Judson Lamoni & Pauline Hatch Tolman
9 Feb 1881-23 Mar 1954 3 Oct 1882-29 Dec 1969
Son of Jaren & Mary Ann Briggs Tolman
Daughter of Orin Perry & Marinda Woodward Hatch
by Irene Hill Tolman & Ruth Tolman Hardcastle – 6/24/65
Judson Lamoni Tolman was born February 9, 1881, at Bountiful, Davis County, Utah, to Jaren Tolman and Mary Ann Briggs Tolman. He was baptized May 26, 1889, by Thomas Waddoups and confirmed a member of the Church by Joseph Holbrook.
Judson was the eldest of six children, four brothers and one sister. His beloved mother died when he was just a lad of thirteen, so after her passing their Aunt Sarah Jane Burningham mothered these children. She also had seven children of her own. There were a total twenty-four brothers and sisters in this one family, Jaren practiced plural marriage, which was lawful in the sight of God during the early history of the L.D.S. Church.
As a young man in his early teens Judson helped his father cut ice in the winter, storing in sheds and covering it with sawdust hauled from the nearby sawmills. With the arrival of summer it would be blocked and placed in a wagon and he and his brother Ephraim would haul it to Salt Lake and sell to the butcher shops. He also helped his father remove timber from the mountains east of Bountiful, The other boys would use the horses to snake the logs down the sides of the mountain onto carts and then haul them to the sawmill. Father Tolman was fortunate, he owned his own sawmill. This was the era when power had to provide for this kind of work from water. The boys also would gather rocks from the hillside to build culverts and bridges at a nominal charge of ten dollars, which was really considered a good fee at that time. The father and his children worked hard at these tasks, so Judson learned young to do a man’s work. He understood that this was a necessity for survival for the large family so dependent on the men folks. He was taught the principles of the Gospel, to love, be in harmony with people, and to love his Heavenly Father. He was ordained to the office of an Elder at nineteen years by Joseph Hepworth. He was a good obedient son and remembered all the days of his life the things taught to him in his early youth.
Electricity was unheard of at this period of young Judson’s life. Street cars in Salt Lake were drawn up and down streets by mules. The streets around this city were either very dusty or very muddy as sidewalks like there are today were not known, some establishments would have a board walk in front but that was all and the road had deep ruts caused by the weather and the horse drawn carriages and heavy freight wagons. He used to haul fresh garden produce from the Bountiful garden to market place in Salt Lake, which at that time was one block long from Main Street to West Temple on First South. He also sold produce from door-to-door, an occupation he stayed with throughout his life passing this trade onto his sons Orin and Ralph.
One brisk evening in October 3, 1882, the fourth child, a lovely little girl was born to Orin Perry and Marinda Woodward Hatch. Pauline,was the name chosen for her and she was born in what is known as Woods Cross, in an old adobe house that still stands and is being lived in today. She had six brothers and five sisters. She was taught at a very early age the art of homemaking, sharing and making the best of everything. This is an admirable trait that still lingers with her at eighty-three.
Pauline attended Grammer School in South Bountiful and as a child she went regularly to Primary, Sunday School and Sacrament Meeting. She loved her Heavenly Father very much and did what she knew to be right in His sight always. She loved to study the Scriptures and the Book of Mormon and she had a deep seated love for the first two books of Nephi, remembering the charts and pictures that accompanied each lesson. She was baptized by Stephen H. Ellis at Hoggan’s Spring in October 1890 and confirmed by her father October 18, 1890.
In April 1889 her parents moved to East Bountiful where she attended Religion Classes (now known as Seminary) and MIA and at that time the Young Men’s Superintendent was Brother Jaren Tolman who later became her father-in-law. Brother Tolman was a wonderful teacher, a farmer and truck gardener. She admired him very much,
Judson and Pauline had a wonderful courtship. Enjoying the things most young people liked to do such as going to church parties and picnics, dancing socials and horse and buggy rides. Their courtship finally lead them to the alter March 13, 1901, in the Salt Lake Temple where they were sealed for time and eternity, with John R. Winder officiating.
