I, Ephriam Jensen Falslev, was born on July 7, 1916 in Benson. Cache" Utah by Dr. McGee (who came in a horse and buggy to deliver me). I am the son of Marius and Mariane Jensen Falslev who came to the US from Denmark in 1905. They came with my three older brothers, Marinus, Harold, Oga and sister Lydia. They left three children buried in Denmark. I was blessed August 4.1916. I never saw my grandparents or cousins because they all lived in Denmark. Therefore. my immediate family was very close because we had only each other. I had been told stories like the story of my grandmother, Mette Marie, fainting when she heard the train whistle in Denmark because she knew she would never see her only daughter. my mother" again. I was the youngest child in the family. My sisters all mothered and tended me and it was Carrie's job to take me down the long path to the out house whether it was raining or shining or hot or cold.
My first home was down the lane between the Falslev and Saunders homes. I lived there until I was about five years old. When I was just learning to walk my brother. Harold, took sick and died. He was only about 17. Because I was so young, I never got to know him very well. Although. I only heard good things spoken of him. When I was just a year old my brother, Marinus, enlisted in the service. He was in the service when Harold died but was able to come home to attend his funeral. When he came he brought me a soldiers uniform and play gun. I really liked this because I loved my big brother and thought I then looked like him. But he was not home long before he had to leave again for France and World War I.
I was baptized August 3, 1924 by my brother Oga in the "pump ditch" below the Lenora Peterson home. My father, Marius, confirmed me. When I was 4 or 5 my family built a new barn. We lived there while we were building our new home. I loved living there because I liked playing in the loft. The mattresses were laid on the floor and over the gutter and I was just small enough to crawl down the gutter and under the beds. Soon we moved into the new house. This house had our first indoor bathroom!
I soon started school in lower Benson, which later became DeVar Ball's homestead. I went my first eight years of school there and even began taking religion classes in the first grade. I had many friends there: both Reese's and Rick's families, LeRoy Saunders. Earl Saunders. Russell Maughan, Paul Thain, and Wendell Munk. Some of the teachers I had were Leone Roundy, Ida Maughan, Carrie Reese, and Jesse T. Rees. I took a lunch to school but it was so cold and because I had to walk so far, that by the time, I got to school my lunch was usually frozen.
Once, while going to grade school, I decided I wanted to get home easier and faster so I tied my sled behind Lenora Peterson's car and jumped on. I rode all the way up to the church house. I forgot my face would get all the exhaust from the car and when Lenora stopped the car. I fell off the sled unconscious. They sent for SM Budge who was very worried about me. I later told everyone I had eaten too many green apples.
I went to primary in the red brick church and there were curtains that could be pulled to separate the classrooms. My primary teachers were Edna Peterson and Mary Reese.
When I was young I loved to play games. especially with the Saunders' boys. I liked checkers, horseshoes, rubber guns, kick the can, marbles, and 'run, my sheepy. run'. I made wooded whistles and sling shots. I loved ice-skating and would skate from Benson to Cache Junction. One time I fell on the ice and had to have 27 stitches. I would go fishing, boating (but my boat usually leaked), hunting, and I loved swimming in the slough below my home. I did anything and everything. I remember one Sunday after I milked the cows, it was very hot so I decided to cool down and take a short swim before church. I was swimming over to a small island when I developed a bad cramp in my leg and was barely able to make it to the island. I knew I could not swim back and so I had to walk home past the church house. It took me a long time to jump from bush to bush because I went swimming in my birthday suit! But I finally made it home and, of course, I had a lot of explaining to do as why I hadn't been to church.
Family night was always held. We would play and sing together. We even played in an orchestra throughout the valley. Pearl played the drums, Edith the piano, Marinus the violin. and I played my accordion and mouth organ. Oga brought me home a double reed mouth organ from his mission to Denmark and I learned to play it before I ever even went to school. Carrie would also help wherever she was needed We played a lot for the Danish people at the Richmond dances because the Danish people loved to dance. Dancing helped us forget all the things we left behind in our Danish homeland.
