Edith Farnsworth's Obituary GRAHAM COUNTY GUARDIAN February 3, 1939 - Page 5 SERVICES ARE HELD FOR MRS. EDITH NIELSEN FARNSWORTH AT LEBANON WARD CHURCH Funeral services were held Friday (January 27) at 1:00 o'clock at the Lebanon Church for Mrs. (Caroline) Edith (Marie) Nielsen Farnsworth, who failed to revive following the setting of a complicated fracture of a broken leg. Presiding Elder Don Lee of the LDS Church presided at the services. The music was furnished by a mixed chorus composed of President and Mrs. Spencer Kimball, Harold Mitchell, Byron Smith, Henry Smith, Mrs. Ethel Cook, Mrs. Clarence Naylor, Mrs. Leah O'Donnal with Mrs. Ethel Payne at the piano. The songs were "Through Deepening Trials”, “0 My Father,"' and "Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow." The invocation was by Henry Smith of Virden (New Mexico), and the benediction by H. L. Smith of Ashurst. The speakers were President Harry L. Payne and President Spencer W. Kimball, both of whom spoke of the sterling qualities of this good woman and paid tribute to the large family she and Mr. Farnsworth had raised (Note: In February 1938, under the direction of Elder Melvin J. Ballard, the St Joseph Stake, of which Harry L. Payne had been president for almost 15 years, was divided into two stakes, The west part retained the name of St. Joseph Stake. The eastern area became the Mount Graham Stake. Harry L. Payne was sustained as patriarch of the newly organized Mt. Graham Stake, and Spencer W. Kimball was set apart as the new president of the Mount Graham Stake. Hence two stake presidents, Harry L. Payne of the old St. Joseph Stake and Spencer Kimball of the newly organized Mount Graham Stake, spoke at the services) Information taken from "'The 25th Stake of Zion 1883-1983" book, pg. 131. Those who bore the beautiful casket covered with floral offerings were her sons and only son-in-law (Andrew Angle). Internment was in Thatcher Cemetery, and the grave was dedicated by (Patriarch) Maurice Mickelson. Mrs. Edith Nielsen Farnsworth was born in Spring City Utah on July 27, 1885. At an early age, she moved to Mexico with her parents who lived in the Colonies of Juarez and Dublan. In 1902, Edith Nielsen was married to Ernest Farnsworth at Dublan. Eight boys and four girls were born to them, four of whom passed away before their mother died. Mr. And Mrs. Farnsworth came out of Mexico with the Mormon Exodus in 1912, returned and came out again in 1928, living in both Arizona and New Mexico. Mrs. Farnsworth was very active all of her life in the Mormon Church, having served in the Stake Presidency, in the Primary Association and was president of the YLMIA (Young Ladies Mutual Improvement Association). At the time of her death, (January 26), she was a teacher in the Sunday School, a teacher in tile Mutual Association and also in the Relief Society. She gave the Literary lesson at the Relief Society meeting Tuesday afternoon (January 24) and also at the MIA meeting in the evening (of the same day). (Her accident occurred the afternoon of Wednesday, January 25.) Survivors are her (husband, Ernest L. Farnsworth, one daughter, Mrs. Zereta Angle of Lebanon, sons, Carl and Elmo of Douglas, Otto of Bisbee, Douglas and Keith who are students of the Safford High School, and Grant and Robert who are attending the grade school. Besides her husband and children, she leaves her mother, Mrs. Sine 0. Nielsen and a sister, Clea Cluff both of Sedona, Arizona, a sister, Josephine Spillsbury, who resides at Nasco, Colorado, a brother Carl Nielsen, El Paso and a brother-in-law and his wife, Mr. And Mrs. Byron Farnsworth of Virden, New Mexico. All were in attendance at the funeral. Lebanon news, February 3, 1939 - Graham County Guardian Among the out of town people who came From a distance to attend the services for Mrs. Farnsworth were Mrs. Eva Haynie of Douglas, Mr. And Mrs. Orville Cluff from the Northern part of Arizona, Mr. And Mrs. P. D. Spillsbury from Nasco, Colorado, and the following from Virden (New Mexico): Mr. And Mrs. Ed Lunt, Mr. And Mrs. Henry Smith, Mr. And Mrs, Willard Jones, Mr. And Mrs. Verne Jones, Mr. And Mrs. John Jones, Mr. And Mrs. Nate Tenny, Mrs. Annie Lunt and Mrs. Will (William) Jones. NOTE: Words in parenthesis were added for information and/or interest by Joy Angle Layton. Sources: Personal knowledge, Family genealogical records and the Graham County Guardian. The obituary and article from the Graham County Guardian were submitted by Mrs. Effie Richardson, reporter and long‑time family friend.
