Grandpa Argyle

Eddie remembers one time when Rachelle was a baby she was babysitting another little baby about Rachelle’s same age.  She and Grandpa Argyle were walking through the South Center mall in Seattle.  People were looking and wondering.  Some were asking Grandpa Argyle, “Are they yours?” and “Are they twins?”  He would say “Yes, they were born three days apart.” That left them wondering.

 

(1974 Rachelle Forschler)

 

 

(1995 Delbert Argyle and Edwinna Forschler)

 

 

 

Sheep and Roosters

When Denece was about 3 her mother never needed to worry about her leaving the yard.  This was because there was a sheep and rooster that would chase her if she left the yard.

Sneaking Down the Scaffolding

Edwin had a scaffolding to the upstairs of the house and when Denece needed a break, they’d put the kids upstairs for a nap.  Edwinna told them a story all about Never Neverland.  She would dress all the kids up in costumes.  Edwinna would wear her mother’s full net slip. 

One time she helped all the kids out the window and down the scaffolding and away they went.  They were in the ditch along the road waiting for a rainbow when the neighbor saw them. The neighbor called Denece and asked if she knew where her kids were.  She was sure they were upstairs.  The neighbor told Denece to check again and she would keep an eye on the kids until she got there to get them.  Boy did they get scolded.

(1962 Edwinna, Delbert, Darlene, and D.Ann Perkins)

 

Quick Stop on the way to the Hospital

Edwin got out of the air force and was trying to farm when Denece was expecting Delbert.  Her father, Delbert Kynaston Argyle was cutting hay and needed help moving the equipment.  Denece was driving and got the truck stuck.  When Grandpa Argyle finally got the truck out, Denece was in labor so they headed towards the hospital in Soda Springs.   Of course, they had to stop at Hooper Springs for soda water, all while the doctor was waiting at the hospital wondering where they were.

A week after Delbert was born, Edwin was offered a job at Boeing, so the family packed up and moved to Seattle.

 

(1954 Delbert Perkins)

Trading for Denece

When Denece was 4 or 5 she was very pretty.  The Indian Chief from the Blackfoot reservation took a liking to her.  He came a few times to try to trade for her. He tried to trade blankets for her, then a horse, then his own son.  Grandma Baty got so worried when she saw him coming that she would hide Denece under a big wash tub until he left.

(1937 Doyle and Denece Argyle)

 

Bath Time for Grandpa

Edwin did not have an indoor tub until he was 5 or 6 when his father (Lamar) built on to the back of the house.  At his house, the girls got to go first so their hair could be rolled in rags for curlers.  He could remember his dad bringing in the wash tub and they would take baths in the kitchen.  Often they would have to wait for the hot water tank that was attached to the kitchen stove to heat up again.

(1935 Evelyn and Edwin Perkins)

A Church Loving Family

From Dora Baty Argyle

One of our other prayers were answered when one Sunday we were attending conference in Soda Springs.  Doyle was called to go on a mission.  We had always hoped he would go but when he didn't before he got married we gave up the idea.  We were so happy over this even though it did mean leaving his wife and little girl, Julie.  He left for Salt Lake City, Utah on 8 May 1954 and he has labored in Norfolk, Virginia and Fayetteville, North Carolina.  He has been out for four months and was made Branch President.  We are very proud of our son and the fine job he is doing on this mission but we are looking towards the day he will be home, May 1956.

(1954 Joyce, Doyle, and Julie Argyle)

 

Alene brings much joy to us and she is now thirteen years of age.  All of my life so far has been made rich by the lives of my husband and family.  I enjoyed all of them.  I was Young Women's President in the M I A and Primary President for three years.  I now teach in Sunday School and Primary and love every minute of it.

(1954 Alene Argyle)

 

My life has also been made full by the work my husband does in the church.  Much joy came into our home when he served two terms in the Stake Mission.  He is now second counselor in the bishopric to Joseph Eliason.  All our married life we have been good companions to each other and our children's joys and sorrows are also ours.

