I was born July 26, 1897, Franklin, Graham County, Arizona on my father and mother's homestead, in very humble circumstances, an adobe one-room shack, a dirt roof and dirt floor. My father's name was George Henry Gale and my mother was Elsie Kartchner. My parents were very good humble people belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

When I was an infant, almost two-years old, we were living on this homestead; we had a flood that came in the night. Father had started a well near the house and was down possibly 20 feet or more. When father was awakened in the night and heard the flood water pouring into the well, he got up and discovered that we were surrounded with water. So father packed mother out and laid her down on the hillside not far away on a wet quilt, and it was still raining, and came back to the shack and got me.

By this time, he was wading in water up to his waist. Mother was heavy with child, just a short time until Hugh was born, and in the night they heard this adobe house fall as the water had soaked the adobe until soft which caused the house to fall.

My father and mother moved into a house owned by Sherman Steward, a house near their homestead, and this is where Hugh was born, July 18, 1899* He was a bright little fellow, his eyes just beamed and in his schooling was quick to learn.

We moved from the Steward home into a granary house father had on the homestead and a bowery built on to the front for shade. I can remember when I was a little past two years, mother went outside to do something and when she came back she saw me with a turkey quill holding a mouse down on the floor. Mother says, "Hold him, hold him," and I did so until mother got the broom and killed the mouse.

We lived here in this granary house until father built a two-room adobe house on the farm on the upper end of the field, near a dry wash and near the railroad tracks and Railroad Bridge. Grandpa Gale had two wives and Aunt Lizzy, his second wife, lived west of our farm across the railroad tracks not far away. My brothers and sisters, Hugh, Etta, Jesse, and Cora were born at this location.

This farm was a very good productive ranch raising hay, alfalfa, corn, grain of different kinds. We irrigated this farm from the Model Canal which came from the Gila River. They had many trying times keeping the canal in condition to supply their water needs. Our drinking was not too good as we had to use the water that was easy to get. There were lots of reptiles, lizards, horny toads, insects and flies in the summer.

View Click on this link to read from Marlin's personal biography.

I was born July 26, 1897, Franklin, Graham County, Arizona on my father and mother's homestead, in very humble circumstances, an adobe one-room shack, a dirt roof and dirt floor. My father's name was George Henry Gale and my mother was Elsie Kartchner. My parents were very good humble people belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

When I was an infant, almost two-years old, we were living on this homestead; we had a flood that came in the night. Father had started a well near the house and was down possibly 20 feet or more. When father was awakened in the night and heard the flood water pouring into the well, he got up and discovered that we were surrounded with water. So father packed mother out and laid her down on the hillside not far away on a wet quilt, and it was still raining, and came back to the shack and got me.

By this time, he was wading in water up to his waist. Mother was heavy with child, just a short time until Hugh was born, and in the night they heard this adobe house fall as the water had soaked the adobe until soft which caused the house to fall.

My father and mother moved into a house owned by Sherman Steward, a house near their homestead, and this is where Hugh was born, July 18, 1899* He was a bright little fellow, his eyes just beamed and in his schooling was quick to learn.

We moved from the Steward home into a granary house father had on the homestead and a bowery built on to the front for shade. I can remember when I was a little past two years, mother went outside to do something and when she came back she saw me with a turkey quill holding a mouse down on the floor. Mother says, "Hold him, hold him," and I did so until mother got the broom and killed the mouse.

We lived here in this granary house until father built a two-room adobe house on the farm on the upper end of the field, near a dry wash and near the railroad tracks and Railroad Bridge. Grandpa Gale had two wives and Aunt Lizzy, his second wife, lived west of our farm across the railroad tracks not far away. My brothers and sisters, Hugh, Etta, Jesse, and Cora were born at this location.

This farm was a very good productive ranch raising hay, alfalfa, corn, grain of different kinds. We irrigated this farm from the Model Canal which came from the Gila River. They had many trying times keeping the canal in condition to supply their water needs. Our drinking was not too good as we had to use the water that was easy to get. There were lots of reptiles, lizards, horny toads, insects and flies in the summer.

View Click on this link to read from Marlin's personal biography.