BIOGRAPHY OF OUR FATHER CURTIS WILSON ROGERS
[Excerpt]
Our father, Curtis Wilson Rogers, was born in Farmington, Davis County, Utah on the 23rd of December 1874. He was the son of Thomas Edward Rogers and Aurelia Read Spencer, and was the twelfth [youngest] child of twelve children. His parents were converts to the Latter Day Saints church and traveled as pioneers to Utah.
Dad's life as a child must have been a happy one as he was born into such a spiritual home. Even though they were deprived of many of the necessities of life, everyone around them was in the same circumstances. Dad received religious training from the time of his birth as his father served two missions for the church, and his mother was the originator and first President of the Primary Association of our church.
He married Rachel Sabina Robison on the 25th day of June 1895 in Farmington. They lived there for the first two years of their married lives. Seven children were born to them, four sons and three daughters. They were very poor the first ten years of their marriage.
When Leone [the fifth child] was a baby, Curtis obtained the position of signal maintainer on the Union Pacific Railroad. We imagine he was so happy to find permanent work that he didn't mind living in Wamsutter, Wyoming and being out in the freezing temperatures and blinding blizzards. His main concern was making a living for his family.
Dad held responsible positions and was paid very good wages in those early days. We have deep-seated memories of him climbing up the ladders to the top to see if the signals were working properly. A familiar sight was him standing at the side of the tracks and returning a wave from the engineers and firemen on the trains. They all knew him well.
When he made out his reports at the end of each month, if it was at all possible, we left the house in order for him to have complete silence as there couldn't be any mistakes in his work. He could not concentrate unless all was quiet.
Our lives were spent living in railroad houses, painted yellow, and furnished by the Union Pacific. Dad was transferred by seniority from Wamsutter to Echo, then to Morgan, and finally to Peterson where we lived for thirteen years. While living in Peterson, electricity was installed in our home, which meant we would have no more coal oil lamps to take care of.
We were really living in luxury when Dad purchased our first automobile, a Chevrolet touring car. We were the envy of the town, as very few people in those days owned an automobile. Dad would drive us to Morgan almost every night to visit relatives and friends.
In approximately 1930, Dad was transferred by seniority back to Morgan as a signal maintainer. We lived in another yellow house by the tracks in North Morgan.
The trains were the best mode of transportation in those days, and we always traveled first class. We had a pass that took us everywhere on the Union Pacific "free" anytime. To go distant places, we had to order a special pass, but it never cost us any money.
Dad retired from the railroad in about 1939 at the age of 65. They bought a home up on Commercial Street, the third house from town. This was the first home they had ever really owned, and they paid cash for it. Dad kept up the yard, and it was the prettiest on the street. They had a raspberry patch in the backyard, and he picked all the raspberries. This was one of his favorite fruits. He was never a man to was fussy about his meals; in fact, he was happy with just bread and milk.
His health was pretty good, but he did have cataracts removed from both of his eyes. He was always able to read the newspaper and this he did every day of his life.
Dad never held an office in the church that we know of, but he was a very shy and modest man. We do know that he was kind and honest and always paid his debts. Tithing and other church assessments were paid on the first day of every month like clockwork. One of his outstanding qualities was his wonderful disposition. He was quiet and seemed to be very deep in thought at times. Someone remarked one time that he never opened his mouth unless he had something to say.
Our father was a very kind, gentle man who knelt at his bedside every night of his life and said his personal prayers. He had a pretty good tenor voice, but seldom used it. He played the harmonica, and could stepdance if in the proper mood. He took great price in his family and their accomplishments.
He attended church regularly while living in Ogden, especially Priesthood and Sacrament meeting. He held the office of High Priest for several years before his death at the age of 81.
He passed away on the 17th of March 1956, our beloved father, who resembled his well-known Mother. In his quiet, serene way he was able to face the bitter trials of life without letting them alter his enviable disposition. These are qualities we would do well to emulate.
