Elizabeth Wilson and Frederick William Hopkin

Elizabeth Wilson Hopkin was born on Oct. 22, 1889, in Ogden, Utah, a daughter of Isaac Wilson and Elizabeth Baird. In 1897 her father and his brother bought a ranch in Star Valley, Wyoming, and the family moved there. After three years they were called by the Church to join the colony that was going to the Big Horn Basin. They were supposed to meet the other members of the colony before they crossed South Pass, but her father broke his ankle and had to return to Ogden for medical treatment so they were late getting started.

Elizabeth Wilson

They left in April after the spring storms were over. Elizabeth and her brother, Bob, had to herd cattle on the trail. She loved to recall exciting incidents of the trip. When they crossed the Snake River and the lead team of mules refused to pull the wagon through the river, her father had to climb out onto the wagon tongue and unhitch the balky team so the other horses could go on.

            They crossed South Pass and the Owl Mountains. It took a whole day to cross this range. When they finally reached the Byron area she was considerably relieved as the entire trip had taken six weeks.

            The first several months they lived in tents until her father built them a two room cabin of logs. They were very thankful for this simple home and the family was very happy.

            When Elizabeth was fourteen years old, her mother died. It was very hard for the family to stay together while her father had to be away working on the canals and railroads. She and her brother stayed for a time with their married sister, Maude. The next year she stayed with the Johnson family in Byron. By then she was old enough to begin working out at domestic service in the homes. She also cooked for reclamation crews that were building the Corbett Dam where her father and brother worked.

            While she was employed at Mary Hopkin’s Garland Hotel, she met her future husband, Fred. They were married June 18, 1913, in Penrose. They settled in that community where they were engaged in farming and ranching. It was here that their family of six children, Mary, Fay, Fred, Zona, Burchell and Harold, were born and raised.

            Elizabeth was a hard worker. Because of her having to learn the culinary arts as a young girl, she gained a reputation of a good cook. Her pies, cakes, puddings, and homemade bread were her specialty. She almost always had one or more hired men to cook for, as well as her own family. She also kept a big garden and chickens and turkeys.

            On March 6, 1942, Fred bought a ranch in the Bull Mountains, near Roundup, Montana. For the first time since their marriage, they moved from Penrose. During the time they lived at this ranch, their son, Fred, and son-in-law Sam Roper, farmed the Penrose property.

Because of Fred’s failing health, he sold the ranch and returns to Penrose shortly before his death in 1947.

            When Elizabeth found herself a widow, she and the family members decided it would be better for her to move to town. She bought a house in Powell at 545 Ave. B. This home was a haven for her grandchildren who would come to visit and she loved all of them. It was a sad time for them and her children when she passed away on December 7, 1965, at the age of 77. Grandma Hopkin was remembered and loved by all who knew her.

            Elizabeth lived long enough to see all of her 28 grandchildren born, and actually lived long enough to see all of her grandchildren reach the age of two; her youngest grandchild (Christie Roper) was only 17 days away from having Elizabeth live long enough to see all the grandchildren reach the age of three. 

Fred and Elizabeth's three sons (from left: Burchell, Whitey and Fred)

Family photo from 1946. Back row: Zona, Harold "Whitey", Fred, Fay. Front row: Mary, Elizabeth, Fred, Burchell

Elizabeth with grandchildren (circa 1954). Back row: Dennis Smith, Diane Roper, Harold Smith, Donna Roper, Nancy Hopkin. Middle row: Thayne Hopkin, Elizabeth Wilson holding Debbie Hopkin and Julie Hopkin, Libby Roper, Janet Hopkin, Kurt Hopkin, Dorthy Roper. Front row: Kathy Hopkin, Lynn Hopkin, Zona Gayle Roper, Heather Hopkin, Byrne Hopkin

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Frederick William Hopkin

                                                                                          On September 22, 1885, Fred William Hopkin was born in Croydon, Utah, to John and Mary Ellen Pennington Hopkin. He was the eighth of eleven children. At the age of 17, his father and some of his families (he was a polygamist) moved to the developing Shoshone Valley. Young Fred assisted his mother in the operation of the Central Hotel in Garland. In 1909 they moved to Penrose where his mother, Mary, ran a weigh stations for travelers who hauled freight across the Shoshone River. Fred was a helpful son in whatever his mother required of him. On June 18, 1913, he married Elizabeth Wilson, whom he had met earlier when she worked for his mother at her hotel. They settled in Penrose, where Fred began farming and ranching. A Friend, Violet Magnus, describes Fred as such: “Fred was a ranchman, farmer, and stockman. He liked his work and he did it well. He had a natural gift for making money. He never turned down a contribution to help his neighbor when death, fire or disaster came. He was the kind of businessman who took pleasure in financing two sons on missions to England.”