New Year’s Eve was spent with our good friends the Rasmussen's. Their son Sylvan, was a very good friend of mine. On Valentines Day we would sometimes have parties. I always hoped for a frilly, ruffled heart valentine, but I never got one. On Easter we would first go to church and then on a hike, pick buttercups, and take a picnic. Memorial Day we decorated graves. This was very important to my mother. July 4s we would spend in Logan on the court house lawn. We would bring our lunch and watch the parade. July 24h we would usually celebrate in Benson at the Church house. There would be games, food, and a program. Halloween we did the usual pranks. Thanksgiving we had a wonderful feast of turkey and the trimmings. For Birthdays we would make homemade ice cream and cake. For Christmas we would have a traditional Danish Christmas. We would decorate the tree on Christmas Eve and then have a big dinner. Then we would dance around the tree.
My favorite foods were frikadeller, chicken dumpling soup, clayner, Pebemodder (Peppernuts), liverwurst, pickled red beets, red cabbage, aebleskivers, and rhubarb pudding. My folks always took me with them to visit their Danish friends. Dad would always have me sing, anytime and anyplace. A memory I will never forget is when I was 12 years old and sang "I am a Mormon boy" in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. It was very special to me to sing there with the pipe organ. One of our first cars was an Oakland. Rudolph Olsen stayed at our home. He asked to borrow the car to drive to Salt Lake to see his girlfriend, Isabelle. He was driving through Sardine Canyon when the car went over a cliff. Rudolf jumped out and the car rolled over and landed at the bottom It still sits there after all these years.
I always had chores to do on the farm, but still was able to work many activities in. This kept me very busy. I milked cows, worked in the hay, in the field, hoed, grew corn, and raised feed for animals. I loved horses and enjoyed being around them. I always helped my sisters. They were good teachers to me and worked in the fields as well as the house. They didn't have modern machinery so they had to work twice as hard. The older boys were gone so it was up to the girls to do the work But, when they were not working, they would teach me to dance and sing. My sisters taught me to dance by letting me stand on their feet. I still love to dance today! I remember some stories of my sisters on the farm. Once, when Pearl was plowing beets, and she ran over a slunk It was terrible and the smell was awful, but so funny to me. Another time Edith was topping beets and trying to keep the cows out of the beet-tops. She got so busy working when she didn't notice the cows eating the beets. When she finally did notice, she ran with her beet knife in her hand and was so angry that she hit a cow with it. The beet knife stuck in the cow. She still had her hand in the strap of the knife. The cow took off with Edith running behind. She looked so funny, but was very angry. Needless to say, she didn't try that again. We did all of our farming with horses but later got a gray Ford tractor which made it much faster to go over to Newton. We, also, first milked the cows by hand but later got a milking machine. This was really a treat. I took care of the young cattle. I would take a hand saw and cut off their horns, put flour on them so they wouldn't bleed too much, and then send them out to the pasture. Some would bleed so bad that I was afraid they would die. They would lay down but after a while would jump up and go on their way. The pasture was out South where the calves would stay the summer and it was my job to check on them from time to time to see if they were all right. There were sinkholes out there and I had to make sure they didn't get in one. I once had a favorite horse named Tony who did fall into a sinkhole and I couldn't get him out. I had to run all the way home to get another horse to pull him out. In the end, Tony was all right.
Once I fell asleep while mowing the hay. The horse kept working and pulled us all over the field. When I woke up, I saw that the field was in a terrible mess and I had to redo everything. Sometimes I would cut the hay in a circle. As I came to the center I would noticed that small animals would get trapped. There were skunks, squirrels, rabbits, and pheasants. They looked so cute that I had to take them home, but I soon discovered that wild animals do not live long in captivity. That was a hard lesson for me to learn. I always worked with my father. He could water better than anyone I knew. He could actually run water up hill. He had the patience to coax it where he wanted it to go. Our land was so unleveled that had he not done this we would have had no crops. We raised our hay in the Newton farm. This meant bringing it all the way from Newton with horses. Many times, we tipped over, only having to load it again. We would first stack it in Newton and then bring it home one load at a time, rain or shine, hot or cold. Many times, we would break down and I would have to walk home from Newton Thank goodness I always had a dog to walk along with me to keep me company.
