Excerpts from Letters to Miss Audrey Scholl
June 6, 1939 St. George Utah
I haven’t had time to get acquainted with Elaine as I wanted to. Practically all the way up here your mother related to me testimonies she has gathered mostly of healing and truly dear I think with all her persuading and coaxing she has talked me out rather than into going to the St. George Temple.
I wanted to go to a meeting before the first session this morning but I did not go in to receive my own Endowments. I think mostly because your mother coaxed so hard I was kind of made me mad and I couldn’t not go through that way.
Elaine says the telephone company send you a bill for 5 cents and she got tired of seeing it sit there waiting so she fell in love with it, so she borrowed it permanently. She says if you came up here after it she will give it back to you if you can catch her.
June 12, 1939 Providence
I am in Providence now I just got here today. I brought your mother up to Logan and on the way she tried so hard to get me to go to the temple with her tomorrow that I really don’t care if I go or not now. . But darling don’t worry I do intend to go but not yet. I don’t know when.
June 14, 1939 Providence
Swell they have just put the kids to bed. They have two sweet little girls the same age as Beth’s two boys and Darling I tell you that I do so envy them for I do want a family like that but of course My Dear I want you to share my family with me.
June 20, Tremonton
Sweetheart I am going to write to Bro Widtsoe today and ask him when I can come in to see him, for I want to talk to him and get that matter settled once and for all one way or another an then too he might be able to help me in some way.
My dearest let me know what you think about the Temple and which you think I should go to and if you can get off like I said before and want your endowments at St. George. Let me know what you think of the whole thing or if this is even possible.
June 22, 1939 Tremonton, Utah
I have been running the Tractor all day today out in the hot sun and only you think it wasn’t hot. Well I here to tell you it was and I am sun burned.
Tomorrow I’m going to have my picture taken if it comes out I will send you one of the copies.
Darling I got an answer from Bro Widtsoe today telling me that he was out of the state but would be in about the middle of next week so I will go to SLC than for a day.
June 24, 1939 Tremonton, Utah
Darling I must thank you again for your picture. It is so sweet of you to have it fixed up like you did. I have showed it to almost everyone I’ve seen since I received it and every one of them says you are too pretty to be real. Some of them said I was crazy to leave you an even take a chance on loosing you. I have even been told that if they were me, they would go home as fast as they could just to be with you. They all say you’re beautiful. You can imagine how proud that makes s me proud of you my dear.
Yes that is little me on the tractor. I drove for two days in the back you can see one of the hay-racks in front of the chicken coop in the hay rack is the wheat can they had in the field. This was taken just after we had finished with the hay. Don’t you think I look like a working-man. I felt like it when that picture was taken.
June 24 Tremonton
This is the Plan. I have worked it out, it isn’t very good but it might work. If you can arrange to get off Monday the 3rd by Ester or even your dad calling and saying something like this “Audrey was very sick yesterday and is better do day but not yet well enough to come to work (not so good is it?), then you could leave there Sat. afternoon or evening sometime and I could meet you wherever you stay Salt Lake, St. George, Spring City, Magu or any where you say then if you were you get your endowments you could Monday if not then we could go to some of the Canyons around where we are or anything else you wished Sweetheart. (If you wish your endowments be sure go get your own endowments from the temple you want.)
June 24, Tremonton
I finally received your picture yesterday. Darling when I opened it and saw what you had done for me Beloved I couldn’t talk and tears filled my eyes and rolled down my cheek till I had to turn my head and if I had been alone I would have broken down and cried just to see your picture and to know that you went to so much bother and expense just to send me a picture of you. Darling when you do things like that you just don’t give me a break for I just can’t help but love you for your thoughtfulness and kindness to me.
June 25, Tremonton Utah
Since I receive your second letter I have been thinking the more I think that you are right about the “old business.” I would kind of like to see him through, but if I do the subject will be brought us as sure as anything . So if you say so I shall not to see him. If I do see him and the subject is brought up I shall tell him how you feel about it and I might even show him your last letter, the one your wrote standing up. If you think it would do any good. Let me know what you think on this matter.