            Fred loved his family and his wife. He used to play the piano at the community dances they help in

Penrose and was among the first to go get his wife for a little dance. Fred spent most of his life in Penrose community where he gave of his time and labor to the development of the Elk Canal and the Penrose Drainage District. He had a reputation of being a successful farmer and rancher and truly made the “desert blossom as a rose”. He owned ranch properties at Monument Hill at one time, and at the Bull Mountains in Montana until shortly before his death. He figured actively in the church’s development in Penrose and other valley points serving in the Sunday School Presidency and as a Ward Teacher saying “he guessed he’d do the best he could”. On March 20, 1947, he passed away unexpectedly in Billings, Montana, where he had gone for a routine check-up, of a heart attack at the age of 61. At his funeral, many friends and neighbors and community members gathered to pay tribute to his memory. Dr. Tom Croft and Grant Taggart, prominent men of the church and community, were the speakers. Relatives from Utah and various parts of Wyoming were present. His family saw him for what he was: a good father, a loving husband, and a kind friend.

Elizabeth Wilson and Frederick William Hopkin

Ole Hansen Jacobson

Oak City Sunday School in 1880

Ole Hansen Jacobson Family (circa 1907)

Ole Hansen Jacobson Family (circa 1917)

Ole was born on New Year’s Day in 1853 in Klovtofte, Copenhagen, Denmark. He was the son of Hans Jakobsen (I’ve also seen this written as Jacobson or Jacobsen), born February 27^th, 1814 in Svogerslev, Copenhagen, Denmark and passed away on the 15^th of July in 1818 in Klovtofte, Copenhagen, Denmark. Ole’s mother was Maren Hansen, who was born August 12^th, 1818, in Rye, Sommerup, Denmark; she died in December of 1893 in the city of Provo, Utah. The story I read and the way I understand it is that about the time Ole’s father passed away, a group of “Elders” from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were preaching their beliefs in the city of Klovtofte. Ole, his mother, his sister and her husband became very interested in what they were being told, and converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 1867, Ole and his family left Denmark with other converts and set sail to America. On the travel to America, the “mountain fever” broke out among the passengers; some died and were buried at sea. Ole succumbed to the disease, but fortunately for his descendants reading this right now, he lived. Even after reaching the shores of America he continued to overcome the disease. Ole’s mother was financially stable and left her homeland with many valuable possessions but “due to the dishonest handling of emigrant possessions while crossing the plains she lost many of her cherished valuable things.” While crossing the plains a man became friendly with her and learned she had money with her. He finally asked to borrow a “quite a sum from her.” She trusted his honesty and loaned him some of her money. He promised to get work as soon as they reached Utah and said he would pay it all back to her. She never saw or heard of him again after reaching Utah. She was left with not much money to live on. The Jacobson family first settled in Bear River, a small town near Brigham City. They also lived in Brigham City for a while. Ole had learned some carpentry work in Denmark and worked as an apprentice for a cabinet maker in Brigham City to help ends meet for the family. Not being able to get much work in Provo at the time, he and his friend worked in the Tintic Mines. When a railroad was being built through Leamington Canyon there was a call for men to work there, cutting down pinion pine trees, cutting them up and preparing them for burning to make coke to be used for the train engine. The men would be paid extra good wages. Ole built the coke kilns for burning the coke and they gave service for many years. Ole was also a musician. He played violin a little and played the accordion very well. While working in Leamington County the boys from Leamington asked him if he would play for their dances. His music was appreciated so much he was asked to play for all the dances in the neighboring towns. While playing for dances in Oak City, he “met a charming young lady who was considered queen of the ball”, Rebecca Deseret Dutson. They became very close friends, courted and later were married in the Salt Lake Endowment House on March 14, 1878. Rebecca’s parents admired Ole and were happy to welcome him into the family. Ole bought city lots in the east part of Oak City. He built a comfortable little home for them and made most of the furniture in the house. He landscaped the yards, planted lawns, trees, shrubs and flowers, making the little home attractive and a nice place for living. Ole was a first class carpenter and built several of the best homes in Oak City and Leamington. By the 1960s they were still in good condition and being occupied by different families down through the many years since being built. He also built the cabinet work in many of the old homes too. He was the main carpenter in building the Church House in Oak City, which was taken down in the 1980’s. Ole also did some prospecting and mining. Ole was a professional gardener in raising fruits and vegetables. He raised all kinds for market. As his children became old enough to work they all helped harvest the fruits and vegetables. His products were “of high quality and always in demand.” After his boys were old enough, Ole decided to try his hand at dry-land farming to raise hay and grain for their animals. He secured the land and prepared it for planting. One of the townspeople is said to have thought he was crazy for trying to raise crops without water. The man promised to give Ole a dollar for every hat full of grain he could raise on his farm. The grain was planted and the first crop yielded 200 bushels of turkey read what. He “surprised the townspeople” and soon there were dry-land farms on all sides of town. Eventually, Ole raised many other products on the dry farm. He raised poultry for some years, but got too advanced in his years and passed along the farming to his sons. Ole then went into the general mercantile business, which was very successful for several years. After his health began to fail, he was forced to sell out as none of his sons wanted to take the business over.

