Life Story of John Francis Astle Written by his sister, Sarah Astle Call

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Less than a year after moving to Providence, Klea, the eldest daughter, was married to Joseph R. Baer, and a little later, his daughter Pearl was married to George I. Carling. Both of these gentlemen were from Providence. There were now five daughters left to carry on the housework: Arstanie, Doretta, Agnes, Elva May, and Grace, with one son, David.

For five years, John F. served in the Logan Stake Mission. From this he was released to fill a short term mission in the Central States Mission for the LDS Church. He was set apart November 16, 1925, and assigned to Labor in Austin, Texas. Within himself he did not want to go to Texas, but desiring to be obedient to authority, he went as requested. Some of the greatest blessings he ever received came to him while laboring in this mission. He did much tracting and sold many Church books, especially the Book of Mormon. He made many friends and a few converts.

Each time District Conference was held, he expected to be transferred to a different part of Texas as was his wish, but instead, he was sent right back to labor in Austin. When he left Providence for Austin, he weighed only 112 pounds, but when he was released to come home, his weight had increased to 138 pounds. While there, he enjoyed excellent health.

He returned to Providence from the Central States Mission in June 1926 finding all well at home and the strawberry harvest in progress - the best crop ever raised on this farm. The very day of his arrival he pitched right into picking strawberries. In a short time after his return, he had lost 20 pounds.

Clara Holm Steen and John F. Astle Taken in Logan, Utah

He corresponded with a number of the Austin Saints and among them a sister he had greatly admired, Clara Holm Steen. In March 1927, John F., accompanied by his daughter Arstanie, made the trip to Texas by automobile - their destination being, of course, Austin. When returning home, they brought with them Sister Steen and her two children, Ann and Roy. An older boy, Edward, remained in Texas. At this time, John F. had been a widower for eight years. On March 30, 1927, he and Clara Holm Steen were married in the Logan Temple by President Joseph R. Shepherd.

About this time, John F. ventured into the fox-raising business, purchasing his first pair of silver foxes in December 1926 and January 1927 from George L. Morrison paying $1,800 for the two. Ten pens were built. Later in the summer that same year, he ranched eight pairs of silver foxes for $200 a pair.

As a fox rancher he was quite successful and outstanding. But with fox ranching, as with other types of livestock, there were diseases and losses. Two different years, distemper and encephalitis got into the ranch and resulted in over $5,000 loss in foxes besides $706 for veterinary services. John F. received two awards for high increase and fine quality of pelts and blue ribbons at fairs and fox shows for superior animals. His son David was very good to help his father with the foxes. In December 1944, John F. decided to close out his business, because of a rapid decline in prices of fox pelts due to World War II. So he terminated the industry, being free from debt with sufficient money in the bank to enable him to live in comfort for the rest of his days.

Now let us go back to the time when John F. and his children left the ranch at Grover and moved to Providence. He sold his ranch, machinery, cows and horses to a brother-in-law, Edgar Hepworth. When the depression came, it was very difficult for Edgar to make any payments, so John F. took the place back returning all money Edgar had paid in equity. So his sons, Francis Jr. and David, decided to run the ranch for one year, but they did not do so well. John F. had to borrow $1,000 in order to pay taxes and other indebtedness, so he took over the ranch to work on it himself also retaining the Providence place. He had to travel from Utah to Wyoming almost constantly making the trip mostly by night. He made a little money and bettered his condition somewhat and then leased the ranch to Duill Taylor for three years for a "cash lease". Taylor did well, and at the end of the second year, made arrangements to buy the ranch on time, but because of speculations, he failed to keep up the payments and lost out. John F. had to redeem the place by assuming a mortgage. He had $5,000 equity in the ranch, but by paying the debts, he lost $3,000. David again took over to run the ranch for one year.

In the meantime, John F. went to Southern Utah and purchased 209 head of two year old steers. To pay for them and renew the mortgage on the Providence home, he signed in one day for a loan of $9,000. It was a hard struggle to get out of debt. The Cache Valley Banking Company and the Utah Mortgage Company wanted John F. to forget the Wyoming ranch, or else he would be turned out in the street. But he told them that every cent he owed would be returned to them if it took every dollar he had. This was during the depression that followed the First World War.

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