The second child of Cyrus Hunsaker and Ane Marie (Mary) Andersen Hunsaker; Cyrus Albert, was born 4 February 1883 at Honeyville, Box Elder County, Utah. He was one of fourteen children.

His older brother, John “L”, was born 24 June 1881 at Brigham City, Box Elder County, Utah; and his younger twelve siblings were as follows: Joseph Elzyrus, born 27 January 1885 in Arizona; Gordon Leslie, born 20 January 1887 in Arizona; Lars Pearl, born 18 March 1889 at Spanish Fork, Utah County, Utah; Delbert, born 27 June 1891 at Honeyville; Rose Mary, born 23 March 1894 at Honeyville; Owen, born 8 June 1896 at Honeyville; Melvin and Elvin, (twins) born 18 July 1898 at Honeyville; Lydia, born 25 July 1900 at Honeyville; LaVon, born 12 December 1902 at Lyman, Fremont County, Idaho; Arvon, born 10 June 1906 at Lyman; and Myrtle, born 20 January 1909 at Lyman.

(From LDS Family History Library Film #25683, Item 1-3 and 4 Record of Members Honeyville Ward 1877 - 1941 it has: “Elbert Hunsaker (Cyrus/Mary) born Honeyville, Box Elder, Utah; Blessed 1 March 1880 by F. J. Graham.” The problem is that he wasn’t born until 1883, so I assume the date should have been 1 March 1883.)

During his younger years, “Bertie” as he was nicknamed, was an adventurous little boy as well as a good little worker as he helped his family on their farm. He learned at a young age to help with the chores and the responsibilities associated with farming. Bertie was a fun loving young boy who enjoyed playing with his siblings and friends. He and his brothers herded the cows during the summertime, at times along the Bear River so the cows would have water to drink. It was on one of these occasions that an accident happened that could have been more serious than it was.

(From LDS Family History Library Film #1145491 Box Elder County, Utah Newspaper Card Index to births, deaths, divorces, marriages and subject index, 1890-1915, it has the following: “Death -- Bertie Hunsaker (Cyrus Elbert) Son of Cyrus Hunsaker drowned in Bear River 8 July 1890 “The Brigham Bugler” 12 July 1890, page 1, column 3.”) There is also a notice in “The Brigham Bugler”, dated Saturday, July 12, 1890, page 1, column 3, that says: “Cyrus Hunsaker of Honeyville, lost his little son, Bertie. He was drowned in Bear River, Tuesday, [8 July 1890].

Full particulars in our next issue.” In “The Brigham Bugler” probably dated July 19, 1890, page ? and column 3 (top of the page was torn off); it has the following headline: “Pen Picture of the Sad Fatality Which Came Nearly Claiming Two Victims Beside Little Bertie” (the pen picture was apparently torn off). The article states: “A sad misfortune to the family of Cyrus Hunsaker has cast a deep gloom over the settlement.

On the evening of the 8th, five small boys, ranging from five to twelve years of age, were herding cows on Bear River, one mile west from the settlement. The two younger brothers, Bertie and Joseph, ventured into the stream to bathe. Julius Nelsen, age twelve, had previously been in and set up stakes as marks for the younger ones to go to; beyond the marks he told them it was deep water.

The little brothers ventured across the marks, lost their footing and were carried into an eddying pitch off. Being unable to swim, they were seen sinking and rising. The older brother, John, immediately sprang into the water to rescue his drowning brothers. He partly succeeded in drawing one to shallow water when his strength failed and he too succumbed. The three brothers were now in a drowning condition; struggling to help each other and crying piteously for help. During this time Julius Nelsen had thrown off his clothes and with heroic courage plunged into the stream and caught John and brought him to shore. He laid him down apparently lifeless; then jumped into the stream again and rescued little Joseph just as he was sinking the third time. In he sprang once more, but little Bertie went down before he could reach him. Julius dived into the water several times in search of the body where he had seen it sink.

Some little boys brought word to the settlement and in a short time a swarm of men were at the scene of trouble. They searched diligently until 10 o’clock without recovering the body. Next morning a drag, made of chains heavily weighted, brought the body to the surface just a few feet below where it sank. The deceased was a bright little fellow only seven years old. The sorrowful and deeply bereaved family have the tender sympathies of the entire community”. (A copy of these articles was given to me by a clerk in the Brigham City Museum.)

Bertie was the first child to die in his family, and what a terrible tragedy it was to lose a young son in his tender and informative years. Sometimes young children don’t realize how fragile life is and how careful they should be until it is too late. Thanks to Julius Nelsen’s quick actions two other lives were saved that day. Surely, Cyrus and Mary were grateful to him for saving their other two sons; but at the same time their hearts must have been broken when Bertie was taken from them.

Three of Bertie’s siblings would die as children – Elvin died of Spinal Meningitis at about six months of age at Honeyville; LaVon died at age nine of an accidental gunshot wound to his abdomen in Archer, Fremont County, Idaho; and Myrtle died as an infant not long after she was born in Lyman, Fremont County, Idaho.

After a funeral, Bertie was buried in the Honeyville Cemetery, Honeyville, Box Elder County, Utah. There are no grave markers in the cemetery for him or his brother, Elvin who died about nine years later. Arneta Hunsaker Clover told me that when she was a young girl, she went to Honeyville with her father, Melvin; and he and his Uncle Elzarus (Cyrus’s brother) who lived in Honeyville, walked up to the Honeyville Cemetery. There Elzarus showed Melvin where the graves of Bertie and Elvin were located.

In the Honeyville City Hall, they have a map of the Honeyville Cemetery, with Cyrus Hunsaker’s name on a section, but there are no names of Cyrus Albert or Elvin listed as being buried there. We have to assume from Arneta’s account, that they are buried there in Cyrus’s section.

(In the summer of 2009, Karen Scott visited Honeyville and tried to find the spot where the two little boys were buried. There is no record in the Honeyville City Hall, of either of the children being buried in the Honeyville Cemetery, but there is still a plot that has Cyrus Hunsaker’s name on it. So, we assume that the two little boys are buried in Cyrus’ plot, but we don’t know for sure where. There are no other names listed on the map as being buried in Cyrus’ plot, either. A few years after Elvin was buried in 1899, the family moved to Idaho and most of the family are buried in the Sutton Cemetery, Archer, Madison County, Idaho.)