Robert Angus Alexander and Annie Mariah Dobson Alexander

Alexander Families

 

William Zera Alexander on Left and Robert Angus  Alexander  on Right.

 

 

 

            My Grandfather Robert Angus Alexander was born on  May 17 1872  in Washington City, Washington,  Utah. He was the fourth of eleven children born to Benjamin Lamoni Alexander and Catherine Malinda Kelley.
            Both Catherine and Benjamin came to Washington City as members of the Cotton Mission in the early days of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Brigham Young called different individuals and their families to come and be a part of this mission who had lived in the southern states.  Catherine Malinda Kelley Alexander's father Milton Kelley had died while with the Mormon Battalion members at Pueblo, New Mexico, (now Colorado.) and her  mother, Malinda Allison Kelley Covington  had married again to Robert Dockery  Covington, a widower with small children. they were among those called by Brigham Young.  Randolph Alexander and his wife Myrza Alexander Alexander were also called a little later and came with their children, which included Benjamin.  
            Robert's  siblings were Zina Myrza A. (Searle),b. December 25 1864 d. March 22 1932; Milton Lamoni, b. February 03 1887 d. February 11, 1911 , Lois Arabella A.(Hancock, Searle, Shoy), b. December 23 1869 d. December 21 1949; Mary Catherine A. (Searle),December 21 1874 d. July 23 1945; ,James Bird ,b. March 07 1877 d. June 04 1961;  Woodruff Moroni,  b. June 181879 d. October 18 1918, William Zera , b. December 01 1882 d. October 29 1918;  Benjamin Lamoni, b. June 30 1886 d. October 18, 1918; Loren, b. November 25 1888 d. Nov 29, 1888 and Loretta, b. November 25, 1888 d. December 29 1888.  All the children were born in Washington City, Washington, Utah.  The last two were twins and died in infancy. 

The Benjamin Lamoni Alexander Home in Washington City, Washington, Utah. Where Robert would have grown up.

            Robert went to school up to the  eight grade.  My Mother Mazie, his youngest daughter believes he worked in the mines for a time  in Pioche, Nevada and the Silver Reef Mine in Leeds, Utah in his young adult years.
            The Benjamin Alexander  family lived in Washington City, Utah, until at least 1889 as all their children were born  there.  
             Robert  married Annie Mariah Dobson  on October 04, 1897, in Circleville, Piute, Utah.  They had a son who was possibly stillborn or died upon being born.  He was born on July 6, 1898, in Circleville, Utah.  The next year on the same date of July 6 they had a second son, they named him Robert Randolph. They were living in Delamar, Lincoln, Nevada. He only lived until October of 1899 and is buried in Delamar.  Robert was most likely working as a miner during that time.  Their next child was Annie Orminnie and she was born on November 11, 1900, in Circleville, Utah.  She went by Minnie.  Wanda was next and she was born in Vernal on November 17, 1902.  
            The majority of the Benjamin and Catherine Malinda Kelley Alexander's family moved to the Uintah Basin.  They may of started out in the Vernal, because Catherine Kelley Alexander died in Vernal on February 17 1899.  She  is buried in the Maesar Cemetery near Vernal. Robert and Annie had a son while living in Vernal , named Alden Angus Alexander, he was born around March 4, 1905, he died in April and is buried in the Maesar Cemetery near his Grandmother Catherine Malinda Kelley Alexander and his Grandfather Benjamin Lamoni Alexander, whose body was taken to be laid by his first wife when he died in 1913.  

            After Catherine Malinda's  Death, Robert's father, Benjamin met and married a German convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  She was a widow who came over to the United States with her two living children. Her name was Marie (Mary) Kruger Schramm.  She was born January 21, 1858, in Angerburg, Ostpreussen, Preussen.  She was married first to Emil Richard Schramm  on November 20, 1885; and had three children; Paul Schramm b. October 10, 1886, Bertha Milda Schramm b. February 12, 1888, she died July 27, 1890, in Germany. and another daughter Margaret Schramm, born on August 24, 1889.  Marie  married Benjamin Lamoni Alexander, on May 17, 1905, in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Her name appears on his death certificate as his wife, his name is on the death certificate as Lamoni.  Picture is of Marie Kruger Schramm Alexander , she died in an auto-Pedestrian accident in Salt Lake City at the age of 81 on May 19, 1939. Utah digital Newspaper article. 