After their marriage they went to live and start the foundation of the eternal family home in a house built by Uncle Ephraim Briggs. Two very loving years were spent here and on January 15, 1902, Marinda the first of five daughters came to bless this home.
Pauline did as most wives would do – cared for her home, canned and stored food for the winter months ahead, did all the seamstress work, and at all times was at the side of her husband when he needed council and encouragement. She also gave him the support that holding the Priesthood required her to do.
Later they moved to a home on the south where Aunt Alice Bybee Patterson Tolman, Brother ToIman’s fourth wife had lived. During this period Judson worked for his father-in-law herding sheep on ;the desert and helping his wife’s brother, Leo Hatch. Beatrice Mary, the second daughter was born November 30, 1903, a fine healthy child.
Judson also farmed in partnership with, Pauline’s brother True on her father’s farm. The produce raised was prepared and hauled to Salt Lake market.
In the winter of 1904 the girls had whooping cough, so Pauline was very cautious that her little girls were protected from the cold. Sadness came that winter to her sister, Lora. The baby, Leo, had whooping cough and pneumonia and later meningitis followed. This little child returned to his Heavenly Father and left them all saddened, for Pauline and Lora were always very close as sisters.
September 1904, Judson, Pauline and two daughters left Bountiful in a covered wagon for the Big Horn Basin in Wyoming, where with Pauline’s parents and family assisted in the general pioneering of that part of the state. Father Hatch, Perry Hatch and family, True Hatch and family Lora and Jaren Tolman and family all left in wagons. Mother Hatch and the unmarried children left by train. The vegetables and fruits had been harvested, corn was dried and as much canning as possible was done and everything was placed in the wagons. Judson and Pauline had three horses to their covered wagon, a nice bed in the back end of the wagon and a very comfortable spring wagon seat, something everyone didn’t possess at that time.
They traveled through Idaho and into Yellowstone Park. The travel was slow and it took many days before they reached their destination at Burlington, Wyoming. While camping at the West Thumb in the park, their horses wandered away during the night and even though they searched everywhere they never did fine them. They were stranded nine days. They finally telegraphed to Father Hatch in Wyoming of their plight and he sent her brother, Leo, with a team to hurry them to their new home because winter was fast approaching and they had to beat the snow over the Sylvan Pass. The first fall of snow made the road impassable. This journey took a month.
They pioneered in Burlington for three years on the Greybull River. Judson then decided to move to Byron, a distance of forty miles north on the Shoshone River. Judson and Jaren managed a large ranch which Father Hatch had purchased upon arriving there. The first garden produce he raised here he took to Cody, Wyoming and sold.
After the move to Byron he worked on a canal or on the place now known as Powell Flat. By this time another daughter, Sylvia, was born. This summer they lived in a tent, with flies a constant menace, They realized soon they would have to search for a home as winter was fast approaching and they were rugged, early and very cold and long. With three small children it would be an impossibility to live any longer in a tent. Pauline was always patient, interested in all her husband’s work and never complaining.
This canal work he was working on was soon to carry irrigation water to a new barren area that was soon ready for government drawing for homesteading purposes.
The summer of 1908 another daughter came to their home. Lucinda was such a sweet child. She was allowed to bring love and happiness to the family for less than three years when her angelic spirit returned home. She was laid to rest in Lovell, Wyoming.
The family had moved to a home and farm land rented at Lovell and again he began to make the fertile earth produce. On February 9, 1910, the fifth girl, Lucile, was born. Now this was a double reason for joy as it was Judson’s birthday. Even though the first five were girls they were trained to do farm work such as milking, cutting, raking and stacking hay. Judson still was raising garden produce and selling it at Cody, a distance of fifty miles from home.
