Ellis & Jean postcards

Ellis was Asher's eldest brother.

Ellis Merkley
From the personal albums of Delores Horton, Aug 2012

A few postcards survive between Ellis and his special flame, Jean, when he was serving in the Southern States mission between 1906-1908.  

"Jean Gerber, 1908"
From the personal albums of Delores Horton, Aug 2012

The following are from the personal albums of of Delores Horton, scanned between Sept 2013- April 2014.  Some of the postcards are images of both the front and back of the card, scanned and arranged as a single image.  They have been transcribed below each image to the best of my ability, correcting spelling wherein I was aware.

Heber, June 11, 1906

Here I am in Heber.  Have come up to stay a week or two and then I am going home.  I am roaming so much I don't know when I'll get my mail but I'll write in a day or two.

Best wishes,

Jean

July 8, 1907 (2:30pm)

Dear Jean,

I am now in the depot at Chattanooga and have a few minutes to wait before our train leaves for Atlanta.  I drop you this card to let you know all is fine with me.  I have had a good time so far on my trip but find it hot as love in July.  I am very glad my labors are in Ohio.  I expect a letter to meet me in Atlanta so I will write you again soon.  If you see spots on this card it is sweat not tears so don't you cry.  Be good, keep smiling.

From one who often thinks of Jean

(Stamped: 3 Sept 1907)

Hello Ellis

Dear Ellis-

[Thought] you would like this picture.  Might be of interest to a Vernalite so far away.  I tell you this house is something to be proud of and we all feel thankful for it.  We are all quite well. [Mable?] is feeling pretty well today, in fact for a few days I [thought] I would write tonight but too many children to tend so will try tomorrow.  

With love,

Jean

(no written message, but dated around 1 Nov 1907, addressed to Jean, mailed from Ohio)

Maeser, Utah

Feb 18, 1908

Dear Ellis:

Yours of tenth reached me last night.  Delighted was I?  Well I guess yes.  So you really, truely, surely, intent to come home and that very soon?  You can rest assured that one little girl is having palpitation of the heart.

Wonder if this will reach you ere you depart?  Well if it does or if it don't I am doin' it.  I sorta want to address you at Cinti once again so here goes.

By the by, those valentines ha ha!  They are just too cute for any use.  Such unique affairs, and so expensive of a.. you know. 

I sincerely hope Bro. B. gets well immediately, for his sake for your sake, for my sake.  Don't you?

Say be we had [some] a jolly sleigh ride and dance, Leap Year.  We girls took the boys to a party.  The only regretful remorse was the aftermath occasioned by late hours, I mean early- 4:30 and on.  That isn't bad for Mutual Officers and Pres of Stake D.B. is it?

What if Bro. Bills doesn't get well son, that wicked 'if' makes me stand still often.

Sweetheart I am O so tired tonight so I'll not try to write more.  Remember I am just the same to you.  Will tell you all the stories of two years before many day now.

Lovingly Jean

XXXX

Where shall I send this?

Cincinnati, Ohio

Feb 28 '08

To the Girl I soon will meet

Dear Jean, In [haste] I write you these lines to let you know I soon will be on my way.  I am to go to Chicago on business on the first (Sunday) And will be there perhaps one day and then west I go.  I will likely have Chicago the second and go to Denver.  That will mean the night of the third I will get to Denver.  However this may be one day to fast.  Which I think it is.  I rather expect to get to Denver on the evening of the fourth.  That night if I catch my train out I will be able to get the 2 p.m. train on the Uintah over to Dragon.  Then the stage will bring me in to Vernal on the sixth.  Now I will try and let you know more [definite] so you can meet me if you wish to in the south side of the town.  If all goes well I may send you a wire from Dragon and you get Ezra to come with you to see that all goes well and meet me so I will not have to walk home from town.  By the way don't meet me in the city.  The poeple will think I want to take your life.  And may get me arrested for setting a bad example to the young people.  However I trust that will come out ok.  I am well and happy and hope to see you not long after you get this letter.  I am very busy and have now got to go and see Elder Bills [off] on the train to Columbus.  All are dandy.  I will explain more to you when I speak to you face to face.  Keep smiling and "May God Bless You".  Wishes to You From [Your] wandering sweetheart Who loves You Still, 

Ellis

XXXXX XXXXXX

Mary Merkley photos in college

The following are a handful of photos of Mary Merkley when she was attending school in Provo.