There were many accidents on the farm. I sometimes wonder how we survived. One time the Jackson fork tripped while we were putting up hay. It dropped hitting me in the chest. It hit my dollar watch tucked in my pocket instead of me. Of course, that ended my watch but saved me. We were always stepping on nails, etc. And being chased by mad bulls as we took shortcuts through the fields. And as much as I loved horses, they were always throwing or kicking me off. We always had good neighbors, especially the Saunders. There were 14 children so there was always someone to play with. We would play in the hardwood trees, make tree houses, play hide-and-seek and sleep under the stars at night. My father never licked me. He would just take a hold of my arm and squeezed it hard and I mean HARD: He could really squeeze.
Our first telephone was a party line with many homes on it. It could be a source of hours of entertainment listening in on all the conversations. My mother was one step a head of everyone else and would speak Danish with all her friends so no one could listen in on her conversations. Our number was 043-R1.
We had many people visit our home. One lady, Tanta Piarth, a biind iady who lived in Salt Lake City with the O'Brian family would often come to visit with us. I also loved it when Sister Anderson, a Danish friend from Ogden, came to visit. It was great to have her because she was always so happy and full of jokes. Some people came to help us with the farm, especially in the summer time. One person was Russell O'Brian, who stayed several summers on our farm with us. He was a delightful boy and we always called him little Russell,because Carrie's husbands' name was Russell. He was a very special friend Other people who came to work on the farm were Otto Degn, who eventually married my niece, Wilma Falslev. Over the years, we had many cars. It has been fun going through the years and seeing the many changes in cars. I loved dogs. My first dog was a big black dog that looked like a bear. I have always had a dog, which each has been regarded as a great friend. To get to Logan we would travel in a horse and buggy. In the buggy we had a big biack bear coat to help keep us warm. One time Oga wrapped himself in it and came running up the hill. I thought it was a real bear and ran away like a deer. Oga was lucky I didn't throw a pitchfork or something. When I was younger, folks would rent the parlor out to many schoolteachers. One was Ina Peart (who later married Ben Larsen of Benson).
I remember one day my father. Marius, was walking home from church. A truck went past. the door flew open, hit him, knocked him down. and hurt him. Another time dad drove home from choir practice and forgot mother. She walked home and was very angry with him.
Marvin Fullmer, Edith's husband taught me much of what I learned in building skills such as measuring chalk lines and tricks of the trade. I enjoyed working with him. After he died his family moved in with mother and dad. They were like brothers and sisters to me. Dale and Florin worked right along with me until they left home. They helped me go over to Newton and also 'out South'. Joyce and Marianne worked in the fields, hoeing, and topping beets. Helen became my little shadow. I remember once we were loading hay and Florin was throwing the hay up in the wagon when the fork came off and flew into Dale's back It was terrible and I'm sure Dale still remembers it. I enjoyed camping and having family parties in Logan Canyon. When I went to Smithfield Jr. High. We held a track day. Coach Heber Whiting saw me run the 100-yard dash and throw discus. He wanted me to come to North Cache (missing 9th grade). I loved North Cache High School and many wonderful things happened there. I was vice-president of the Boy's League, played basketball, track, football (both offense and defense) and was in all of the musicals, such as: "Oh Doctor", "Bella of Bagdad", "College Days", South of Sanora", "Two Vagabon", and several other plays. I would memorize my lines while traveling between Newton and Benson. The horses knew the way home while I studied. I loved my teachers and school activities. I received a medallion in music from Mr. Harold Fornoff, Coach Whiting, and JW Pulsipher. It was the first given at North Cache.