April 19,1912, was a day of surprise and joy for a baby came to this home and it was a son this time. He was named Orin Hatch Tolman aftar his maternal grandfather. He was such a husky youngster and he grew fast. All winter Judson contracted for road work and come summer he rented land to farm. It was the fall of 1911 that he rebuilt the log house that he had acquired with the forty acres. They now had horses, cows, pigs and chickens and raised all their meat and vegetables. The Lord was good to. them, everything was as it should be.
Alice was born June 4, 1914, and when she was still a small child Judson was called to serve a mission in the Southern States. He left January 12, 1916, serving under President Charles Callis. Pauline was left to provide the necessities of life and keep the home fires burning for her little brood. She certainly needed courage and trust in the Lord to accomplish this feat alone.
The farm had been very productive, but now was beginning to show signs of Alkali (water coming to the ground surface and becoming stagnant) and then vegetation refused to grow.
While Judson was on his mission, having many wonderful spiritual experiences and declaring the truthfulness of the Gospel to everyone who wanted to listen and using the talents his Heavenly Father had given him, he converted many and influenced for good the lives of many. His actions, words and the way he lived was a good example for others to follow. One experience that was vivid in his mind always, was in his own words: “While in Shell Creek my companion and I called on Mrs. Swims to obtain a night’s lodging. The man of the house wasn’t too sure that he wanted Mormon Missionaries in his home, but he said if we didn’t discuss bur religious views we could stay. He owned a large ranch, so after a good dinner, and giving him assistance with his chores we came back into the house and I helped Mrs. Swims dry the dishes and churn. We later went into the parlor and Mrs. Swims played the Organ for us. She stopped playing suddenly and turned around to us and asked about tithing and plural marriage. I said we weren’t supposed to talk about our religious beliefs, but she insisted so both Elder Elmer and I answered her questions. Her husband interrupted to say, “Did you see that little church down the street?” We said “Yes, we had noticed it”and then he said he had given the land and two-thirds of the money to build it and he had also put in the contract a stipulation that anyone but a Mormon could preach there. Anyhow Judson must of made an impression on this man for later after he had returned from his mission this Mr. Swims came to Lovell and visited the family. Father Hatch and Mr. Swims had a long discussion on the Book of Mormon and many questions were answered. Judson was also called the Mormon Hog Doctor—ln the mission field. The hogs had what seemed to be chlorea. People heard how he cured the hogs and they would send for him from far reaching areas of the mission to come and see their hogs, he rode horseback many miles on horses provided by farmers to see their ailing stock. While he was gone from home Pauline had another child, a son. Elmer Judson was born May 12. 1916, making eight children at this time. The land was steadily getting worse, less and less was grown on it.
November 11,1918, Wilson Hatch Tolman and June 13, 1921, Ruth came to bless this home. During this time the farm was poorly producing so Judson took his teams and went out contracting to build roads and canals and still trying to make the land yield. The July of 1922, he contracted to build five miles of the Wind River Canyon road, the job lasting until November at which time he returned home to Lovell. He lost heavily on this piece of road because of the type of rock he encountered which needed special blasting technique that he wasn’t familiar with. He also lost one of his best horses at this time. The animals were pastured for the night on the other side of the railroad tracks, this one horse missed her colt and in trying to reach it was struck by a freight train. Pauline went along with him on some of these contracts cooking for the crew he had hired. She would leave the children in the care of the older girls. Both Marinda and Beatrice married and were living at Lovell, too. Sometimes Pauline was unable to go so the older girls were sent with their father to help. It was at this time in his young life that Orin was taught the meaning of hard work and the responsibilities that would be his.
Things got steadily worse so Judson made the decision to leave. He realized that with, a large family he must have some place to make a living. So after much thought and prayer with Pauline lending her courage to him they decided to pick up all their possessions and come back to Utah. Here they would start over again.