(1954 Delbert Argyle)

Grandma's Bath Time

When Denece was a child, they had a bath every Saturday night.  They used a large wash tub.  It was set up in the middle of the kitchen floor.  The water was heated on top of the wood kitchen stove.  They always started with the youngest and went to the oldest, adding more hot water to keep the water warm.  They sometimes would have to use the homemade lye soap.  It was always nicer when they had store bought soap to use.  When the kids were done with their baths, they would stand beside the kitchen stove to get dry and warm.  Then everyone would be ready for church on Sunday.  Denece remembers when she was 10 or 12 and she got to try some real shampoo.

(1945 Denece Ann Perkins)

Rocky and Bullwinkle

D.Ann liked the cartoon Rocky and Bullwinkle.  She asked Santa one year for two flying squirrels for Christmas.  Her parents talked her out of asking for a moose.  Christmas morning came and she was a little disappointed when there was just an empty cage.  The squirrels came later and they were fun.  One time one got loose and they found it in Edwinna’s closet.  They were trying to catch it when it ran up Edwinna’s leg and up into her dress.  She did quite a dance as she squirmed and giggled as the squirrel moved around in her dress. 

(1965 Edwinna, Darlene, and D.Ann Perkins)

Drying Smitty

Edwinna had a Siamese cat named Smitty.  It loved to lay on top of the clothes dryer.  One time it climbed in the dryer when it was still warm.  They threw the next load in and turned it on without knowing she was in it.  After awhile, the family sat down for dinner and realized there were no tennis shoes in the dryer.  Dad pulled her out.  Her tongue was hanging out and he had to massage her back to life.

(1965 Edwinna, Darlene, Delbert, and D.Ann Perkins)

Camping at Big Springs

One time the Perkins family rented a cabin at Big Springs.  The cabin had a screened in porch where Evelyn and one of her friends slept.  Lamar had hung up his fishing gear in the rafters.  The girls woke up and though that there was a man in the rafters.  You can imagine the fuss they made until Lamar came out and turned on the lights.

One morning while they were there, Edwin had slept in and the men went fishing without him.  He went out and found some wild strawberries instead.  He must have picked a gallon of them.  Louise talked to the woman who ran the nearby store and was able to talk her out of five pounds of sugar.  Louise didn’t have any ration stamps for sugar so she may have traded her some Avon products to get the sugar.  She always had her Avon bag with her.

(1946 Evelyn, Lamar, and Louise Perkins)

 

A Fire and Help

From Doris Alene Argyle Maughan

 

In November 1976, my parents had their home destroyed.  This time it was by fire.  It started in the garage and swept through the house so fast that there was little time to rescue anything.  About all they had left was the clothes on their backs, the television set, and a couch they had managed to pull from the living room.  Brent and I were settled in Soda Springs, Caribou County, Idaho at this time and they came to stay with us until they could get back on their feet.  I watched as they pulled themselves together and began plans for a new home. 

The people of Chesterfield Ward and other friends were so good to help.  They were given showers to replace the items that had been lost in the fire.  People made quilts for them and gave them housewarming parties.  My father was overjoyed when he was going through the debris, trying to find anything that could be salvaged, and found the first diamond ring he had given to my mother.

My sister and her daughters spent many hours trying to replace irreplaceable items.  My mother and father demonstrated so much courage, trust in the Lord, and thankfulness to family and friends at this time.  It will always be an example to us, their posterity, as we recall these times.  Never once did she (Dora) let any of us see how truly devastated she was at this complete loss.  Once again, I witnessed her busy hands as she restocked her shelves for her two year supply.  She left a legacy of good works, putting trust in the Lord and always making the best of what had been placed in her path.

 

(1976 Delbert Argyle)

 

A Lasso in Church

When Doyle was 4 or 5 he lassoed a deacon while he was passing the sacrament in church.

He would also lasso Denece as a kid while she ran around the house.  He did it so much she got a rope burn around her neck and their mother Dora made him quit.

(1937 Doyle and Denece Argyle)

A Runaway Horse

When Denece was a little girl, there was a horse that was running away with her on it.  She was sure that she was barely hanging on by one stirrup.  Her mother (Dora) saved her.  When Denece was older she realized the horse was an old work horse.  Her father (Delbert) said “that horse never ran away with you.  I had the reins the whole time.”  There is even a picture of her on the horse.

