"Going to the roots of the Frank Family"
March 28, 2024

  Home

  Pedigrees

  Biographies/Journals
Frank
Astle
Haderlie
Hepworth

  Photo Album
  Search

  Mailing List

  Contact us


Astle & Hepworth
Hereditary Thyroid Cancer
Learn More


Unknown Photo

Do you know these kids?

John Austin Frank
Compiled by L. Arden Frank

Previous   1  2   3   4   NEXT

While Ausin was home, his father had him go to Salt Lake City and try to talk to Hazel into coming home and going on a mission, which she later did. She said he took her out to dinner before he left. She said she remembered they had fried oysters to eat. (She was telling the story more than 60 years later). He returned to Camp Kearney, one month later and then was shipped to Fort Mills, N.Y. and then on to England and France on board The Oxfordshire. He said in his diary that France is the only place on the face of the earth where the sun comes up in the West. He was stationed near Bordeau, France with Field Remount Squadron 322. While there he worked up to the rank of Sargent and was a Squad Leader. He received letters from his parents, all of his sisters, his brothers, and many of his friends, but most often from his wife, Christena. All of these helped to keep his spirits up and to help him through the tedious job of shoeing horses and mules. For entertainment, he attended stage shows and movies at the "Y" in Bordeau. One entry showed that he was more content when he was busy and would get very homesick when things were slow. Another entry told about some of the "tussles" they had with the stock they had to shoe. Horses and mules that gave them any trouble were knocked down with a large wooden mallet, and while they were down, four shoes were nailed on. If they got up, it was OK; if not, that was OK too. While in France, one of the officers in Austin's squadron, Lt. Randolph, offered him a job after the war shoeing race horses for him in Kentucky. Austin told him "No thanks" he wanted to get back to the farm.

When the war was over and the troops were being sent home, Austin found that he was going to have to stay on a little while to help finish shoeing the horses and mules which the U.S. government had given to the French. He got a pass and drove to Camp Geniert to see some of his friends off on their way home, "Odd" Zollinger and others. The entry in his diary the next day said that he was almost glad that he wasn't going yet but it wasn't long until he started to get anxious as the weather started to warm up in the Spring of 1919. On the 19th of March he noted that it had been 2 years since he met Christena. Finally in June, the word came that he was going home. He sailed from France on the U.S.S. Black Arrow and arrived at Newport News, Virginia.

During the train ride to Salt Lake City, they stopped at Chicago, and he went to the Khaki and Blue Club where the menu offered such things as hot cakes and syrup for 10 cents, two sandwiches for 5 cents, and coffee, pie, and ice cream, 5 cents each.

When he arrived home, Austin and Christena lived at the home of his parents for 6 weeks. Then they rented the Fife home on Main Street in Providence and later moved to the family home at 70 West 1st North. To them were born five children, Austin Garret, Nadra Rachel, Ella Ree, Marilyn, and Louis Arden. Austin farmed with his father and later purchased 20 acres of land at "Ballard Springs" on the Hyrum road. He owned the first tractor in Providence, an Advance Runley, and the first motor driven threshing machine. He did lots of custom threshing. He also bought a stationary chopper which was driven by a long belt around a drive wheel on the tractor. The chopper would blow the hay into the barn and things were dusty for weeks. He also had a milk route and hauled the 10 gallon cans with a 1919, 2 ton International Truck with the radiator behind the engine. He gathered the milk from the farmers in Providence and took it to the Bordon Milk plant in Logan and later to the Morning Milk plant in Wellsville. Austin G. remembered making the trip with his father by wagon, sleigh, and truck. He especially liked to go because they would stop and visit with Otto Liechty who worked at a bakery in Logan, and he would give them day-old buns and sweet rolls to eat. All of the children liked to go with their father and would meet him at A.E. Allen's corner and go along to deliver the empty cans and butter.

Previous   1  2   3   4   NEXT

 
Last Updated: September 30, 2023  
Secure Connection You are viewing this page over a secure connection.  
Copyright © 2006-2024 - FrankHistory.com