            The next child was a girl, Amanda Catherine Alexander  born in Vernal on November 16, 1906.
            The six brothers decided  to homestead land in Duchesne County and named the place "Alexandria", it was later renamed Altonah. Some of the sisters also came to the Uintah Basin with their families.
When Robert and Annie came to Altonah.  They came in a wagon with a stove and all the other things they needed to keep house in it. Here they had a son Clarence Elmo born on June 26, 1909, in Altonah.  Their first boy to survive infancy.  Robert worked at whatever he could to provide for his family.  So again they left Altonah and went to Dragon, Uintah, Utah where he worked as a miner in a coal mine. Verda Charlotte was born there on  November 21, 1911.  I don't know if they were living in Vernal or visiting family, but Theo Alexander was born on April 28, 1914, in Vernal, Utah.  After Theo was born the family decided to go back to Altonah.
            The story goes that Robert put the stove down on the ground and built the house around it.   Robert had to go to Roosevelt for supplies.  One night when he had been to Roosevelt  something came up and Robert could not make it back that evening.  He was worried about Annie waiting up for him and perhaps he had been praying about this.  Annie had been  waiting for him with supper on the stove. She heard what she thought was a wagon come into the place.  She heard the words, "Annie go to bed." and the voice sounded to her like it was Robert speaking.  So she put the food on the table and waited but he didn't come in.  She then went out looked for him and neither he nor his wagon was there, so she finally obeyed the message she was given and went to bed and slept soundly. Robert  arrived home safely the next day. Milton Delamore Alexander was born in Altonah July 14, 1917.  The flu epidemic hit hard in Utah and other areas in 1918,  Three of the Alexander brothers succumbed to the flu. Woodruff Moroni Alexander and Benjamin Lamoni Alexander Jr. on on October 18, 1918, and William Zera Alexander on October 29, 1918.  They are buried in the Roosevelt Memorial Cemetery, in Roosevelt, Utah. During this time Robert and William Zera Alexander were trying to help others by bringing supplies to the homes of the afflicted.  William dared not go to the door for fear of getting the dread disease.  Robert would go and William would wait outside.  Robert lived and William died of that flu.  This was a hard time for the family especially hard because Amanda, Robert and Annie's daughter soon followed.
            Amanda Catherine died from Diphtheria on Dec 01, 1918,  She had been ill and had appeared to have recovered.  She did some laundry with her younger sister, Verda, who was helping her,  and after wards  became ill again. The day she died she talked to her father's brothers who had passed away and told them she was waiting for her father to come, he was out at a sheep camp, the family found him and brought him home. When he arrived home, She climbed into his lap and died on December 1, 1918. She was 12 years old. She was buried Dec 3, 1918, Roosevelt Memorial Cemetery near her Uncles.
            My mother, Mazie, found an old report card of Amanda's that showed straight "A's". When she was a little girl, she was kicked by a horse and it left a scar on her face.  Grandmother Annie kept Amanda's canvas shoes put away in the cellar.   My mother Mazie remembers seeing her down there holding the worn-out  shoes and grieving for her precious daughter. 
            Robert worked as a butcher in Fort Duchesne, some winters he worked in mines, like in Delemore, Nevada and Dragon, Utah. He bought a place in Altonah and lived there for several years.  This is where my mother, Mazie Alexander, b. May 21, 1920,  and her brother Parley Orlando Alexander, b. October 20, 1922. were both born. In all Robert and Annie had twelve children.
            While living in Altonah, Robert would lease other farm land to farm.  He grew grain and alfalfa.  He had cows, horses, pigs, chickens, and geese. Annie Mariah took care of the chickens and pigs.  Sometimes when they were in need of money, he would go herd sheep for a family named Chrystal who lived in a place they called Yellow Stone, which was just above Altonah.  Mother remembers visiting him sometimes when he worked on their sheep ranch and seeing two little brown bears in the trees. 
            There were some electric poles in the area and mother remembers one of the boys sitting on one slanted pole and getting a shock.  She  Later he  sold it and moved to Cedar View and built a home.  He bought his property from the state.  He divided some of the property up and gave some to my dad.  part of the property was the place where Uncle Howard and Aunt Minnie lived.  Dad sold his piece to Uncle Howard.
Robert used to butcher and cure the pork the family ate.
            Robert was well-known for his love of singing.    At Milton D. Corry’s funeral, Fred Brown told how after the dances at the church house. He would sing the song " After the Ball is Over. "
            Mom said that her parents came and stayed with her for a while in Chandler, Arizona in their older years. Grampa was becoming more senile; He would say things like; " Look can you see those horses in that corral.  .  While he was in Arizona, he enjoyed playing with Robert who was about four years old.  One night they were in this little bedroom  where there was a window on both sides of the room.  He said a black man came in one window walked over to their bed and went out the other window.   He also ran away once, the police brought him back. ,  He wanted to go home,  So Annie took him home on the bus.  Minnie tried to take care of him.  One day when she was trying to dress him, he hit her on the neck with the side of his hand.  After that they decided to put him in the home in Provo. He died with a heart attack while in the bathroom one day. It was June 25, 1955, three months after my birth.  (Julia)

            From Gae Alexander Snow also known as Rebecca Dobson; Cousin. 

