Nelson Jr & Keturah with group of youth photo

The following is a photo of what appears to be a youth group convened on the property of Nelson Jr and Keturah's home in Vernal, UT.

Most of these are unfortunately unidentified, but it appears to be dated around 1909, based on costume clues and ages of those identified.

Youth gathering at Merkley homestead
From the personal albums of David Ahrnsbrak

Those that I CAN identify belong to the Merkley family, off on the far right by the tree, and social butterfly Erza Merkley in the very center back row where the white sheet drapes down to the right.

Here's a zoomed in version of those that I can identify:

From the personal albums of David Ahrnsbrak

BACK: Nelson Merkley Jr

Mary Merkley just in front of him with Keturah Merkley between her and the tree

Margret Merkley in front of them with Asher Merkley next to her and leaning against the tree.

And this is a shot in the dark, but I'd say that fellow directly in front of Margret Merkley with the hat on looks an awful lot like Franklin Lewis, Asher's future brother-in-law.  I might be wrong, but then again he did live in the area and was a youth at that time, comparable in age to Asher's older brother, Ezra.

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

More Erza Merkley photos

Ezra Merkley was Asher's older brother that died in his twenties.

The following are a handful of photos of him in various life situations, and are from the personal albums of Sarah Nielsen unless stated otherwise.

Possibly Ezra Merkley as a toddler
From the personal albums of Delores Horton
(I'd bet someone $20 and a bag of peanut M&Ms
that it IS indeed little Ezra in this shot...
look at his eyes.... totally him.) 

Ezra in much snow, 20 Jan 1916
(He is in front of the Merkley homestead in Vernal, UT)

Ezra Merkley and unknown buddy

Ezra Merkley

Ezra Merkley portrait

"BACK John Hislop, Hazel Johnson, William Hansen
MID Archie Allen, Mabel Hansen, Ezra Merkley
FRONT Emma Allen, Amber Timothy"
Assumed friends in Vernal, UT

Ezra Merkley- busted!

I don't know why I get such a kick out of Asher's older brother, Ezra, but I do.  He seemed to live life vibrantly in the short time he was alive, so articles such as this make me smile:

SOURCE: Vernal Express 1907, Jan 12, p.1

Newspaper notice transcribed:

Justice Nebeker's Court.

A few days ago Wallace Oaks, Ezra Merkley, John Merkley and Charles Hatch, all minors, were arraigned before City Justice of the Peace B.D. Nebeker on a charge of frequenting saloons.  The evidence disclosed the fact that the above mentioned defendants had visited saloons but had purchased no liquor, however, they plead guilty to the charge and promised not to repeat the offense.  The Justice suspended sentence upon them during good behaviour, but upon a repetition of the offense they will be called into court and sentenced.

January 7th, 1907

* Punctuation adjusted by me.

Ezra Merkley
You little rabble-rouser...

Death info on Alice H. Merkley Murray

Alice Hacking Merkley Murray was Asher's sister-in-law.  She married Asher's older brother, Ezra.

Photo from the personal albums
of Sarah Nielsen

According to this document the following dates apply:

BIRTH: 26 May 1895- Vernal, Uintah, Utah

DEATH: 3 Nov 1988- Vernal, Uintah, Utah

BURIAL: Maeser Fairview Cemetery, Vernal, UT

She was 93 years old when she died.

Obituary:

SOURCE: Deseret News 1988, Nov 5, p.B3

Obituary transcribed:
Alice H. Murray
VERNAL- Alice Hacking Murray, age 93 died in a Vernal hospital, November 3, 1988.
Born May 26, 1895 in Vernal, a daughter of John Sampson and Mary Elizabeth Hall Hacking.  Married Ezra Merkley, 1913, he died in 1919.  Married Wilson Murray, December 1921, he died in 1951.  She was a business woman, former owner and manager of the Small Fry Dress Shop.  Member of the Vernal 6th Ward.
Survived by two daughters, Mrs. Eunice Wevill, Grand Junction, Colorado; Mrs. Dave (Laura) Condon, Vernal; five grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, brothers and sister, Mrs. Alton (Jennie) Hatch, Boulder, Colorado; twin brothers, Iowa and Clyde Hacking, both of Vernal; many nieces and nephews.
Funeral services, Monday, November 7, 11 a.m. at the Vernal 6th Ward Chapel.  Friends may call at Thomson's Vernal Mortuary, Sunday 7-9 p.m. and Monday from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Burial Maeser Fairview Cemetery.

