Visit of Le Grande Richards

Hello Dear Reader,
Between June 2, 1951 when Le Grande Richards, the presiding bishop of the LDS church, came to Provo for the groundbreaking of the Rivergrove Ward Chapel and December 27, 1953 when he came to Provo again for the dedication of the building, he was made an apostle.

It was Grandpa (Wes) and Grandma (Mary) Carter's privilege to have him and his wife in our home for dinner. Others at the dinner included the other members of the bishopric, the bishopric of the Rivergrove 1st Ward, and the West Utah Stake presidency along with all of their spouses.

After dinner Elder Richards toured the building with the priesthood leaders and then he spoke in sacrament meeting and offered the dedicatory prayer. He kissed LeAnn on the forehead and she said she would never wash her face again! It was a wonderful occassion.
Love,
Aunt Genni

Many Blessings

Hello Dear Reader,

Somewhere I have a photo of Grandpa (Wes) and Grandma (Mary) Carter's newly completed house. It appeared a little different than it does now. When (and if) I find it, I'll post the picture so you can see the difference.

Grandpa and Grandma felt very blessed financially and spiritually for the next several years. Grandpa said, "Everyone worked hard in the ward and gave of their time and means freely without any reservations. Consequently the new ward chapel was finished and paid for and ready for dedication by December of 1953 . . . it was a glorious occasion." Grandpa was then agent bishop and had the responsibility of seeing that the building was paid for and dedicated.

Who knew how many memories would be made in that building and the blessings that would occur there.

Love,

Aunt Genni

Grandma Hall

Hello Dear Reader,
Having Grandma (Caroline Ferguson) Hall move into our old house was a blessing for the whole family. Grandpa (Wes), in writing his history, said, "What a joy and comfort it has been to live next door to Grandma Hall all of these years and to witness her faith and wisdom in helping us rear our children. I have often said, 'If all mother-in-laws were as good as mine there would never be any jokes about mother-in laws."

We all loved being able to run over to visit with Grandma. She was not just a blessing to our family but also to the ward. She taught the 'theology" lesson in the Rivergrove II Ward Relief Society for years and years. Just recently I had an old acquaintance tell me that she received her testimony and her basis in the gospel from Grandma Hall's theology lessons.
Love,
Aunt Genni

Time to Start Anew

Hello Dear Reader,
I have been very busy cleaning out and sorting my genealogical records. It's been good to go through things and I can see that if I keep going I might be organized by the time school starts again in the fall. I still have a lot to do but I'm feeling good about what I have accomplished so far. One of the classes I audited last semester taught us how to organize our records, so I have spent a lot of time doing that as well as collecting documentation to prove that our records are correct. Yesterday I printed out Grandpa (Laning) Hall's Death Certificate from Record Search on FamilySearch.org. It's amazing how much is available to us in our homes via the internet but there is still much more out there in libraries and courthouses that needs to be gleaned.

Now it's time for me to start anew on the story of Grandpa (Wesley) and Grandma (Mary Hall) Carter.

After Grandpa Hall died on March 19, 1952 it was only a few more months until Grandpa (Wes) Carter finished building our new home which we moved into late in the summer. Grandma (Caroline) Hall then moved from the garage which had served as her temporary home into our old house. Except for time served on a mission Grandma Hall lived in that house for the remaining years of her life. Moving to a new house was wonderful--in a way, it was a time for the Carters and Grandma Hall to start a new chapter in their lives.
Love,
Aunt Genni