(1936 Denece Ann Argyle)

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa

From Doris Alene Argyle Maughan

The grandchildren always loved to come to Grandma and Grandpa's house.  Denece's children often came to spend the summers working and storing up memories of the wonderful times they had.  Dora was always willing to watch the kids whenever she was asked.  She loved them dearly and showed this many times and in many ways.  During the last few years of her life, she acquired the hobby of making lamps with beautiful dolls for the base of each.  She made one for every granddaughter plus Denece, Joyce, and myself.  She spent hours fashioning clothes and making hair out of fake fur.  She would make individual curls on each doll.  She even made rings for the tiny fingers, necklaces for the delicate necks of the dolls and lamp shades of frilly lace and ruffles.

(1969 Denece Perkins, Dora, Delbert, and Doyle Argyle, and Alene Maughan)

 

(1976 Delbert Argyle)

 

 

One of Dora's Beautiful Lamps, this one as a Bride

 

Moving Time

From Doris Alene Argyle Maughan

In the spring of 1970, my parents (Delbert and Dora) moved once again to the ranch near the home they lived in until Doyle and Joyce got married.  They bought a mobile home and fixed the yard and area to be beautiful.  Mother planted flowers and trees and loved it here.  My father helped my brother farm.  They both owned cattle and it was a family affair every spring and fall as branding and marketing chores were carried out.  Mother and Joyce used to get the dinner ready for the crew whiled the rest of us worked.

(1970 Delbert and Dora Argyle's Home)

Driving

It was spring time when the roads were muddy that Denece got her license to drive.  The next day her cousin, Sherrie Luthie, came and they went to chase after boys.  Denece rolled her Dad’s new Frazer car.  New cars were hard to get as it was just after WWII.  Denece lost a lens out of her glasses and Sherrie ended up with a little scratch on her shoulder from where the lens had hit her.

(1949 Denece Argyle)

 

Frazer Car

 

Milk Shakes and Sundaes

When Edwin was in high school he and his parents would go to the Green Lantern drive in for milk shakes.  It was right across from the ISU campus.  At the Green Lantern, they would bring out the shakes to you and put them on trays that hooked to the car window.  His favorite was root beer with an extra shot of root beer.  He later took Denece there and her favorite was the hot fudge sundae.  She never did like a milk shake.

(1951 Edwin Perkins and Denece Argyle)

Always Fun

From Denece Ann Argyle Perkins

My folks worked hard clearing land and burning sagebrush.  I remember going out with them and how they kept telling me to stay behind mom so I wouldn't get burned.  They used to play hard too.  We would be snowed in all winter except an occasional trip to town after groceries in a sleigh but they kept our home life active and fun, with popcorn, candy pulls and always new games and Grandpa Argyle to tell us stories.

(1949 Dora and Delbert Argyle)

 

 

(1949 Doyle Argyle)

 

(1949 Denece Ann Argyle)

 

(1949 Alene Argyle)

Georgie Porgie

When Denece met Edwin, her boy friend was Georgie Porgie Payne.

Georgie Porgie pudding and pie, Kissed the girls and made them cry
When the boys came out to play,
Georgie Porgie ran away.

 

(1951 Denece Ann Argyle)

 

Mandy, Edwin and Denece's granddaughter, can remember Edwin teasing her, singing the same song just changing it to Mandy Pandy. . .

 

A Fire in the Home

From Denece Ann Argyle Perkins

When I was about five I almost lost my mother.  Since there was no electricity on our dry farm, dad bought mom a steam iron to use in place of ones that you had to heat on the coal stove.  Well , anyways, the steam iron blew up and set the room on fire in which my mom was ironing.  All the rest of us were outside.  I decided I wanted a cookie that mom had baked that morning so I went in the house.  By that time mother was sitting on the table, the only spot of  the room that wasn't flaming.  I took one look and ran from the house to my father who was fixing some machinery and told him, "Come quick, mom is burning."  I never saw anyone move so fast.  I bet he set new records in racing the day.  My grandfather Argyle, who was milking cows saw dad running so he fell into a run to.  Somehow, Doyle, my brother had joined us also.  We all grabbed some heavy braided rugs mother had made and beat and beat at that fire.  We finally reached my mother and dad carried her outside and treated her burns which must not have been to severe for she healed without leaving any scars.  We were one thankful family that night and I remember dad getting us together and thanking God for sparing our mother's life.