Because Alice died in the last 50 years her death certificate will not become publicly available until sometime around 2038.  When it is available I will post it here.

Death info on Ezra Merkley

Ezra Merkley was Asher's older brother.

Photo from the personal album of Sarah Nielsen

According to these documents the following dates apply:

BIRTH: 23 Sept 1887- Vernal, Uintah, Utah

DEATH: 18 Jan 1919- Vernal, Uintah, Utah

He was 31 years old when he died of the flu.

Death notice:

SOURCE: Myton Free Press 1919, Jan 23, p.5

Death notice transcribed:
Ezra Merkley died last week in Vernal, of flu.  He was a very promising young man.

Obituary:

SOURCE: Vernal Express 1919, Jan 17, p.1

Obituary transcribed:
Ezra Merkley dies a Victim of the Influenza Disease
Ezra Merkley, one of the best known residents of this city, died at his home Saturday evening shortly after 11 o'clock, as a result of pneumonia, superinduced by heart failure.  He had been ill, but a week, and his death will be received by his many friends with sincere regret.  Having been afflicted with heart trouble more or less through his life, he proved to be an easy victim to the dreaded influenze-pneumonia.  He is survived by a widow and three young children.
Mr. Merkley was born in Vernal 31 years ago last September and is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Merkley of this city.  He has always made his home here and has been one of the stalwart members of the community, and an ardent member of the "Mormon" church.  He was the bookkeeper at the Ashley Co-operative company for some time and was an untiring worker, giving the best there was in him.
Brief funeral services will be held at the city cemetery Monday afternoon with but members of the family present, due to the Influenza quarantine.

Death Certificate:

SOURCE: familysearch.org

There's a bit of a discrepancy here, as the article (published on Friday, 17 Jan 1919) says that he died the NEXT day on Saturday, 18 Jan 1919 at 11pm.  How the paper could forecast into the future like that, I don't know, but the death certificate confirms that he did indeed pass away on the 18th.

Ezra Merkley & Alice Hacking

Ezra Merkley was an older brother to Asher.

Ezra married Alice Hacking (of Vernal) on 15 Nov 1913 in Vernal, Uintah, Utah.

Thus, she became Alice Hacking Merkley.

Photo from the personal albums of David Ahrnsbrak
Cropped from a larger photo

Marriage license:

SOURCE: familysearch.org

Erza and Alice were both reported to have independent spirits about them (colorful in one way or another) so it came as little surprise to find this article in the local newspaper a year after they married:

SOURCE: Vernal Express 1914, Dec 11, p.3

Article transcribed:

MERKLEY DIVORCE SUIT IS DISMISSED

Plaintiff and Defendant to Pay Costs....(highlight of following article omitted)...

The divorce suit of Alice Merkley vs. Ezra Merkley was dismissed by Judge Morgan in the district court.  Plaintiff and defendant are both required to pay their own costs.  This case was tried at the last term of the district court, since which time the court had the matter under consideration.

The math relating to their marriage date and the birth of their first child in March 1914 suggests a possible shotgun wedding- no doubt a reason for newlywed strife this early in the game.

Later news articles and family history indicate that they stayed married and had three children until Ezra's untimely death in 1918 of the Spanish flu.  Alice then remarried a man by the name of Wilson Murray and raised all of her previous Merkley children under her new husband's name.  More on that later...