The story of Ralph Aldridge is one of the saddest to come out of Holbrook, Oneida, Idaho.
In 1912, the Aldridge family moved to Holbrook where the Father Joseph was employed by
the Briggs Brothers. The Mother, Harriet became Post Mistress and ran a small store
which occupied two rooms of their house. One evening, their house caught fire and burned
to the ground, but everyone got out safely. A year and a half later, they were living in
a new two-story frame home they had built, when tragedy struck again. Harriet had gone
to Malad City, to await the birth of her next baby. One night during a violent storm,
lightning hit the house, setting it ablaze. Joseph and the children were asleep
upstairs. He awakened and discovered the fire. He jumped from the second floor, and
told Emma to help the children over the sill, so he could catch them. When the roof
began to cave-in, he yelled for Emma to jump. Ralph was still in bed, unable to be
rescued.
Neighbor, Fay Sweeten Cottle recalls, "When the storm hit we noticed a bright light
over at Holbrook, which proved to be a fire. The men who were all around got into the
Model T and started over there. They had to drive in low gear the whole way, because
water was all the way up to the running board on the car. They found that the home,
where the Post Office was kept, had burned down. The Father and all the children had
escaped and were at a neighbors, excepting one child, Ralph; a boy seven years old, who
had perished, in the fire. The Mother was staying with relatives, in Malad City,
expecting a baby."
Colen Sweeten, (Fay's Father) and some of the other men saw a washtub in the remains of
the fire, which was upright with something in it. They used a clothesline wire, and drew
it out. It proved to be the remains of Ralph Aldridge. It was 4 a.m., when Colen
Sweeten returned home to see if his wife and family were all right. Then he went right
back to help, as there was to be a Stake Conference the next day. He and an Uncle of the
little boy, Ralph Aldridge secured a heavy wooden box for Ralph's burial, from the
basement of the new Holbrook Church which had been used to ship batteries for a new
lighting system. They lined this with this a new bedsheet, which Colen had secured from
his Sister Alberta Barlow's store. They then proceeded to the Holbrook Cemetery. A few
weeks earlier a grave had been dug, for an elderly man, who died, but his Sisters' came
and decided to take him to Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, for burial. The grave was
still open, so they placed the box in it. Just as they did so, Brother Thomas Cottle of
Stone came by, on horseback, on his way to Stake Conference. They asked him to stop and
dedicated the grave. They finished the burial, and Colen came home, and got ready to go
to the church meeting. Mother (Mary Ann C. Sweeten) made a crude marker and we always
put flowers on it on Memorial Day. Later on, Mother met one of Ralph Aldridge's Sisters
and showed her where the grave was. The Sister had the current marker made and put on
it."
Source:
History of Holbrook and Surrounding Areas, Edited by Carol Eliason and Mary Hubbard,
page 111.
Published in 1987 (Private publication)
In 1912, the Aldridge family moved to Holbrook where the Father Joseph was employed by
the Briggs Brothers. The Mother, Harriet became Post Mistress and ran a small store
which occupied two rooms of their house. One evening, their house caught fire and burned
to the ground, but everyone got out safely. A year and a half later, they were living in
a new two-story frame home they had built, when tragedy struck again. Harriet had gone
to Malad City, to await the birth of her next baby. One night during a violent storm,
lightning hit the house, setting it ablaze. Joseph and the children were asleep
upstairs. He awakened and discovered the fire. He jumped from the second floor, and
told Emma to help the children over the sill, so he could catch them. When the roof
began to cave-in, he yelled for Emma to jump. Ralph was still in bed, unable to be
rescued.
Neighbor, Fay Sweeten Cottle recalls, "When the storm hit we noticed a bright light
over at Holbrook, which proved to be a fire. The men who were all around got into the
Model T and started over there. They had to drive in low gear the whole way, because
water was all the way up to the running board on the car. They found that the home,
where the Post Office was kept, had burned down. The Father and all the children had
escaped and were at a neighbors, excepting one child, Ralph; a boy seven years old, who
had perished, in the fire. The Mother was staying with relatives, in Malad City,
expecting a baby."
Colen Sweeten, (Fay's Father) and some of the other men saw a washtub in the remains of
the fire, which was upright with something in it. They used a clothesline wire, and drew
it out. It proved to be the remains of Ralph Aldridge. It was 4 a.m., when Colen
Sweeten returned home to see if his wife and family were all right. Then he went right
back to help, as there was to be a Stake Conference the next day. He and an Uncle of the
little boy, Ralph Aldridge secured a heavy wooden box for Ralph's burial, from the
basement of the new Holbrook Church which had been used to ship batteries for a new
lighting system. They lined this with this a new bedsheet, which Colen had secured from
his Sister Alberta Barlow's store. They then proceeded to the Holbrook Cemetery. A few
weeks earlier a grave had been dug, for an elderly man, who died, but his Sisters' came
and decided to take him to Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, for burial. The grave was
still open, so they placed the box in it. Just as they did so, Brother Thomas Cottle of
Stone came by, on horseback, on his way to Stake Conference. They asked him to stop and
dedicated the grave. They finished the burial, and Colen came home, and got ready to go
to the church meeting. Mother (Mary Ann C. Sweeten) made a crude marker and we always
put flowers on it on Memorial Day. Later on, Mother met one of Ralph Aldridge's Sisters
and showed her where the grave was. The Sister had the current marker made and put on
it."
Source:
History of Holbrook and Surrounding Areas, Edited by Carol Eliason and Mary Hubbard,
page 111.