            "I do have memories of Grandma and Grandpa. Probably not as many as Johna May, Theo, Natalie and Niel (the cousins in your family that are close to my age or older). I think your family lived near them longer than we did. I lived out there as an infant. My parents lived in the little cabin on Grandma and Grandpa's property for the first four years of their marriage. I was born in their house, in their living room -- the main room at the front of the house. We moved to Washington when I was a year old.        We came back every year for a few days to visit, and Grandma and Grandpa visited us twice that I can recall, once in Washington and once in Idaho (where we lived for a few years right after WW II before returning to Washington)."
            "Grandpa died when I was thirteen, I think, and Grandma passed on when I was about fifteen or sixteen -- I was still in high school, anyway. After Grandpa died Grandma came to Washington and lived with us for a while. She and I slept in the same bed. I remember how she had to inject herself with insulin every day, how much she loved Hop along Cassidy on television (which was such a new thing for us then), and how much she enjoyed going out for drives in the car. She was with us when my sister Faye was blessed, and I remember how she cried when my father blessed her. I also have some memories of Grandpa, who seemed like a little old blue-eyed, musical pixie to me. He was fun. It was sad when he got Alzheimer's (we think now that he had it, although at the time nobody knew about the disease). He stopped recognizing members of the family. I remember visiting him at the state institution in Provo, where he was sent as a last resort --and to my father's everlasting sadness-- when he began to get too rough and physical to be handled at home anymore. During that visit he called my mother Annie. Grandma was right there in the room, but he didn't recognize her as an old woman. He was back in the past. " Gae Alexander.

            Mother says that Grandfather Robert Alexander held the office of  a "High Priest" in our church. She said he taught a class for the young men and that he used to take very good care of the lesson manual. I believe he did and mother did afterwards, for I found some beloved manuals after my mother’s death.  
 Robert loved to sing and played more than one instrument.  Harmonica, Banjo, guitar.  He sometimes played the harmonica and the banjo at the same time.  He sang and played at the  square dances or whatever they danced, before mother's time.
             He sang for the babies to make them happy . Mother said they would start jumping up and down and once in a while one of them would lose their diapers.
Robert herded sheep and was gone during some of the time.  He herded sheep upon the mountains in back of Altonah.  Mother says they are the same ones that we can see from home in Cedar View, Montwell.    He worked in the coal mines before mother can remember it.   He worked in one called Dragon where he was when Verda was born. He did different things; he was a meat cutter in Fort Duchesne for a time.  His first love was being a musician.  They had cows and horses, chickens, and pigs at their home in Montwell. (Cedar View) and Altonah.  Robert always butchered a cow or  a pig or chicken, for their meals.  They always had plenty to eat. they never went hungry.  They sold the cream to a creamery.  This was how they got enough cash for cereal, sugar, and things like that.  Robert raised grain and he would take it to the mill and they would make flour and  cereal out of it.  The mill was run by a water wheel.  
             Mother made a cake for her papa's birthday and forgot the baking powder so it was a flat cake. Howard and Minnie came over and Howard told her it was really good.  Annie used to make him apple pies.  So she made a dozen that day.  
Robert was a very caring and kind man; He was very tender-hearted man and didn't like to see animals or kids or anyone mistreated.  The only time he spanked mother was with a willow on her legs because she frightened him. she had run after the wagon that Wanda and Jerry Rich were driving. They were hauling furniture and did not see mother run up and grab a hold on it .  Jerry had the wagon up against the post corral fence and decided to back it around.  Robert grabbed a hold of mother and spanked her with a willow on her legs.   That was the only time that she can remember getting a spanking.       Robert didn't  think girls should be around to see a chicken's head cut off so he sent them into the house.   Mother says he was very tidy and would help Annie tidy the house.
            In the winter weather mother and her brothers enjoyed sledding. Robert had a  sleigh  with a wagon bed with sleigh runners.  Robert had a place where he kept his cows and he would go back and forth in the sleigh.  The kids would tie their small sleighs to the back of the big one and go sleighing along.  Robert was very careful not to go too fast.
            It would snow about a foot or more and stay on the ground all winter long in Altonah. There were a couple canals that froze and sometimes they would go sledding on them.  There were haystacks from Alfalfa which Robert harvested.  

            Mother and I picked up a couple books of history of the people of that area.   It had history on the Alexander families.  The book is "Harvest of Memories 1905  to   1988," Histories of ; Upalco, Altonah, Mt. Emmons, and Altamont.  This book was compiled by a book committee of woman as listed on page VIII of the book.  Among the names are Melva, Allred, Violet Lott, and DeLaine Tidwell.