Ole Hansen Jacobson

            Ole was an artist and did some art work in his younger years and later specialized in enlarging and finishing photographs. He became acquainted with Professor Karl Gottfried Maeser (president of BrighamYoung University, 1879-1892) and enlarged his photograph and hung it in his living room as an example of “an outstanding character, a civil leader, educator, and a faithful Latter-day Saint.” Ole was self-educated and had a collection of many valuable books on different subjects. In his library he also had all the Church books and publications that were extensively read and studied by parents and children. It is said that Ole’s greatest concern in life was the welfare of his family. Five of his children attended college. Two of his sons spent their lives teaching at the high school, two were carpenters and builders and one a farmer. One daughter took a course in home economics at BYU, specializing in dress making. She made dresses, suits and coats for her mother, all her sisters and for many of her relatives and friends for many years. She also studied piano music at BYU and the Utah Conservatory of Music in Salt Lake City, Utah. She taught piano to young girls in Oak City and Leamington. The Jacobson girls were all said to be industrious and good homemakers. Ole and Rebecca were very found of music in their home. Many evenings were spent with music and singing. As the children became old enough to play musical instruments they were purchased and a four-member orchestra was organized in    the home. Ole was also very active in civic affairs in his home town. He was the president of the school board for many years. He held many other civic positions during his life. Ole and his family were all very active in their church. The family attended church regularly and all held positions in the auxiliaries of the Church. Obedience and punctuality were always stressed in the home.

While Ole’s children were growing up there were many cases of sickness and accidents in the family. Consecrated oil was always in the home for use in case of sickness. There was never a doctor in the home. In case of broken bones through accidents (which happened several times), the patient was taken across the street to Brother Partridge who claimed he didn’t know much about setting broken bones but was always successful in his attempts to heal, he fixed three broken arms and a badly broken foot for members of the family. The family also made their own medicines from herbs of different kinds. In the early days of Oak City, Ole organized and led the Marital Band. They played for many of the ward entertainments. He also held many positions in the Church. The first Sunday School was organized in 1871 with John William Dutson (his father-in-law) as Superintendent and Ole “1^st Assistant, Superintendent” from 1878 to 1887. He also held the position of 2^nd Assistant from 1888 to 1895.

Some thoughts given by Ole: If you can’t say something good about a person, don’t say anything. What you do, do your best so you will be proud of it. Give your best to others. Obedience is a principle that should be well understood by every young man and woman as we have need to practice it every day of our life. Habits are not the growth of a day but the result of frequent repetition. The human mind receives impressions from its surroundings. Men while forming their character should avoid bad company. Let us associate with the pure in heart whose character is unblemished and worthy of imitation. A good character is worth more than gold. Let us ever be found in the path of self-improvement, that our minds may become “Fountains of Knowledge”.

Home built by Ole Hansen Jacobson

Coins issued for Ole's store

1914 calendar for store

Note outlining school trustee positions

Letterhead for store