(1942 Denece Ann Argyle)

 

(1940 Joseph Hyrum Argyle)

Chicken Eggs

Rachelle Forschler Mendoza remembers visiting her Great Grandpa Lamar Perkins.  He raised chickens when he was living with Evelyn and Jim in Tyee, Idaho.  They were amazed when they would gather eggs and Aunt Evelyn cracked open one and it had an eyeball in it.  She cooked it anyways and Grandpa ate it with ketchup.  They thought it might have been the embryo beginning to form. Yuck!

(1995 Lamar Perkins)

 

(1995 The Forschler Family)

Father and Son Farming

Delbert farmed with his father Joseph Hyrum Argyle.  They were always interested in having the newest developments in farm equipment.  The first combine Denece remembers would cut the grain and the straw came down a chute and would drop into  a tent like thing that her father made.  It was Denece's job to stand in the middle of it until there was a good pile of straw and then they would move it to the side and it would pivot and dump out the straw.  This saved a lot of time because they would not have to go back and rake up the straw.

(1936 Joseph Hyrum Argyle)

 

(1945 Denece Ann Argyle)

 

Slugs for Dinner

One time Edwinna (4) and Delbert (3) were outside in the yard playing and Edwinna made Delbert play house with her.  She served him up a plate with slugs and dandelion leaves on it.  She turned her back and before she could tell him not to, he had already eaten the slugs.  Later when Edwinna would tell her friends about this incident, they wouldn’t believe her so Delbert would have to eat more slugs to prove it.

(1957 Delbert and Edwinna Perkins)

 

 

 

(1957 Denece, Edwinna, and Delbert Perkins)

Training Horses

Delbert trained horses from the time he was a teenager.  Often others would bring him their horses to break.  Once when he and Doyle ( his son) was about seven years old, they trained Doyle's horse to come out of the  barn and roll over three time when they opened the door to the barn.  Doyle named this horse Tony. Delbert used to like to brake in a new horse in the winter.  As it was less painful being thrown into a snow bank.

(1937 Doyle and Denece Argyle)

 

Penny and the Cow

In 1969, the family went to Idaho to drop Del off to work at Grandpa Argyle’s ranch.  The family took Penny, the dog.  She was a small dog and Delbert would take Penny out in the fields with him as he worked.  Penny had a great time chasing the cows until one old cow got tired of her barking and yipping.  The cow started chasing the little dog and Penny turned and started running.  She hopped up into Delbert’s arms and he started running to try to get into the truck.  Grandpa Argyle laughed so hard because he had locked the truck.  Delbert had to make a mad leap into the bed of the truck just as the cow hit the tail gate.

(1969 Denece Perkins, Dora, Delbert, Doyle Argyle, and Alene Maughan)

 

(1969 Delbert, D.Ann, Edwin, Edwinna, Billy Joe, Denece, and Darlene Perkins)

 

 

Riding to School

From Doyle Argyle

As Dad (Delbert Kynaston Argyle) grew and started school he would tell of riding to school on his horse and horse racing there and back.  This kind of bothered me and one time I said, “Well Dad when you used to ride your horse to school and tie him up all day what would you give him to eat?”  He looked at me as if I was out of my mind and he said, “Well a bucket of grain.”  That’s something that never dawned on me that they would take a bucket of grain to school to feed your horse to get back home again.

(1915 Delbert Kynaston Argyle)

Summers with Grandma and Grandpa

Delbert Argyle’s grandson Delbert Perkins started staying the summers with him and Dora when he was about five years old.  He always wanted to go out ranching with his grandpa.  He was told he could go if he was up when the sun came up.  So he was.  He loved going with his Grandpa Argyle.  He would take his nap on the hood of the tractor.

