a man shouting at the top of his voice, “Bed-bug exterminator.  If you follow directions, I will guarantee it will rid every home of the bugs.”  He had about 1000 small packages wrapped in paper ready for sale at one dollar each.  He had handed out several hundred when suddenly, “Fraud, fraud,” was heard.  The man quickly disappeared.  The packages, contained two small blocks of wood, with the directions, “Catch bed-bug, place it on one block and hit firmly with the other.”  

I guess right here I should introduce my future wife.  I first met her when she was nine years of age, in 1895, at Star Valley, Wyoming.  She was only fourteen when I left on my mission.  I was twenty years old, and very grown up.  The last time I saw her before leaving, was at the home of a man I was working for.  She was cooking for the men.  She called us into dinner.  As I met her in the doorway, I kissed her on the cheek and whispered to her, “I wish you were five years older.”  I never thought much more about it all for the next three years; then we went around together for two years, me taking turns with my brothers for her company.  After several spats, we finally settled down, and on July 5, 1905, at Logan Temple, she became my wife, forever.  We were married by Elder William Morgan.  

May I tell of one experience I had because I was going with her.  At the time she was working for her aunt in the part of town we called Amesville.  I rode my saddle pony to her house.  Since there was no hitching post there, I took the axe and stuck it deep into a big log, then tied the reins to that.  Soon after, we heard dogs barking in the yard.  I went out to see what the trouble was.  The dogs were after my pony.  As she jumped first one way, then the other, she pulled the axe loose and hit out for home, carrying Oliver Ames’ axe with her, dangling on the reigns.  Now Oliver and I were anything but friends, owing to the fact my brother shot the dog as the dog was investigating our hen house one night.

I left for home on foot, and about halfway, found my pony lying in the road with one leg cut nearly off where the axe had cut it.  I went into a neighbors home, borrowed his rifle, and had to shoot my pony.  Some time later, we had more trouble from that dog, and so my brother shot it.  This act brought us to court.  The lawyer asked Brother, “Did you shoot that dog in self defense?”  Brother said, “No, I shot him in the rear as he went through the fence.”  The judge said, “I fine you $10.”  My brother paid and was still glad for his act, because of what that dog had done to me.  Now I wondered about this.  It must have been Mother’s fault.  If she had not been there, I wouldn’t have gone to her house, the dog wouldn’t have chased my horse, she wouldn’t have been dragging the axe that eventually caused her death.  Now judge for yourselves.  Anyway you look at it, it was all her fault, but, you know, I believe she was worth it all.

We did have many differences before our marriage, that ended them.  In fifty-five years, we have never had a serious disagreement.

I held many varied jobs in the Church, each one helping me to grow to become the man I now am, and build the strong testimony I have.  I am so grateful for each one.  There have been many happy and sad things in our lives together, but through them all we are together, and look forward to an Eternity of time as man and wife.

We have made many moves during the years.  These things I shall let Mother tell.  As I now sit at my trailer window and look over our little estate of redwoods, grass, and flowers, here on our own hilltop,  I thank the Lord for my many blessings too numerous to mention.  My one prayer now is that each of you who read this down through the years, may know me a little better for my words, and that too, may know the happiness we have found together during the long wonderful years, until we all meet again as a family.

Asa N. Allred

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In answer to several requests, I am now telling the story of our courtship, [Asa N. Allred and Polly Uretta Richardson], its up’s and down’s, and our future desires.

When I returned from my mission in July of 1901, my sweet little Uretta looked very good to me.  I had been engaged to another before leaving on  my mission, but because of her personal judgment, she married six months after I left home.  After a very short time, this tragedy  turned out to be a great blessing to me, as now all girl worries were off my mind, and my life was put into missionary work.  As soon as I saw Uretta after my return home, I said, “That’s the girl I want to marry.”  So started in to work out decision.  I didn’t make the same mistake Brother Golden Kimball did, just fast and pray, but I put plenty of works with it, and after some difficulties I won her to my side.

Time and space will not permit me to tell all the set backs I suffered, but I will tell a few. She was going to high school in Afton, [Wyoming] just four miles from our hometown. Naturally, a dozen or so guys from high school were after her, too, but we kept quite steady company.  At home every Friday night was a dance.  One time I was supposed to go pick her up for the dance, but was late getting home.  I had thought she would realize why I was late and come in with some friends.  I was head of the dance committee and had to begin the dance. 

As the Afton gang came in, and I saw she wasn’t with them, I ran home to hitch up my team and drive the four miles to get her.  I found she was in bed.  I told her why I was late, but she sent word down by Aunt Luella that I could just go home again, that she just wouldn’t see me.  So I did go home again. 

At this time I was in the Superintendency of the Sunday School, and Uretta and her cousin were on the Stake board.  We had an appointment the following Sunday at a town forty miles down the country.  So we had to drive down the night before, or Saturday afternoon.  I didn’t have any idea Uretta would ride in the same sleigh with me, but she did, because there was only the one sleigh going.  She refused to even let me help her into the sleigh.  She refused to let me explain or to speak to me during the trip.  This put a damper on me for a year or more.  During this time I went with several other girls.  One married an infidel, another married in polygamy and moved to Mexico, the third one was a very nice girl, but just wasn’t for me.  I have never known just what all Uretta was doing those years, nor just how we started going together again, but so it was.  I worked for the I.C.S. Correspondence School, and worked in Western Idaho, Boise, and Emmett.  On my return home, I bought a guitar and took it home to Uretta.  She had always wanted to learn to play one.  I do believe this gift helped to heal the wound.

Then just as we were beginning to get along, more trouble came along.  Her grandmother told her mother she shouldn’t keep the guitar, and that I was too old for her.  Her mother, bless her, pointed out the fact that I was the same number of years older than Uretta that Levi [Uretta’s father] was older than her mother.  That put a stop to that argument.  One time Uretta was working for her aunt, Lettie Roberts.  This uncle was a drummer and merchant, and because of this, she was one of the “upper ten.”   She told Uretta one day that I couldn’t call for her at the front door.  If I wanted her I could call at the back door.  Of course, Uretta cried at this, but I quickly consoled her by saying I would even call for her at the pigpen if I had to.

We set our wedding date for July 5th, and agreed to spend July 4th in Logan, in 1905.  I went sheep shearing in April, May, and June.  At last she wrote me and said she thought it was about time I quit holding those sheep in my arms and held my Lamb for a change.  I wrote back and explained to her there was more money in holding the sheep, than a lamb.  She almost wrote back and told me to stay with the sheep, but she kept her promise and so we were made one in the Logan Temple on the date we had chosen.

About a year later she made me a present of a beautiful girl, name Grace.  We had to lay her away.  Next came Ora.  Then we had two, Gwyn and Asa Levi, both of whom went to keep Grace company, and to wait for us to rejoin them some day, we pray.  So not we have three sleeping in the same lot that my father and youngest brother rest in.  When Winnie came along we decided to move out of the ice and snow country, where they have nine months winter and three months late fall, and so were able to keep the next two babies who came to us.

Mom [Uretta] was organist in the Sunday School for five years or more; teacher for several years, chorister in the M.I.A., before we left Wyoming.  After we moved to American Falls, Idaho, while I served in the Bishopric, she was Primary President, taught a kindergarten class separate from the Sunday School class for two years. After we moved to Blackfoot, we both worked in the Sunday School--first at Wapello then at Blackfoot.  Here she was also Beehive teacher in M.I.A.