June 28, Tremonton, Utah
Darling the thought just hit me when you told me about cutting out that material. My Darling I think it would be fun to make our own Temple clothes and I would like to help you when I get back or do you think that it is too soon to think of things like that? If you do just disregard the whole think if not let me know and I’ll try to find out if there is a pattern available and what kind of material is necessary and any other thing or question that you can think of so that when I get back we could go ahead if it meets with your approval sweetheart.
June 30, Tremonton
Sweet, I kind of think I should see Bro Widtsoe, but I know as sure as I do that the old business will be brought up again. So Darling I don’t know what do about it.
July 1, 1939
My Grandmother has an old phonograph that she had years ago, it is still in good working order, they haven’t any new tunes but they have lots of old tunes that I like to hear so I played that last night and again this morning my grandmother says if I had a way I could take it home with me and I would if I had a way.
July 4, 1939 Tremonton, Utah
I want to go through the Temple Thursday. If I get there in time (Logan Temple) if not I will try to go Friday. I will stay in Providence till Mon or Tues. and then I will come back to Tremonton and stay here till I get an answer from my Grandpa Kroksh, I think it will be necessary to stay 2 or 3 days after that to get things straightened up then I will leave for SLC, stay there a while (a few hours) and then go onto Provo where I think I can get some Holdaway Genealogy, as soon as I get what I can’t get here I will go on to Spring City to get Cranforth Genealogy. I think I will have to stay in Spring City a day or maybe even to go get all I want then I will go over to Price and stay there a day or two visiting relatives then the next day Sweetheart I will try to be with you.
July 7, 1939 Providence, Utah
I was at the Logan Temple by 9:00 am and about 9:30 I got into talk to President Quincy. I talked with him for about twenty minutes. I will tell you what about when I see you Darling. He advised me to see and get the opinion of one of the presidency or one of the twelve and then suggested Dr Widtsoe because he was close, he is teaching summer school at AC . I told him I was going to see Dr Widtsoe anyway and he suggested I do it then before I go through so I left and went up to the AC and found Dr Widtsoe but he was in class so I had to wait till he got out. I talked to him quite a while and sure enough your name came up. It was about the first thing that we talked about he said he remembered you and his talk with you. He said you indicated without saying so that you were thinking of someone very seriously without mentioning in mind. So by that Darling I take it that you set your cap for me rather early in the game. Well Sweet you have me hooked and I’m glad of it.
Dr Widtsoe said he would like to talk it over with Pres Quincy so I took him down to the Temple and they talked for some time and I waited after a while President Quincy came out and asked me in the office and I went in and we talked for a few minutes and then pres Quincy anointed me and Dr Widtsoe sealed the anointing. It was the first time I was ever administered to and it was sure a grand blessing. I only wish I had a copy of it. It gave to understand that the time was not yet when I would be healed but then left to believe that the day was not far distant.
Then I took Dr Widtsoe back to the AC and came on home with instructions from Pres Q that I could come back today at the 9:00 am Session,. I came back to Lowell’s and had Dinner it was 1:00 pm. Before I got home.
Well now for today: I got up this morning and got over to the temple this morning for the 9:00 session when the meeting before the session was over I saw pres Q. He took me into the dressing room and turned me over to one of the counselors he took me into the washing and anointing. Then I went on through the Temple and received my own endowments. Darling I thought of you many times while going through and wished you were with me. Sweetheart I messed you more last night and today that all the rest of the time together.
….Beloved I am glad I went through the Temple. It was like dreading to take a dose of medicine that you know will make you better and then when you do finally take it you find the taste is one you really enjoy. Now it is over I feel better about eh whole thing and find I want to go again. It is so full that you can’t possibly get it all the first time and I’ll never be satisfied until I know if not all about it at least a great deal more than I know now.
Beloved do you realize we have been engaged six weeks and two days now. It seems to me it has been at least a year. Darling I will never be satisfied now until I take you through the veil in the Temple of our Lord.
July 9, Providence Utah
Sweetheart maybe you had better send my letter c/o Jane Brough Tremonton for I think I will be staying there most of the time till I leave.