In 1923 the family left a nearly new brick home, the nicest one they had ever owned. Orin and his father rode in the box car with all the family’s worldly possessions. One part of, the box car had their furniture, harnesses, wagons and the other half had the livestock. Orin could remember making a little hole in the wood with his pocket-knife to peek out once in a while and this was the way he got his first view of Butte, Montana, through a peek hole in a railroad boxcar. Uncle Jaren and Aunt Lora Tolman had gone ahead to Utah and their furniture was also in the boxcar. Jaren’s oldest son, Perry, was allowed to ride in the caboose so he could feed the livestock. Paulina and her small children came by day coach. They had many amusing incidents that could think back on through the years. Moving made quite a sad impression on the older children but to ride on a train and go a long way from home seemed to be very exciting to the younger ones. Twenty wonderful happy years despite trials, tribulations and heart ache.
Judson found a ranch in Lehi , Utah, near the Jordan River and he began farming again. They lived and worked in this area for two years and here their last son, Ralph Hatch Tolman, was born. It was a beautiful May 5, 1924. The ranch was taken on shares with Mr. Gardener and the second year was a bountiful harvest of hay, grain and apples and again they were able to enjoy all their own butter, eggs and fresh meat.
When Ralph was six months old, again they moved; t:his time to a five acre plot at Sandy. There was a fairly liveable house for them which was later improved to accommodate the needs of a large family. Judson made a substantial down payment and also rented more acreage for his farming. Most of the children were old enough to contribute to the family work projects. Judson raised garden produce and hauling it by wagon and team to Bingham Canyon to sell to the stores and miners. All children big enough to help were up by four A.M. and taken with him. He also sold at the Growers Market at Salt Lake.
Even though some times his contracting deals were failures he never gave up the idea of making a living by this means so after he came to Sandy he still contracted, Orin was by that time pretty much a man in stature and mind, even though still in his early teens so a lot of the responsibility of carrying out the orders of his father were upon his young shoulders. A few of the projects to their credit was digging the basement of the Sandy Upper Elementary School and the cesspools as a community sewer plan had not yet come to Sandy, They also got the contract to build Jordan High race track and many other such projects.
When White Pine Reservoir was being constructed by George Muir of Granite, Judson received the contract to see that supplies were hauled up to the top of the mountain in Little Cottonwood Canyon, bags of cement and food supplies were taken up the steep mountain trail by pack horses. Orin managing this task, Orin remembers even once hauling a cast iron cook stove up there on a horse.
Judson and Pauline had many joys and many sorrows in their life together, but they were ever humble and thanked their Heavenly Father for the many blessings that were also theirs. They had seen all their, children married and each start families of their own. They also had a happy devoted life with each other, working on church assignments, temple work in various temples and vacations together.
Pauline served as a teacher in primary for twelve years and was an active Relief Society member for more than thirty-five years. Neither of them were ever seeking the limelight in life, just in the back steadily doing the work that God had cut and patterned for them, never complaining of too much or too little of anything.
At the time of Judson’s death he was a High Priest in the Sandy Fourth Ward and had been set apart as an Ordinance Worker in the Salt Lake Temple. He had also served as Assistant Superintendent of the ward MIA in earlier days.
March 13, 1951, they celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary with nine living children, their partners, grandchildren and great grandchildren all enjoying an afternoon dinner. In the evening a reception was held at the Sandy Recreation Hall and many friends and relatives came from far and near to show their love and respect for this wonderful Latter-Day Saint couple who had weathered stormy and calm times hand in hand.
Since Father’s passing, mother has lived in a small home of her own, keeping house, visiting in California whenever she has felt to do so, going to church, as faithful as ever to the promises she had made to her Heavenly Father and beloved husband and enjoying her children and grandchildren.
Grandma Tolman has nine living sons and daughters, and their companions who are just as dear to her as her own, Forty-nine grandchildren, Ninety-eight great-grandchildren, Twenty-four great-great-grandchildren. This is indeed a living monument to the integrity, love, faithfulness and devotion of two of God’s children to Him and to each other.
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