Published in 1987 (Private publication)
The story of Ralph Aldridge is one of the saddest to come out of Holbrook, Oneida, Idaho.
In 1912, the Aldridge family moved to Holbrook where the Father Joseph was employed by
the Briggs Brothers. The Mother, Harriet became Post Mistress and ran a small store
which occupied two rooms of their house. One evening, their house caught fire and burned
to the ground, but everyone got out safely. A year and a half later, they were living in
a new two-story frame home they had built, when tragedy struck again. Harriet had gone
to Malad City, to await the birth of her next baby. One night during a violent storm,
lightning hit the house, setting it ablaze. Joseph and the children were asleep
upstairs. He awakened and discovered the fire. He jumped from the second floor, and
told Emma to help the children over the sill, so he could catch them. When the roof
began to cave-in, he yelled for Emma to jump. Ralph was still in bed, unable to be
rescued.
Neighbor, Fay Sweeten Cottle recalls, "When the storm hit we noticed a bright light
over at Holbrook, which proved to be a fire. The men who were all around got into the
Model T and started over there. They had to drive in low gear the whole way, because
water was all the way up to the running board on the car. They found that the home,
where the Post Office was kept, had burned down. The Father and all the children had
escaped and were at a neighbors, excepting one child, Ralph; a boy seven years old, who
had perished, in the fire. The Mother was staying with relatives, in Malad City,
expecting a baby."
Colen Sweeten, (Fay's Father) and some of the other men saw a washtub in the remains of
the fire, which was upright with something in it. They used a clothesline wire, and drew
it out. It proved to be the remains of Ralph Aldridge. It was 4 a.m., when Colen
Sweeten returned home to see if his wife and family were all right. Then he went right
back to help, as there was to be a Stake Conference the next day. He and an Uncle of the
little boy, Ralph Aldridge secured a heavy wooden box for Ralph's burial, from the
basement of the new Holbrook Church which had been used to ship batteries for a new
lighting system. They lined this with this a new bedsheet, which Colen had secured from
his Sister Alberta Barlow's store. They then proceeded to the Holbrook Cemetery. A few
weeks earlier a grave had been dug, for an elderly man, who died, but his Sisters' came
and decided to take him to Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, for burial. The grave was
still open, so they placed the box in it. Just as they did so, Brother Thomas Cottle of
Stone came by, on horseback, on his way to Stake Conference. They asked him to stop and
dedicated the grave. They finished the burial, and Colen came home, and got ready to go
to the church meeting. Mother (Mary Ann C. Sweeten) made a crude marker and we always
put flowers on it on Memorial Day. Later on, Mother met one of Ralph Aldridge's Sisters
and showed her where the grave was. The Sister had the current marker made and put on
it."
Source:
History of Holbrook and Surrounding Areas, Edited by Carol Eliason and Mary Hubbard,
page 111.
Published in 1987 (Private publication)
In 1912, the Aldridge family moved to Holbrook where the Father Joseph was employed by
the Briggs Brothers. The Mother, Harriet became Post Mistress and ran a small store
which occupied two rooms of their house. One evening, their house caught fire and burned
to the ground, but everyone got out safely. A year and a half later, they were living in
a new two-story frame home they had built, when tragedy struck again. Harriet had gone
to Malad City, to await the birth of her next baby. One night during a violent storm,
lightning hit the house, setting it ablaze. Joseph and the children were asleep
upstairs. He awakened and discovered the fire. He jumped from the second floor, and
told Emma to help the children over the sill, so he could catch them. When the roof
began to cave-in, he yelled for Emma to jump. Ralph was still in bed, unable to be
rescued.
Neighbor, Fay Sweeten Cottle recalls, "When the storm hit we noticed a bright light
over at Holbrook, which proved to be a fire. The men who were all around got into the
Model T and started over there. They had to drive in low gear the whole way, because
water was all the way up to the running board on the car. They found that the home,
where the Post Office was kept, had burned down. The Father and all the children had
escaped and were at a neighbors, excepting one child, Ralph; a boy seven years old, who
had perished, in the fire. The Mother was staying with relatives, in Malad City,
expecting a baby."
Colen Sweeten, (Fay's Father) and some of the other men saw a washtub in the remains of
the fire, which was upright with something in it. They used a clothesline wire, and drew
it out. It proved to be the remains of Ralph Aldridge. It was 4 a.m., when Colen
Sweeten returned home to see if his wife and family were all right. Then he went right
back to help, as there was to be a Stake Conference the next day. He and an Uncle of the
little boy, Ralph Aldridge secured a heavy wooden box for Ralph's burial, from the
basement of the new Holbrook Church which had been used to ship batteries for a new
lighting system. They lined this with this a new bedsheet, which Colen had secured from
his Sister Alberta Barlow's store. They then proceeded to the Holbrook Cemetery. A few
weeks earlier a grave had been dug, for an elderly man, who died, but his Sisters' came
and decided to take him to Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, for burial. The grave was
still open, so they placed the box in it. Just as they did so, Brother Thomas Cottle of
Stone came by, on horseback, on his way to Stake Conference. They asked him to stop and
dedicated the grave. They finished the burial, and Colen came home, and got ready to go
to the church meeting. Mother (Mary Ann C. Sweeten) made a crude marker and we always
put flowers on it on Memorial Day. Later on, Mother met one of Ralph Aldridge's Sisters
and showed her where the grave was. The Sister had the current marker made and put on
it."
Source:
History of Holbrook and Surrounding Areas, Edited by Carol Eliason and Mary Hubbard,
page 111.
Published in 1987 (Private publication)
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