July 10, 1939
Yesterday I went over to see Ray and Verice a cousin and his wife) I showed hem my book and visited then ate Chicken dinner there and then Ray had to go back up the Canyon an(he is the powder man up at the Rock Corey) he had to get some rock down and so Verice and I went up with him and watched him. I did not get back till 10:30 and that was to late to listen to “One Man’s Family.”
July 11, 1939
After I mailed your letter yesterday. I went visiting for a while then came back and the water was up so I took my bath and again went visiting and showed your picture to some of the family (all that was home) and they all said they thought it wasn’t real and if it was they couldn’t see why I had left you to come out here. And said they would get back to you as soon as they could if they were me.
July 13, 1939 I didn’t do much yesterday except go down to see my cousin that just got back from a mission in England, but I couldn’t get any information on Genealogy from him because he had a date so I will have to go back another time.
I am waiting around to sell 75 chickens.
July 12, 1939
Just as I was getting ready your mother called up (she is back in Logan) and talked to me for a while. She tried again to get me to go through the Temple. (I did not tell her I have already been. She also tried to get me to say in Providence or Logan. I told her I was going home, but I didn’t tell her when. She tried in every way she could to try to make me promise not to leave Utah yet for a while.
July 14, 1939
P.S. I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, and I love you. Incidentally if I haven’t mentioned it before I love you Darling. G
July 15, 1939
Darling last night at Bill’s I had an experience that sent a thrill of delight up and down my spine. One of Bill’s daughters, the youngest about 7 or 8 years old came over and climbed on my lap and put her arms around my neck and her head against my shoulder. Sweetheart a lump came in my throat and I would talk for a moment I was so happy.
July 17, 1939
Sunday I got up and took my uncle (The Bishop) and his family to conference at Garland. I was very nice Bro Smoot was there and spoke for a half hour. In the afternoon I went again to see Ray Holdway and finally found him home and as your know I went to get more Genealogy and instead I gave him 3 generations and four families, after he copied all them down he took me out to the dry farm and I looked that over for about an hour or so and then came back to town and talked more. Then I went back and picked up my Uncle and family again took them over to the evening meeting of conference.
July 20, 1939
After I mailed your letter yesterday I packed all my clothes then went down twice to see the fellow that is trying to buy our place and finally found out he has gone fishing and won’t be back till after the 24th. Then I went down to my Aunts again to get some pictures I had forgotten and to talk to my Uncle I sure had a great talk with him.
I forgot to tell you yesterday but while we were fixing the pigpens. One of the cows started to make funny noise so we went over to see what was wrong and there she stood licking off her new calf. It sure looked funny trying to learn to walk.
July 21, 1939
Just a line tonight before I go to bed the rest of them, My uncle Fred and family has gone to bed and I am sleeping down in the basement where I will sleep they have it fixed very nice down here. I think they sleep down here themselves part of the time. I sit up talked for Ferd about the place in Tremonton till just a few minutes ago, I’ll tell you about it when I see you again. It is about 11:30 now.
July 22, 1939
I am now in Ogden 22 miles closer to you sweetheart than I was last night.
I am staying with a cousin of mine (Jane) she is one that I went with the last time I was here and when we get together we don’t know when to call it quits, we’re both just darn fools when we get together and now I’m here and she insists that I stay over the holiday and right now I don’t see how I can get out of it, even if I don’t feel at all like celebrating without you Darling. I don’t want to make them mad (she is married now) and I get I don’t care to go so I guess Ill go and just act dopey not that I want to act dopey but I can’t get any pep knowing your not having a good time darling and how that you are not with me. If you were here Darling I could go and have a good time and enjoy every minute of it.
July 24, 1939 Address: 976 W Larabee St, West Hollywood Ca.
…then came back and finished your letter then went up to Liberty to see the Gardner I told you about. I saw him this time and we had a nice visit they are very nice people.
July 26 1939 SLC Utah
At conference they had loud speakers so everyone could hear OK.
July 27, Spring City Utah
It is the first time I have even been in Spring City so it is all-new to me. I am having a good time. My Aunt said she would lock me in the living room alone so I could think and she did.
July 28, 1939 Zion National Park
I am now at the very end of the Canyon at Zion’s Park, I am 225 miles closer today Darling than I was when I got your letter this morning.