"Siblings Mary and Ellis Merkley, outside a house in Provo, UT"
From the personal albums of Delores Horton

Mary Merkley and roommates
From the personal albums of Delores Horton

Written details on back of photo above
(names of all girls lined up)
From the same source as above

More Diamond Mountain photos

The following are additional photos of the Diamond Mountain homestead I have not yet posted.

1926- Diamond Mountain Homestead
Isabrand Sander, Margret M Hanson, Asher, Mary M Sander, Birda holding son,
FRONT Virginia Merkley looking at her mother
From the personal albums of David Ahrnsbrak

Asher and Ray/Roy Merkley, 1929
Diamond Mountain and dog, Six
From the personal albums of David Ahrnsbrak

1931- Buffie Hatch and Virginia Merkley on Calico
up at Diamond Mountain.
From the personal albums of Tamera Lund

"Asher on the way with sheep to Diamond Mountain,
May 22, 1936"
From the personal albums of David Ahrnsbrak

Asher with nieces and nephews at Diamond Mountain
(Aird Merkley is recognized on far right)
From the personal albums of Tamera Lund

Homesteading on Diamond Mountain
Sander girls in photo
From the personal albums of Shannon Andersen

"Keturah's Diamond Mountain Cabin"
(Likely grown Sanders girls and Virginia M Hacking, 2nd from right)
From the personal albums of Tamera Lund

Ellis & Jean Merkley- 60 years together

Ellis Merkley was Asher's older brother.

Ellis and his wife, Jean, celebrated over 60 years of marriage- this post covers that hallmark.

Photos and documents are all from the personal albums of Delores Horton unless otherwise stated.  Articles are not transcribed, but can be read/examined by enlarging the article images.

Jean and Ellis

Anniversary Invitation:

*For some reason this image has decided to become blurry when posted.
For those interested in a better copy, please contact me...

Milestone article:

NO SOURCE- likely Deseret News or Salt Lake Tribune, 1968
Found in the personal albums of Delores Horton

 Anniversary notice:

SOURCE: Vernal Express 1968, Jun 27, p.10

"Ellis and Jean in their home, 60 years married"

"Jean and Ellis Merkley- 60th Wedding Anniversary, 1968"

Family Summary- Nelson Merkley Jr & Keturah Thurman Peterson

The following is a brief summary for the family union of:

Nelson Merkley Jr.

and

Keturah Thurman Peterson

Nelson Merkley Jr.
b. 24 Mar 1857- Carson Valley, Nevada, to Nelson Merkley Sr and Sarah Jane Sanders Merkley
d. 18 Apr 1924- Vernal, Uintah, Utah

Keturah "Kate" Thurman Peterson
b. 8 Oct 1867- Hart Co, Kentucky, to Mary Elizabeth Thurman (and adopted by Peter Peterson)*
d. 2 May 1950- Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Nelson Merkley Jr. married "Kate" Peterson on 9 Jun 1884 in Vernal, Uintah, Utah (later solemnized in the Logan temple in Logan, Cache, Utah in 1889)*


Born to this union were the following:

Ellis Merkley
b. 2 May 1885- Vernal, Uintah, Utah
m. 17 Jun 1908- Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah to Jean Eleanor Gerber
d. 22 Mar 1976- Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Ezra Thurman Merkley
b. 23 Sept 1887- Vernal, Uintah, Utah
m. 15 Nov 1913- Vernal, Uintah, Utah to Alice Hacking
d. 18 Jan 1919- Vernal, Uintah, Utah

Helen Merkley
b. 9 Apr 1890- Vernal, Uintah, Utah
m. 29 Jun 1910- Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah to Byron Owen Colton
d. 22 Oct 1961- Roosevelt, Duchesne, Utah