I married Edris Avern Kidman on September 23, 1936. We lived in the basement of my parents' home in Benson. I did farming and learned to do carpentry work We would go to Logan Canyon. cut timber with a hand saw, load them on a wagon, bring them down to a sawmill, then take them home and start to build buildings on my farm. I loved doing this because of the smell of the pines and water running in the canyon. I've done a lot of building from driving the first nail to hanging the last door. I loved making things and seeing how beautiful they looked when I finished. Ferrin was born October 1,1948. He loved to read and wanted to know the history on everything. He loved to make model cars, stock racing, and fixing old cars. Ferrin would help me with chores, milk cows, and driving tractors. I always appreciated all of Ferrin’s help on the farm. He was very creative and always tried to find a way to do things better. One time our neighbor, DeVar Balls, went over the hill in his car. Ferrin saw it happen, jumped on his bike and rode to the accident. He ran down the hill, jumped in the water, and held up DeVar's head until help came. Today, Ferrin remodels Golden Corral Restaurants all over the country.
I got into the chicken business, having a four-story coop. I sold chickens to Swift and Co. but because of the chicken feed we had many rats and mice. Dale hated these as bad as I did. We also got into the turkey business. There is nothing as dumb as a turkey!
March 20, 1938 President Heber J. Grant came to Benson to dedicate the new church housei. We had a terrible storm that caused the lights to go out. Everyone was concerned that there would be no iights or sound systern. President Grant walked in and everything came on. To us it was a miracle. I sang "Open the Gates of the Temple' at the dedication of the chapel.
Edris, Ferrin and I served a mission to the British Isles. We spent three years in England supervising the building of a chapel. I met so many wonderful people there and I would love to see them again. Ace Raymond was my area supervisor. I had worked for him before, so he asked for me to do it. First, we had to tear down the mission home before we could start. We took away 110 Ioads of rubble off the site. We had to build the steeple by hand with only volunteers to help. We had a big pulley that would pull the cement to the top of the building. I could never have been able to do this had I not had the help of the Lord I am thankful to have had the chance to do this. The English people would come to work and bring a lunch. They liked to play better than they liked to work We had to dig the trenches by hand, which was hard work. We enjoyed helping with music while we were there We did a Negro spiritual, which they loved. Singing helped many people to activation. I took my two tap dancing doll puppets and played my mouth organ. The English people loved this. While in England I took a trip to Denmark to see my uncle Sophus. I wanted to go alone to see if Sophus would know me. I walked across the train tracks and knocked on the door. Sophus opened the door and I spoke in Danish. Sophus knew me immediately. We had a wonderful reunion together! All the gifts that my parents had sent were sitting out where he had kept them all those years.
Edris and I divorced in September of 1969.
I married Thelma R Coleman on October 22,1970. We had a son named Kris that was born on August 12, 1973. Since then we built many buildings, houses, six plexes, nursing homes, and homes.
I have always been active in the church, fulfilling many positions. I loved leading choirs in both the ward and stake. I pray that we can all love one another and I am thankful for my family and my five great step-children: Kelly, Kevin, Kerry, Kim, and Kami. They are gracious, honest and always willing to help me. We all get along good together. If I can leave anything then it would be to love all people because it would make a better place to live. I want everyone who knows me to know that I love each and everyone of you. I have had a good life with lots of fun and work to make me happy. Thank you for all the many things you have done for me. I came from a wonderful heritage and parents who were so good to me, my brothers and sisters, and their families. They are all very special to me. My parents taught me to love people as they did. My father was so good to me and gave me my love of music which has given me much happiness in my life. My mother was shy, but such a beautiful and marvelous lady. Their funerals were large and showed the love of many people for them I am so grateful to these two great people and the missionaries who converted them in Denmark.
To see his obituary visit this link Ephriam Falslev Obituary