John Austin Frank Compiled by L. Arden Frank

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John Austin Frank WWI - 1918

John Austin Frank was born 23 November 1895 in Providence, Cache, Utah. His father was Louis Frank, born 30 April 1866 in Logan, Cache, Utah. His mother was Ella Elizabeth Haderlie, born 10 July 1871 in Providence, Cache, Utah.

Austin was the fifth in a family of twelve children. Louis Winfield, Luella, Anna Hazel, Caroline (stillborn), Marie Haderlie, Ollie LaVenia, Genevieve, Wahneta, Radah, Charles Windsor, and Seth Clinton.

Austin was given his name and blessing 2 January 1896 by Godfrey Fuhriman in the Providence Ward of the Logan Stake. He was baptized 24 April 1904 in Providence by his father and was confirmed by Alma Mathews.

As he grew, he advanced through the Aaronic Priesthood and was ordained an Elder 19 January 1916 by his father. He received his Patriarchal Blessing under the hands of Patriarch Hyrum G. Smith 21 August 1917. He served as secretary of the Elders Quorum and later in the presidency. He also served as a Vanguard teacher in the ward.

-Some of the following incidents were obtained from his sisters-

Austin was a happy-go-lucky boy. He teased his sisters a lot, but they must have liked it because they thought very highly of him. When he was young, he would lose his temper very quickly. His mother talked to a Dr. John T. Miller, a G.P. and Phrenologist, about his problem. Austin went to see him and had the bumps on his head read. The doctor talked to him and told him how to control his temper, and after that he had good control of his temper.

Austin was the son of a farmer, and he and his father were inseparable. He especially liked horses, and his father didn't, so his father would take care of the cows while Austin took care of the horses.

His father, Louis, had a hand hay chopper which he probably used to chop hay for special animals. One Sunday while his parents were at church, a few of Austin's friends came to play. They were in the barn, and something got caught in the chopper. Austin told them not to turn the handle while he reached in to get the hay out, one boy, out of meanness, turned the handle and Austin's hand was badly cut, although no bones were broken. One of the boys hurried and got his parents from church. They bandaged his cuts the best they could, and his hand healed leaving few scars.

Austin liked to drive nails, and his father always kept him supplied with a hammer and a can of shingle nails. There weren't many spots in the old grainery without a nail hammered in. The children used to work in a potato field that their father owned near "Ballard Springs." If they came up with a few worms Austin would cut a willow, tie on a string and hook and try his luck in the springs. When he would catch one, he usually had to eat it as the others didn't care that much for them according to Hazel.

Radah says that one of his favorite tricks was to pretend to be talking in his sleep as he slept in the room across the hall from his sisters. They held some pretty funny conversations "in his sleep." Austin made a harness for his dog, put the top of an old buggy on his wagon and had the dog pull the kids around the neighborhood.

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