Milton Merkley
b. 30 Apr 1893- ASSUMED Vernal, Uintah, Utah*
d. 9 May 1893- ASSUMED Vernal, Uintah, Utah*

Sarah Merkley
b. 20 Apr 1894- ASSUMED Vernal, Uintah, Utah*
d. 30 Apr 1894- ASSUMED Vernal, Uintah, Utah*

Mary Elizabeth Merkley
b. 25 Aug 1896- Vernal, Uintah, Utah
m. 6 Sept 1917- Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah to Isabrand Sander Jr.
d. 24 Oct 1974- Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Asher Merkley
b. 19 Jul 1899- Vernal, Uintah, Utah
m. 2 Aug 1920- Vernal, Uintah, Utah to Birda Lewis
d. 14 Feb 1974- Vernal, Uintah, Utah

Margaret Jane Merkley
b. 14 Apr 1902- Vernal, Uintah, Utah
m. 28 Apr 1927- Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah to Rulon Kershaw Hansen
d. 13 Mar 1989- Monroeville City, Allegheny, Pennsylvania (buried in SLC, UT)

Kate Merkley
b. 27 Nov 1907- Vernal, Uintah, Utah
d. 27 Nov 1907- Vernal, Uintah, Utah (stillborn)

Nelson Merkley Jr and Kate P Merkley family
Asher, Margret, Ezra, Mary, Nelson Jr, Kate, Ellis, Helen
From the personal albums of Lois Chatfield

Confirming documents for dates and places on all of these family members can be found within the posts on this blog.

*Visual copies of documentation for these life events have not yet been found.  Dates are based on family histories, newspaper clippings (such as obituaries), and database searches on familysearch.org that all seem to agree on or refer to the same dates and locations.

Nelson Jr and Keturah Merkley family photos

 The following are a series of photos taken of Asher's parents and their siblings probably around the year 1916.

Nelson Merkley Jr & Keturah Peterson Merkley family
From the personal albums of Lois Chatfield

Enlarged version of photo above
BACK: Asher, Ezra, Nelson Jr, Ellis
FRONT: Margret, Mary, Keturah, Helen
From the personal albums of Lois Chatfield
Also found in albums of Tamera Lund

Nelson & Keturah Merkley extending family
BACK: Ezra & Alice, Ellis, Asher, Jean, Nelson Jr & Keturah, Byron Colton holding Merrill, Helen
FRONT Lorna, Aird, baby Thurman, Harold, Mary Elizabeth Merkley, Ruth Colton standing, Margret Merkley, Lula Colton standing.
From the personal albums of David Ahrnsbrak
Also found in albums of Bryce Merkley and Delores Horton

"Ruth Colton, Harold M, Aird M, Thurman M, Lula Colton, Merrill Colton, Lorna Merkley (Ezra's daughter) about 1916"
From the personal albums of Delores Horton

Lula Colton blocking Harold M, Ruth Colton, Aird M with baby Thurman M, Lorna M, Merrill Colton
Grandchildren of Nelson Jr and Keturah Merkley
From the personal albums of Delores Horton

Ellis Merkley draft card

Ellis Merkley was Asher's eldest brother.

Ellis Merkley
From the personal albums of Delores Horton
Also found in the albums of Sarah Nielsen

The following is an image of Ellis' draft card, which appears to have been taken in Sept 1918, just as the war was wrapping up.  I don't believe Ellis had a military career of any kind, but it's still a fun document to have on hand for the minor details in his life at that point in his history.

SOURCE: ancestry.com
Direct source info is located on the bottom of the image.

Ellis and Jean Merkley- 50 year anniversary

Ellis Merkley was Asher's eldest brother.

Ellis and his wife, Jean, celebrated 50 years of marriage.  The following are items related to that momentous event, and are from the personal albums of Dolores Horton.