[This biography was written by his children, Gay, Leone, Rehan and Max]
BIOGRAPHY OF OUR FATHER CURTIS WILSON ROGERS
[Excerpt]
Our father, Curtis Wilson Rogers, was born in Farmington, Davis County, Utah on the 23rd of December 1874. He was the son of Thomas Edward Rogers and Aurelia Read Spencer, and was the twelfth [youngest] child of twelve children. His parents were converts to the Latter Day Saints church and traveled as pioneers to Utah.
Dad's life as a child must have been a happy one as he was born into such a spiritual home. Even though they were deprived of many of the necessities of life, everyone around them was in the same circumstances. Dad received religious training from the time of his birth as his father served two missions for the church, and his mother was the originator and first President of the Primary Association of our church.
He married Rachel Sabina Robison on the 25th day of June 1895 in Farmington. They lived there for the first two years of their married lives. Seven children were born to them, four sons and three daughters. They were very poor the first ten years of their marriage.
When Leone [the fifth child] was a baby, Curtis obtained the position of signal maintainer on the Union Pacific Railroad. We imagine he was so happy to find permanent work that he didn't mind living in Wamsutter, Wyoming and being out in the freezing temperatures and blinding blizzards. His main concern was making a living for his family.
Dad held responsible positions and was paid very good wages in those early days. We have deep-seated memories of him climbing up the ladders to the top to see if the signals were working properly. A familiar sight was him standing at the side of the tracks and returning a wave from the engineers and firemen on the trains. They all knew him well.
When he made out his reports at the end of each month, if it was at all possible, we left the house in order for him to have complete silence as there couldn't be any mistakes in his work. He could not concentrate unless all was quiet.
Our lives were spent living in railroad houses, painted yellow, and furnished by the Union Pacific. Dad was transferred by seniority from Wamsutter to Echo, then to Morgan, and finally to Peterson where we lived for thirteen years. While living in Peterson, electricity was installed in our home, which meant we would have no more coal oil lamps to take care of.
We were really living in luxury when Dad purchased our first automobile, a Chevrolet touring car. We were the envy of the town, as very few people in those days owned an automobile. Dad would drive us to Morgan almost every night to visit relatives and friends.
In approximately 1930, Dad was transferred by seniority back to Morgan as a signal maintainer. We lived in another yellow house by the tracks in North Morgan.
The trains were the best mode of transportation in those days, and we always traveled first class. We had a pass that took us everywhere on the Union Pacific "free" anytime. To go distant places, we had to order a special pass, but it never cost us any money.
Dad retired from the railroad in about 1939 at the age of 65. They bought a home up on Commercial Street, the third house from town. This was the first home they had ever really owned, and they paid cash for it. Dad kept up the yard, and it was the prettiest on the street. They had a raspberry patch in the backyard, and he picked all the raspberries. This was one of his favorite fruits. He was never a man to was fussy about his meals; in fact, he was happy with just bread and milk.
His health was pretty good, but he did have cataracts removed from both of his eyes. He was always able to read the newspaper and this he did every day of his life.
Dad never held an office in the church that we know of, but he was a very shy and modest man. We do know that he was kind and honest and always paid his debts. Tithing and other church assessments were paid on the first day of every month like clockwork. One of his outstanding qualities was his wonderful disposition. He was quiet and seemed to be very deep in thought at times. Someone remarked one time that he never opened his mouth unless he had something to say.
Our father was a very kind, gentle man who knelt at his bedside every night of his life and said his personal prayers. He had a pretty good tenor voice, but seldom used it. He played the harmonica, and could stepdance if in the proper mood. He took great price in his family and their accomplishments.
He attended church regularly while living in Ogden, especially Priesthood and Sacrament meeting. He held the office of High Priest for several years before his death at the age of 81.
He passed away on the 17th of March 1956, our beloved father, who resembled his well-known Mother. In his quiet, serene way he was able to face the bitter trials of life without letting them alter his enviable disposition. These are qualities we would do well to emulate.
[This biography was written by his children, Gay, Leone, Rehan and Max]
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