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)

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)

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)

 

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)

 

 

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)

 

 

 

The Best Chalk Around

From Doyle Argyle

It seems Delbert’s home on the flat was kind of a mark or gathering place for the neighbors around there, the Nelson’s, the Kingston’s, the Sessions and so on seemed to use that as a target place for social times.  Back then there was no electricity so the lighting was done with kerosene lamps and gasoline lights, but through the foresight of my grandfather when he built the home he put in what was known as a carbide system.  This consisted of a tank of carbide periodically being dumped into a large vat filled with water and causing carbide gas to burn and make the brightest lights in the valley.  Everyone told him this was a dangerous thing that shouldn’t be done.  I remember him going to my Dad and saying “Do you think we ought to change this Delbert?”  Dad would reply “What do you think?”  Grandfather would always reply “As long as it is taken care of properly it will be alright.”  So one of my fond memories as a child is cleaning out this vat every fall and getting the white carbide from the bottom that had crystallized, man that stuff made the best chalk you could ever get hold of.  I chalked up the barn and the corrals, and granary.  It would last for a period of three or four days until the rain came and then it would be gone.  It sure was wonderful chalk.

(1930 Delbert and Dora Argyle)

 

 

(1935 Doyle Argyle)

 

 

(1936 Joseph Hyrum Argyle)

A Move to Chesterfield

From Dora Baty Argyle

 

When the kids were still young, we left the dry farm three miles northeast of Bancroft where we enjoyed ourselves for four years.  All this time, father Argyle lived with us and he was very good to the children.  We bought his house.  We lived in it on the dry farm and then moved it to the ranch in Chesterfield where we lived for six years.  We purchased the farm from my mother.  Life was comfortable here as the Utah Power and Light put electricity throughout the county and everyone made their homes modern.  The children had buses to go to school in.  The schools all consolidated and had one big school in Bancroft.  Doyle was a Senior in high school now and he fell in love with a lovely girl named Joyce Jenkins.  They were married on 12 June, 1950 in the Logan Temple.  Their home was blessed with our first grandchild on 1 November 1952.

 

(1948 Argyle Ranch Home)

 

(1950 Joyce Jenkins and Doyle Argyle)

 

Delbert Kynaston Argyle and Dora Alene Baty

From Dora Baty Argyle

 

One day in the summer I wanted to go to a dance so I coaxed my mother to let me stay the night at a friends.  I came to town with the mailman.  That night I told a fellow named Delbert Kynaston Argyle I had to walk home.  He took pity on me and offered to take me home.  Of course, I  accepted and knew that night he was the guy for me.  I went with him for about a year and a half and then married hem in the Logan L D S Temple in Logan, Utah, on June 11, 1930.

We went to live with Dell's folks, (a sister, Alice, and his father).  The hard thing was leaving my folks and twin sister, but the Argyle family was very good to me.  I soon learned to love them dearly.
 

 

(1930 Delbert and Dora Argyle)

 

 

Logan Utah Temple

 

 

Don't Forget!

Joseph Hyrum Argyle fell down the stairs in the ranch house.  He got up in the dark and missed turning on the light and fell down the stairs.  He broke his back and it never did heal well.  But he still rode horses  some.  So, never go down the stairs in the dark!

(1940 Joseph Hyrum Argyle)

 

(1947 Joseph Hyrum Argyle)

 

The Ranch Home

A Little Bit of Sugar

Denece remembers her grandfather (Joseph Argyle) would tell her “It’s alright Denece, I’ll always have a little bit of sugar for you when you’re sick.”  He would give her penny candy.  Her favorite was black licorice.

(1940 Joseph Hyrum Argyle)

 

(1937 Doyle and Denece Argyle)

 

 

 

Denece's Favorite - Black Licorice Candy

 

 

A History of the Farm

Lettie Baty could not stay at the farm after she found her husband dead in the barnyard.  So, they moved her into Bancroft.  She later lived in Farmington and Salt Lake City.

The dry farm was Joseph Hyrum Argyle’s.  The ranch was purchased from Grandma Baty when her husband died.

(The Joseph Hyrum Argyle Family)

 

(Joseph Hyrum's Barn)

Left Behind

This next story from Denece happened on the day of Joseph Hyrum Argyle’s  funeral (their grandfather).  After the funeral Dora and Delbert were in the family car and Denece and Alene got left behind.  They were standing on a corner near the school.  Uncle Leonard saw them, picked them up, and drove them down to Bountiful, Utah for the burial.

 

 

(1950 The Argyle Family's New Car)

 

 

(1950 Joseph Hyrum Argyle)

 

Musical Memories

Joseph H. Argyle would always sit and listen to Denece practice the piano he gave her (he had bought it for his wife).  He loved to hear her play hour after hour.  Denece loved to hear him talk about his Elizabeth (his wife) and that Denece’s hands reminded him of her.  When he talked of her, you could feel the love he had for her.  He remembered her hands being so soft.  Even though she worked hard she always had the right creams to keep her hands soft.  Elizabeth would always memorize her favorite piano pieces so she would have them with her and she would often play by memory.  Whenever he had to go to Pocatello, he would go to the music store and buy her sheet music.  He could not read music but he loved to hear her play. 
Joseph bought Elizabeth the beautiful piano back east. It was shipped by boat to California. Then by train to Salt Lake and then by ox cart to Idaho. Later he gave the piano to his grand daughter Denece. When she moved to Seattle her parents drove it from Idaho to Seattle. Denece gave the piano to her grand daughter Monica Butchart McDonald. She learned to play and enjoyed it until she made her home in Utah. Now the piano is in the home of Trevor and Michelle Butchart.

(1940 Joseph Hyrum Argyle)

 

 

(1946 Denece Ann Argyle)

 

 

 

 

Denece Playing

Before Denece started school she liked to play in the barn.  She would play pretend on the old Stanley Steamer (car).  One time she slipped and fell.  She cut her leg badly on some old barbwire.  Everyday her parents would hold her down so they could pour what seemed to her like a whole bottle of iodine on the wound.  After that was healed she was playing on the harvester that had canvas curtains on it.  This became her stage.  She would put on dress up clothes that her Grandpa Argyle (Joseph Hyrum) gave her (most likely her grandmothers clothes).  It was a great place to perform until she cut her leg on a sharp piece of wire.  Out came the iodine again.  From then on the cistern lid became her stage. This was her greatest fun.

 

(1937 Doyle and Denece Argyle)

 

 

(1940 Joseph Hyrum Argyle)