"Jean and Ellis at Golden Wedding Party"

Newspaper notice:

NO SOURCE
(Likely SL Trib or Des News 1958)
Found in the personal albums of Delores Horton

Newspaper notice transcribed:

Golden Wedding

An open house honoring Mr. and Mrs. Ellis Merkley on their golden wedding anniversary will be held Sunday at the home of a son, Dr. Harold E. Merkley, 2255 Oneida St. (2150 East).  Friends and relatives are invited to call from 2 to 5 p.m.

Ellis and Jean Gerber Merkley were married June 17, 1908 in the Salt Lake Temple, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  They have made their home in Salt Lake City for the past 25 years.

They have six sons and daughters, Aird G., Parowan; Dr. Harold E., Salt Lake City; Thurman G., Portland, Ore.; Mrs. Eugene T. (Margaret) Condie, Burbank, Calif.; Mrs. Harlan W. (Geraldine) Clark, Salt Lake City, and Dr. Ralph G., Cupertino, Calif.

*Spelling and punctuation adjust wherein I was aware.

Anniversary Invitation:

 Anniversary Party Serviette:

Family photos taken at the celebration (labeled below images):

Notes on Golden Wedding:

From the personal albums of Delores Horton

Ellis Merkley turns 90

Ellis Merkley was Asher's eldest brother.

He lived to the ripe old age of 91, and was thus very entitled to a 90th birthday party in 1975.

Birthday invitation:

From the personal albums of Delores Horton

 Honorary newspaper writeup:

SOURCE: Vernal Express 1975, Apr 24, p.4

Honorary newspaper writeup transcribed:
Ellis Merkley to be honored
Ellis Merkley, 1924 South 10th East, Salt Lake City, will be honored at an open house on Saturday, May 3 in honor of his 90th birthday anniversary.  The open-house will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. at 1722 Harvard Ave. and friends and relatives are invited to call.
Mr. Merkley, a native of Vernal, was born May 2, 1885, the oldest child of Nelson and Keturah Peterson Merkley.  All of his early years were spent in Vernal where he graduated from the Uintah Academy.  He later attended the LDS College in Salt Lake.  After filling a mission to the Southern States, he was married on June 17, 1908 to Jean Eleanor Gerber in the Salt Lake Temple.  They lived for several years in Vernal where they were both active in church and community affairs.
In 1932 the family moved to Salt Lake City where they have since resided.  Mr. Merkley is enjoying good health and drives his car almost every day to visit relative or to attend to other affairs.  Mrs. Merkley died December 26, 1972.  The couple were honored at open houses in observance of their fiftieth and sixtieth wedding anniversaries.
Six children are joining to honor the oldest living Merkley at this open house.  They are, Aird G., Dr. Harold E., and Mrs. Harlan W. (Geraldine) Clark, Salt Lake City; Thurman G., Portland, Oregon; Mrs. Eugene T. (Margret) Condie, Fremont, California; and Dr. Ralph G., Saratoga, California.  His posterity also includes 18 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.  Also joining in honoring Mr. Merkley will be a sister, Mrs. Rulon K. (Margret) Hansen, and Mrs. Clair (Ellen) Fletcher, both of Salt Lake City.

Photos from the 90th birthday gathering (all from the personal albums of Delores Horton):

Ellis Merkley, aged 90

Ellis with family- labeled below image

Party goers (Asher's eldest daughter, Virginia in red)
Evelyn Merkley (green?) Delores Horton (yellow)

Ellis Merkley & Jean Gerber

Ellis Merkley was one of Asher's older brothers.

He married Jean E. Gerber (of Maeser, UT) on 17 Jun 1908 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Thus, she became Jean Eleanor Gerber Merkley.

Photos from the personal albums of Delores Horton
Cropped and fitted together into one image by me.

Marriage License listing:

SOURCE: SL Herald 1908, Jun 17, p.4

Newspaper notice:

SOURCE: Vernal Express 1908, Jun 12, p.5

Newspaper notice transcribed:

The information comes from a reliable source that Ellis Merkley and Miss Jean Gerber who left here a few days ago, went to Salt Lake to be married in the Temple.

