(This story is an excerpt from Judson Isaac Tolman’s own account of when he first met his wife in school in Tooele, and later their trip to the Logan Utah Temple to be married. Fanny Burgess Gorringe, the little old English lady in the story is the mother in law of Judson’s brother Joshua Alvin Tolman. They all lived in Marion after moving from Tooele in 1881.)
Judson said, “Probably the most important and of little significance generally, but it was one of the little things which touched and was of lasting influence unto me was one morning the teacher was calling the roll and called the name as it appeared before him.”
“Good morning, children,” said Judson’s school teacher from the front of the classroom.
“Good morning, Teacher,” replied the students.
“Time for roll call,” the teacher announced.
“Alice Augustus?”
“Present,” said William.
“William Augustus?”
“Present,” said Alice.
He called the name, “Emerett Bates”, and the young lady jumped to her feet and called, “My name is not Emerett Bates, it is Phoebe Emerett Bates!” Judson said, “All eyes were upon her and I suppose mine never turned away.”
Judson own words:
In Marion, I met again the young girl who had first attracted my attention when at school in Tooele, she corrected the teacher as to her name as before referred to. She had come with her family to the Oakley valley the year before we came, and their home was just one mile from ours. When we now met, she was just 13 years old, which was 3 years younger than I, our birthdays coming on the same day of the month, Jan 21st. I began taking her out right away and we courted for 5 years before we felt old enough to be married.
When the time arrived, which we had set, we went in two covered wagons, Emerett and I, Dan Gorringe, his sweetheart, and his mother, to Logan, Utah to be married in the Temple. I shall never forget the time we had on the way. Dan’s mother was a little old English lady, who pronounced all her words in the quaint English style, to our amusement, and which caused her to almost lose her patience at times, but which all added to our good time.
We had to wait 2 days in Logan before the Temple opened for there was not enough work to require it staying open all the time; then the day came; we went into the Temple at 8 o’clock in the morning, and because of inexperienced workers, and the large number who were going through for the first time to be married, it was 6 o’clock in the evening when we were finally married and left the building. We really felt as though we were married, and I remember well saying to my wife, “Well, we are now sealed for time and all eternity,” she answered, “Yes, we are and I guess we will stay married,” and we did, working together here in mortality for 58 years, when God called her back home, away from me for a short time. Our honeymoon was our trip back home and we had a wonderful time.
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Judson IsaacTolman and Phoebe Emerett Bates