THOMAS HENRY BARKER WAS BORN APRIL 14TH 1882 IN ESCALANTE UTAH TO PETER AND ELEANOR HEAPS BARKER. HIS FATHER AND MOTHER WERE BOTH FROM ENGLAND. HE WAS THE 3RD CHILD OF 8. HIS SIBLINGS ARE : PETER ORIN B- JULY 1877, MARY ALICE B- JUNE 1879 DIED DECEMBER 1880 AT THE AGE OF 18 MONTHS, THOMAS HENRY B- APRIL 1882, JOSIAH B- SEPTEMBER 1883, WILLARD B- JUNE 1886, ELEANOR B- DECEMBER 1889, ROBERT B- MARCH 1891, JOHN B- DECEMBER 1892 DIED 1 DAY AFTER HIS BIRTH.
THOMAS BARKER CAME TO VICTOR WITH AN UNCLE AND STARTED A FARM IN 1900 AT THE AGE OF 18 WHERE HE MET RUTH. THEY COURTED AND WERE MARRIED NOVEMBER 5TH 1903 IN IDAHO IN THE HOUSE OF HER SISTER, IDA. 5 YEARS LATER ON OCTOBER 9TH 1908 THEY WENT TO THE TEMPLE IN SALT LAKE AND WERE SEALED. TO THIS UNION WAS BORN 11 CHILDREN. AN INFANT SON DIED AT BIRTH IN ABT 1904, LELEND JOSIAH B- FEB. 27 1906, EDITH ELEANORE B- APR 30 1908, THOMAS ARLO B- JUL 26 1910, BERTHA B- NOV 24 1912, LEAH WINONA B- MAY 24 1919, NORMA B-APR 29 1922, JAY ROBERT B- MAY 25 1924, DOYLE RAY B- OCT 16 1926, RUTH PETREA B- APR 11 1930, JOSEPH A. B-DEC 13 1933. WHEN JOE WAS A BABY HE WAS HIT ON THE HEAD BY A HEAVY SPRING ON A BABY JUMPER WHEN IT FELL, THEY BELIEVE THIS IS WHAT CAUSED HIM TO BE A LITTLE MENTALLY RETARDED. RUTH CARED FOR HIM MANY YEARS UNTIL HE STARTED TO ROAM, HE WOULD DISSAPEAR AND BE GONE FOR DAYS, SHE WORRIED SO MUCH ABOUT HIM AND COULD NO LONGER CONTROL HIM AND CARE FOR HIM. HE EVENTUALLY WAS SENT TO LIVE IN AN ASSISTED LIVING HOME IN NAMPA IDAHO.
RUTH AND THOMAS LIVED IN VICTOR FOR ALL THEIR LIVES IN A HOUSE ON MAIN STREET NEXT TO A CREEK. THOMAS FARMED, DID CARPENTRY AND SHOP WORK FOR A LIVING. HE WAS GONE A LOT WORKING OR LOOKING FOR WORK, FOR A TIME HE TRAVELED AROUND BUILDING SMOKE STACKS FOR SUGAR FACTORIES. HE COULD HAVE A TEMPER AND SOME OF HIS CHILDREN SAID HE COULD BE DOWNRIGHT MEAN SOMETIMES, BUT WITH HIM HAVING DIABETES BACK THEN, THERE WAS NOT MUCH HEALTH CARE NOR MUCH KNOWN ABOUT CONTROLLING IT AND KNOWING WHAT WE KNOW NOW ABOUT DIABETIC COMPLICATIONS HE PROBABLY WAS HAVING TO DEAL WITH BLOOD SUGARS BEING OUT OF CONTROL, AND MANY OTHER COMPLICATIONS, WHICH CAN MAKE A PERSON CRANKY AND HE HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING WHAT WAS WRONG WITH HIM AND THAT COULD BE WHY HE DID NOT FEEL GOOD A LOT.
RUTH'S GRANDCHILDREN REMEMBER MANY SUNDAY FAMILY DINNERS HELD IN THAT SMALL HOME WHERE THE KIDS WOULD EAT FIRST THEN THEY WOULD DO THE DISHES, THEN THE TEENAGERS WOULD GET TO EAT, DO THE DISHES AGAIN THEN THE KIDS WOULD GET SENT OUTSIDE OR INTO A COUPLE OF BEDROOMS TO PLAY WHILE THE ADULTS ATE. THERE WAS ALWAYS ROOM MADE FOR EVERYONE. THE HOUSE WAS STILL THERE UP UNTIL ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO WHEN THE PROPERTY WAS SOLD AND THE HOUSE TORN DOWN THIS LAST SUMMER (2010).
THOMAS HENRY PASSED A WAY FEBRUARY 16TH 1958 FROM COMPLICATIONS OF DIABETES. HE WAS 76 YEARS OLD. THEY WERE ABLE TO CELEBRATE THEIR 50TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY 3 YEARS PRIOR TO HIS DEATH WITH ALL OF THEIR FAMILY. THE FOLLOWING WAS WRITTEN BY HIS DAUGHTER BERTHA UPON THE PASSING OF HER FATHER :

"THIS 16TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, A SUNDAY WAS THE DAY MY DAD DIED AT 6:10 THIS MORNING. EDITH, MY SISTER, AND MYSELF SAT UP ALL NIGHT WITH HIM. MY MOTHER AND LEAH WERE ASLEEP CLOSE BY. IT WAS A TERRIBLE NIGHT, THE WIND STARTED TO BLOW AT 3:30 A.M. AND CONTINUED UNTIL AFTER HE PASSED THEN IT QUIT. MY THOUGHTS TURNED TO THE SONG, " MASTER THE TEMPEST IS RAGING" AND RAGE THE WIND DID. IT DIDN'T BLOW ANY SNOW TO SNOW US IN AND IT RAINED. MY DAD PASSED PEACEABLY. MY MOTHER IS HOLDING UP PRETTY GOOD. IT IS NOW 11 A.M. MONDAY MORNING THE 17TH HAVE NOT HAD ANY SLEEP ALL NIGHT OR ALL DAY, I AM SO TIRED I MUST GO TO BED FOR A WHILE. LATER TODAY WE WENT TO ST. ANTHONY TO PICK OUT HIS BURIAL CLOTHES. THE UNDERTAKER DRESSED AND FIXED HIM UP REAL NICE IN THE CASKET. MY MOTHER BOUGHT HERSELF A NEW COAT, SHOES, HAT AND PURSE FOR THE FUNERAL. IT IS TUESDAY THE 18TH OF FEBRUARY. MY SISTER NORMA CAME TODAY. WE WORKED ALL DAY IN MOTHERS HOUSE. MY BROTHERS BUILD DAD'S ROUGH BOX AND GUESS WHAT, IT WAS TOO SMALL. MY DADS BROTHER AND SISTERS, UNCLE JESS, AUNT ELEANORE, AUNT JOAN, LAVAR AND RUBY CAME FOR THE FUNERAL ABOUT 4 P.M. IT IS WEDNESDAY THE 19TH, THE DAY OF THE FUNERAL. WHEN UNDERTAKER CAME WITH HIS BODY THEY FOUND OUT THE ROUGH BOX MY BROTHERS BUILT WAS TOO SMALL FOR DAD. WE HAD TO HAVE ANOTHER ONE BROUGHT UP FROM ST. ANTHONY AND RE-DO THE GRAVE. I WAS BESIDE MYSELF OVER THIS. OTHERWISE IT WAS A VERY NICE FUNERAL FOR DAD. MY AUNT ELEANOR STAYED WITH MY MOM FOR 3 WEEKS."