(1959 Delbert Perkins)

 

(1958 Dora Argyle)

Be a Good Boy

From Doyle Argyle

As has been said he (Delbert Kynaston Argyle) was born in 1911, the youngest member of his family and his mother passed away when he was fifteen years old.  So much of his early childhood was spent growing up without the advice and guidance of a mother, but very much help and advice from a loving father.  Joseph Argyle was really proud of his son Delbert.  They farmed together, the raised children together and lived together.  When I say raised children together I mean myself and my two sisters.  With all this togetherness we were a very close family unit.

 

From Denece Ann Argyle Perkins

When his mother Elizabeth Ann Kynaston Argyle was dying and they put her on the train in Bancroft, Idaho to go to Bountiful, Utah.  Her brother in-law, John Carter Stocks was a doctor there.  Elizabeth told Delbert to "be a good boy" and he always tried to.

 

(1873-1927 Elizabeth Ann Kynaston Argyle)

 

(1915 4 Generations of Argyles)

 

 

Herding Cows

From Doyle Argyle

 

One of Denece and myself jobs was to herd the milk cows out on the sagebrush during the day time. We would bring them back in the evening ready for milking.  My Mother used to make the best homemade root beer that there ever was.  About once a week we each used to get to take a bottle of this root beer with us to herd the cows.  One day when we were herding these cows, I left herding these cows to Denece and went over the hill and found some young rock chucks and spent a lot of time playing with them.  One thing and another and I let time slip away from me.  I was almost too late to get the cows back to the barn for milking.  In my hurry to get back and stay out of trouble, (Denece was young, not even in school yet and was not to be left alone) because one of our rules was that the cows were always in the barn when it was time for milking.  Anyway I gave my sister Denece, both of the empty root beer bottles to carry.  The only thing I could think of was getting those cows home as quick as I could using both feet and reins and whacking the horse everywhere I should I guess, to try to get home in this rapid succession.  When I came in my Dad looked at me and I could see something was wrong.  I thought boy I’m going to get balled out for being late and making the cows run.  Thus getting a very short supply of milk when milked.  The only thing he said to me was “Do you think your sister could hold on to the rear end of that horse behind the saddle with her hands full those empty root beer bottles and not fall off?”  I never thought of that.  All I knew was that she was always there.  This was the concern that Dad had for each of his children.  He wanted the best he could get for each of us.

(1943 Doyle, Alene, and Denece Argyle)

 

The Family Grows

From Dora Baty Argyle

 

I think Denece enjoyed the house in town more than any of us.  She could walk to school and to all the activities she wanted.  She had lots of friends and we enjoyed the days and evenings when she and her friends would come home for a party or a quick lunch.  We let her go to Pocatello, Idaho, to spend some time with her cousin, Veah Jean Van Orden.  Here she met a swell fellow named Edwin Lamar Perkins.  He brought her home on a Sunday in a green convertible.  She said to me, "How do you like my convertible boy?"  We all had a good laugh but she was embarrassed... Later she married this fellow in the Logan Temple on 16 May 1952.  She has two lovely children at the present time, a girl they call Edwinna Louise and a boy they call Delbert Lamar.  The only thing, they are living in Seattle, Washington, and we don't see them as often as we would like.

 

(1950 Veah Van Orden and Denece Argyle)

 

(1951 Edwin Perkins and Denece Argyle)

 

(1955 Edwin, Delbert, and Edwinna Perkins)

 

Grandfather Joseph Hyrum Argyle

From Dora Baty Argyle

 

When Doyle and Joyce's marriage was about to take place, we bought a lovely new home from Newell Call in Bancroft and went there to live.  Doyle and Joyce made their home on the ranch.  We all went to Logan with them and left father Argyle to tend Alene and to do the dishes.  When we got home we were saddened to hear that our hired man had had to take father Argyle to the hospital.  He had suffered a stroke.  The following 25 September, 1950 he passed away.  He was a grand person and we still find ourselves missing all the nice things he did for us.

 

(1947 Dora and Delbert Argyle)

 

(1949 Joseph Hyrum Argyle)

 

(1950 Joseph Hyrum Argyle)