Brief Life Sketch of Howard Milton Tolman
Contributed By: SmithTLS93908 · 27 January 2014 ·
Howard Milton Tolman was born on March 3, 1893 in Chesterfield, Idaho, in one of the nicest homes in the community. His parents were Judson A. Tolman and Mary Ann Howard Tolman. Howard was the tenth child in a family of eleven children. His parents figured he was their tithing child and from a very early age, his life indeed seemed to be dedicated to the service of the Lord. There were eight sisters and one brother. Then two years after Howard was born, another brother, Lloyd was born.
Howard’s mother and father were very fine and wonderful people who served the Lord and their fellow men. His father, Judson, was a bishop for sixteen years, and a dedicated pioneer. He owned and operated the General Mercantile Store where he sold everything from needles and thread to threshing machines. They even sold coffins for the dead, the Relief Society sisters would line the insides. Judson also operated the Blacksmith Shop in Chesterfield and did a lot of carpentry work and most of the surveying in the county. Judson was also the Patriarch for the community.
His mother, Mary Ann Howard Tolman, served for many years as the Relief Society President and together they served as morticians, doctors, teachers and many other callings.
Howard spent his early childhood working on his father’s ranch and attending the local school.
Howard was baptized 3 Mar 1901 when eight years of age by his father and confirmed a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by L.S. Mecham. He was always active in his priesthood quorums, being ordained a deacon and a teacher while in Chesterfield Ward of the Bannock Stake in Idaho. While a deacon he was president of the quorum and as a teacher, was 1st counselor. He never did hold the office of a priest, But on 7 February 1910 he was ordained an elder by Hugh S. Geddes of the Oneida Stake High Council.
The family lived on a ranch that was well stocked with beef cattle, horses, sheep and hogs. There was plenty of work for each member of the family. Life on the ranch was hard but very enjoyable. Much of Howard’s time was spent in the sheep camps, with only his faithful dog, Poodle, and his rifle for his companions. Many a night, away off in the hills, after bedding down the flocks, the coyotes could be heard howling. That, plus reading mystery stories by lantern light, made it hard to go to sleep.
Howard often had to take care of the store, where the Indians which were very numerous, would give him a bad time. They always wanted pocket knives and red checkered handkerchiefs and of course, the cracker barrel. They would come to bring a load of hay to be weighted, and sometimes Howard would have to scare two or three papooses and a squaw out of the hay before it was weighed.
When Howard was eighteen years old, his folks decided to sell the ranch in Chesterfield and seek a more comfortable and easier life. The children were all married by this time except Howard and his younger brother Lloyd and an older sister Myrtle. A small house was purchased in Preston, Idaho on five acres of farm land. Howard’s father passed away in 1915 at the age of 65.
When about 16 years of age the family moved to Preston, Idaho, where Howard worked on different ranches. he was 2nd Counselor in the Preston 2nd Ward YMMIA, a teacher in the Sunday school and
ward teacher. On 18 May 1913 he was ordained a Seventy by Joseph Hansen at Preston, Idaho.
He attended the Oneida Stake Academy in Preston and after graduating went to work in Salt Lake City for the Wells Fargo Express Company. While working there he went to a birthday party with his Uncle
Justin and Aunt Alice Tolman, and there he met a girl who made quite an impression on him. It is written that he made a statement to his Uncle Justin that she would be some gal if she was only a little
older! The laugh was on him however, for he was told that she was a couple of months older than he was. Her name was Jessie Sessions Ashdown and she was a sister to his Uncle Justin’s wife, Alice. Jessie
worked as a stenographer for the Bradstreet and Dunn Credit Rating Company in Salt Lake City, just a block or two from where Howard worked. They ate lunch together every day and things progressed
very well. They were married on October 10, 1917 in the Salt Lake Temple. He recalls that they went to the temple at 7:00 am and didn’t get finished until 5:00 pm. They were married by J. Alvin Smith who
told Howard that he needed a little more experience in kissing and made him do it over again.
He was married to Jessie Sessions Ashdown 10 Oct 1917 in the Salt Lake Temple. Jessie was born 12 Jan 1893 at Bountiful, Davis County, Utah; the daughter of William Ashdown and Mary Elvira Sessions.
