Burnie & Helen Colton- 50 years

Helen Merkley Colton was one of Asher's sisters.

She married Byron Owen Colton and they were married for over 50 years.

These are the notices of their 50 year mark in marriage:

"Burnie & Helen Colton"
From personal albums of Sarah Nielsen

Newspaper clipping:

NO SOURCE- found in the personal albums of Sarah Nielsen
Last bit of this clipping is missing, but the text is nearly verbatim in newspaper notice below.
As the article titles are different I'm assuming they are from different papers,
but likely both local to where they resided at the time.

 Newspaper notice:

SOURCE: Vernal Express 1960, Jun 23, p.4

Newspaper notice transcribed:

Mr. and Mrs. Byron O. Colton Celebrate 50th Wedding Year

Mr. and Mrs. Byron O. Colton of Roosevelt, formerly of Vernal, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary June 29.

Mr. Colton was born February 15, 1882, at Provo, UT, son of Byron Oliver Colton and Sarah Maria Smith.  The family moved to Ashley Valley in August, 1884 and made their home near what is now Vernal.

Helen Merkley Colton was born in Vernal, April 8, 1890, to Nelson Merkley Jr. and Keturah Peterson, who were some of the original pioneers of Ashley Valley.  She attended public school at Vernal and graduated from the Uintah Stake Academy.  She also attended the Keister Ladies Tailoring School at Salt Lake City.

Mr. Colton received his schooling at the Maeser Elementary School, Uintah Stake Academy and the Brigham Young University, where in his senior year he served as chairman of the "Campus Committee" that secured 25 acres on Temple Hill, the first unit of the present upper campus.

The couple was married in the Salt Lake Temple of the LDS Church, June 29, 1910.  Their first home was in Maeser.  They later moved to the reservation, where Mr. Colton was active in settlement work and irrigation development.  He has been employed through the years by several of the larger irrigation companies as engineer in location and construction of canals and reservoirs located in the central and eastern part of the reservation area.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Colton have served many years in positions of responsibility in LDS Ward and Stake.  He was Bishop of Maeser Ward, Bishop of Randlett Ward and President of the Roosevelt Stake.  He is now acting Stake Patriarch for the Roosevelt Stake and an active Ward Teacher.

Among other achievements is also a long list of public service.  A few follow sixteen years in Uintah school district in elected service, a member of the Utah Water Storage Commission, 1929-1931, and dat present, a member of the Utah Water and Power board, having been appointed by Governor Herbert B Maw in 1947.  He has also served as Water Commissioner for the United States Uintah Indian Irrigation Project and Associated Water Users of the Uintah and Lakefork Rivers since 1931, and including the Duchesne and Strawberry Rivers since 1934.

To these parents have been born 9 children, seven of whom are living.  They are Mrs. Harold (Lulu) Dudley of Randlett, Merrill B. Colton of Sandy, Mrs. Glen (Margaret) Wyler of Fairfield, California, Elmo S. Colton of Holladay, Miles M. Colton of Pleasant Grove, Mrs. Calvin (Sarah) Neilsen of Mona, and Mrs. Vern (Grace) Berrett of Provo.

The couple desires to greet all friends and relatives at an open house at their home in Roosevelt on June 29 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. It is requested the presents be eliminated.

*Spelling and punctuation corrected by me wherein I was aware.

"Burnie and Helen"
Photo from the personal albums of Sarah Nielsen