 Marriage License:

SOURCE: familysearch.org

Photo from the personal albums of Delores Horton

Death info on Jean Merkley

Jean Eleanor Gerber Merkley was Asher's sister-in-law.  

She married Asher's older brother, Ellis.

Photo from personal albums of Delores Horton

According to these documents the following dates apply:

BIRTH: 17 Apr 1885- Midway, Wasatch, Utah

DEATH: 26 Dec 1972- Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

She was 87 years old when she died.

Obituary:

SOURCE: SL Tribune 1972, Dec 27, p.8B

Obituary transcribed:

Jean E. Merkley

Jean Eleanor Gerber Merkley, 87, 1924- 10th East, died Dec. 26 of natural causes at home.  Born April 17, 1885, Midway, Wasatch County, to Moroni and Emily Jane Jacob Gerber.  Married to Ellis Merkley June 17, 1908, Salt Lake LDS Temple.  Former Uintah LDS Stake MIA president, Vernal.  Former school teacher; welfare social worker.  Survivors: husband; sons, daughters, Aird G., Dr. Harold E., both Salt Lake City; Thurman G., Portland, Ore.; Mrs. Eugene T. (Margret) Condie, Fremont, Calif.; Dr. Ralph G., Saratoga, Calif.; Mrs. Harlan W. (Geraldine) Clark, Johannesburg, South Africa; 15 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; brothers, sisters, Irvin, Mrs. Frank W. (Helen) Jones, both Lehi; E. Lyman, Salt Lake City; Hugh, Spanish Fork; John W., Las Vegas; Mrs. E. Ray (Stella) Gardiner, Mrs. Bert (Fern) Swain, both American Fork; Mrs. Florence Richardson, Orem.  Funeral Friday noon, 255- 2nd East, where friends call Thursday 6-8 p.m. Friday one hour prior to services.  Burial Salt Lake City Cemetery.

Funeral Program:

From the personal albums of Bryce Merkley and Delores Horton

From personal albums of Delores Horton
"Ellis and Jean on 'Perfect Day'"

 Written history:

Written by Jean's granddaughter, Delores Horton, 1996

Written history transcribed:

Grandmother's Perfect Day, Christmas 1972

written by Delores Merkley Horton, June 1996

Three times on this Christmas Day of 1972 Grandmother (Jean Merkley) said, "This has been a perfect day".  First she said it about noon after she had received calls from all of her children who lived out-of-state.  After Christmas dinner at my Uncle Harold's where she was with all her family in Salt Lake, and the last time she told my Grandfather it had been a "perfect day" was when he was helping her get ready for bed.  She died in her sleep very peacefully early the next morning- next to Grandfather.  She was eighty-seven and she and Grandfather had been married 63 1/2 years.

She was a magnificent person.  I absolutely loved her!!  She always made me feel like a person of great worth.  She was a builder and booster of the highest order.  I KNEW without a doubt I was her favorite (later I realized we all felt that way) but I did have the claim of being her oldest granddaughter!  One of her friends said to me once, "Be great, just like your grandmother".  I hope I am half as good.  She was a wonderful person.

I went to see her just before Christmas because we went to Beaver for the holiday.  I baked some bread to take to her and while I was there she gave me the brass candy dish that she ALWAYS had candy in when we came to see her.  I was so thrilled to have it.  I cherish it and think of her when I see it.

A couple of weeks after she passed away we had a birthday dinner for all the January birthdays (Mother, Margaret, David and me) and Grandfather came.  It was the first occasion we had to be together since the funeral and it was a tender time for all of us.  Grandfather gave the b lessing and I realized how different his voice was- just sad and sorrowing.  In the blessing he asked the Lord to keep us "in the hollow of His hand".  I was so touched, we all were.  I loved him so and it was sad to see him without Grandmother.

* Punctuation and spelling adjusted wherein I saw fit.

Photo from personal albums of Delores Horton

Because Jean passed away in the last 50 years, her death certificate will not be made publicly available until sometime around the year 2022.  When it is, I will post it here.