After they were married they went back to Preston to the old homestead t live and take care of his mother. Work was very scarce and so shortly after moving back to Preston Howard went to work on a
ranch in Mink Creek about eight miles away. One day he was disturbed in the middle of the night by a phone call announcing that the stork was on its way to Preston. He grabbed his clothes, put his shirt on
wrong side out, and got one shoe on. He crammed his socks and other shoe in his pocket and ran to the barn to get a horse. It was pitch black with thunde3r and lightening and a downpour of rain, but he
made it in time to see the birth of their first child, a girl, born on August 2, 1918 at 3:00 am. They named her Norma.
They lived in Preston for three years and during this time he continued to work in Mink Creek.. He served in the ward as dance director, Sunday School superintendent and filled a Stake Mission. Their
second child, Myrtle, was born on February 123, 1920. They called her their sweet little Valentine.
Sixteen months later they had their first son, born June 25, 1921. The “A” in Howard’s father’s name stands for Adonirum, and Howard wanted his son to have that name. Jessie with firm resolve, said “No” and held her breath at the time he was blessed by his father, fearing he would give their son the name of Adonirum. But he was given the name of Milton A. Tolman.
Shortly after this, Howard had a chance to buy a laundry and dry cleaning establishment. So after much deliberation they sold the old homestead and went into business. They had a good team of horses, a
wagon and sleigh and gathered laundry from all the neighboring towns. Theirs was the only laundry north of Logan, Utah.
Business was good, but due to an unfortunate chain of events, Howard was forced to leave the business. His partner, a good church member, sold the business and cheated him out of his half. He was heavily in
debt and went to Salt Lake City for a while, but his creditors found him and h was forced to move to Los Angeles, California in 1923. He worked at the California Laundry in Boyle Heights where he earned
$18.00 a week. Soon he had saved enough to send for his family and pay off all his creditors. He was glad to have that unfortunate experience behind him.
Before his removal to California, he was active in civic and church affairs. He was in charge of dances and recreation and Superintendent of the 1st Ward Sunday School and ward teacher. He also filled a
Stake Mission with Thomas Clayton as companion and was released at a quarterly conference by President Geddes in January, 1921.
On moving to California in June 1923 with their three children they rented a three room apartment in Boyle Heights for $25.00 a month. It was there that their second son and fourth child was born. He was
born on leap year, February 29, 1924 and they named him Donald Howard. They lived in the Boyle Heights Ward where he was 1st Counselor to the Superintendent of the Sunday School.
Howard and Jessie moved to Burbank, California where they started a web laundry, only to have it sold by the owner, leaving them with nothing and four children to raise and care for. The buyer felt sorry for
Howard and gave him work in the laundry. The laundry was located on Empire Street in Burbank near San Fernando Road and that was to be the new home of Lockheed Aircraft Company, so the laundry was
sold and soon Howard was out of work again.
They contracted for a new home on Brighton Street in Burbank and lived very happily there for several years. Their fifth child, another boy, was born there in 1929 and they named him Wilford Judson. Shortly after this, Howard found steady work with the Burbank Fire Department in April, 1929.
They belonged to the Glendale Ward in Burbank. A branch was organized in Burbank in 1929 and Howard was made Counselor in the Sunday School.
In 1931 they moved to a large home on Angelino Street in Burbank. The Burbank Ward was organized that year, meeting in the Women’s Club on Olive Street. That was a challenging time in their lives as
Howard was a Counselor in the Bishopric where he served for seven years under two bishops. Their sixth child was born on February 20, 1933. It was another boy and they named him Lyman Kay.
In 1935 they bought their first home on Lake Street in Burbank for $4,000.00. It was quite small and only had two bedrooms for a family of eight. But, they built a sleeping porch on the back and a cellar
underneath to store canned goods, etc. They live din that home the remainder of their lives.
He was Stake Agriculture Director in the San Fernando Stake for five years, and in the stake high priests presidency for five years.
On the morning of October 26, 1944 they received a telegram that Milton’s ship had gone down in battle and the he was missing in action. To hear that he had been killed would have been easier to take
for they always kept hoping that he was still alive. That was a truly hard time for the family. The Lord did comfort them, though and they had a feeling that he was all right. This was such a hard strain on
Howard that his health really began to deteriorate.
Howard’s work in California for over twenty-five years was with the City Fire Department. He served as captain in the fire prevention bureau.
Howard suffered incredibly with sciatica and then diabetes. He eventually had to have both of his legs amputated. Even after the pain and suffering of the amputations, he maintained a cheerful attitude and
many people loved and honored him during his final years. Howard passed away of a heart attack on September 29, 1959.
Visit FamilySearch to learn more about Howard Milton Tolman. Visit the Thomas Tolman Family Organization to find out how you can get more involved in family history.