(Edith's funeral - Back row, left to right- unknown, Josephine Spilsbury, Carl Nielsen, Jr., Keith Farnsworth, Ernest L. Farnsworth, Carl Farnsworth, Eva Farnsworth, Otto Farnsworth, Elmo Farnsworth & Douglas Farnsworth; middle row, Zereta Farnsworth Angle, Sine Olene Nielsen, Clea Nielsen Cluff & Orville Cluff; front row- Maude Farnsworth, Edith Angle, Robert L. Farnsworth, Alice Jo Cluff, Joy Angle, Lila Angle and unknown. A History of Edith and Ernest FarnsworthERNEST LAFAYETTE AND EDITH CAROLINE MARIE NIELSEN FARNSWORTH (Compiled by Joy Angle Layton, Granddaughter) May 2006 Ernest and Edith have earned the right to be listed among the names of true pioneers together with their parents and other progenitors back along their ancestral line. Their story is unique to those of us living today. With so little information available, it is difficult to tell the real story of their lives. They endured deprivation, sacrifice, fear, struggle, sorrow and pain, as well as satisfaction and joy in their determination to hold steadfast to their beliefs, Great people! Ernest's father, Alonzo Lafayette Farnsworth, was born in South Bend, Indiana on October 22, 1841. Alonzo's first marriage was childless. After some years, he was advised by President Brigham Young to enter into plural marriage which he did. Ida Henrietta Tietjen became his 3' wife and the mother of Ernest, our grandfather. Ida had previously been interested in another young man, but before a marriage could be consummated, he was accidently killed. Ida was born in far off Sweden. In the spring of 1859, Ida's family came to the United States - destination Utah, the gathering place of the Saints. Ida was six years old. Ernest Lafayette was born to Alonzo and Ida in Tuba City, Arizona on July 20, 1878. He is the oldest of nine children born to this union. Their names in order are: Ernest, Ida Belle, Stephen, Jessie, Orin, Byron, Sarah, Earl and Jennie. Edith's parents were both born in Denmark. Her father, Carl Emil Nielsen was born in Voldby, Denmark. He joined the Mormon Church as a young man against much opposition. Carl strongly desired to come across the ocean to Utah. This he accomplished. The Mormon missionaries converted Edith's maternal grandmother and grandfather, Niels Christian and Dorthy Marie Jensen, to the Mormon Church. They desired to come to Utah, but did not have the means for all of the family to come together. It was decided to send their little daughters, Sine Olene (our ancestor) and Andrea, with the missionaries to Utah. In reading Sine's story, as written by her children, it can be readily seen what a difficult time she had in America as she grew to young womanhood. Her parents later came to America, When Carl Emil Nielsen met the very special young Sine Jensen, he fell in love and married her at the tender age of 17. He was 24. Edith Caroline Marie Nielsen is the oldest of I I children born to this union, It is interesting how the ancestors of both Edith and Ernest were converted to the church, and how each came to Utah because of the strong magnetic pull toward this choice land, A little history - As early as 1874, church leaders had been looking to Mexico with two purposes in mind, one to spread the gospel and the second to establish colonies. In his book, "Forty Years Among the Indians," Daniel W. Jones states he and chosen others were the first Mormon missionaries to enter Mexico. This occurred in January of 1876, According to an article in the August 1985 Ensign - pg 43, "It was not until the 111id 1880' s (actually 1885) that the time was deemed right for the establishment of LDS colonies in Mexico." These colonies would later play a large roll in the lives of Ernest and Edith. The article also stated, "In the beginning, there were difficulties with land acquisition, illness, discouragement, and living conditions were primitive." It took much courage, sacrifice, faith and sheer dedication in the face of tremendous challenges for the first colonists to establish colonies and build homes in Mexico. In the early days of the LDS Church, a few men were requested to enter into plural marriage. This was, oft times, a great trial for many, both men and women. The practice was frowned upon by the US Government. The first Edmunds Bill (1862) did not have much effect on plural marriage. In 1882, it was signed by President Arthur with resulting penalties of fines and imprisonment. When this did not stop the practice, the Edmunds-Tucker bill was passed in 1887. This bill carried more severe consequences. In 1896, Utah was accepted into the Union as the 45"' state. The LDS Church authorities, wishing to comply with the laws of their country issued the Manifesto on September 24, 1890. In General Conference on October 6, 1890, the vote to adopt the "Manifesto" was unanimous. (See D&C pg 292) The already established polygamous families became the object of persecution in the United States. The husbands were sought out to be imprisoned and went into to hiding for their safety. The colonies in Mexico provided a safe refuge for many who had entered into plural marriage and would not give up their families. According to the birth dates and places of their children, Alonzo brought Ida and children to Colonia Pacheco, Mexico somewhere between July 1891 and January 1894. Carl Emil and Sine moved to Colonia Juarez between the dates of May 1891 and November 1892. Both families, evidently, arrived reasonably close to the same time, Whether it be irony or destiny, Ernest and Edith met in these new colonies established in Mexico. They fell in love and were married in Colonia Dublan, Mexico on February 28, 1902 by Apostle George Teasdale. Family legend states their union was sealed for eternity at the time of marriage. Apostle Teasdale evidently held the power to seal for eternity the marriages of the early Saints who lived in Mexico. On the date of October 3, 1907, Edith and Ernest received their endowments in the Salt Lake Temple. They took Zereta with them to Salt Lake City. Their second child, Leith, had passed away the preceding May. Ernest was very committed to having sealings and ordinances in place. (Some genealogical records show Ernest & Edith sealed at the time of receiving their endowments, however, FamilySearch.org, as of 9 August 2006, lists their sealing date as 28 February 1902 in Colonia Dublan, Mexico and their endowment date as 3 October 1907.) Ernest and Edith made a lot of moves during their married life. Some of the moves were made out of necessity when the colonists were forced out of Mexico because of the Mexican Revolution. Other moves came in an effort to provide better advantages for their family. Ernest and Edith lived in Colonia Garcia from the tirne of their marriage, February 1902 until around Spring of 1909. They next moved to Idaho where Grandpa Alonzo Farnsworth lived. In the fall when the weather turned blizzardy, they sold what possessions they had and went back to Mexico. The Mexican Revolution began in 1910. The colonies had been established long enough that the people were settling into a better way of life. They had built homes, schools, developed the lands, planted trees, gardens, owned cattle and land. They had worked hard and endured much. And now as internal revolting began, their lives were thrown into more turmoil. Karl E. Young, in his book, "Ordeal in Mexico," states that by the end of 19 10, the Mormon Colonists were beginning to feel the effects of what they at first thought was only an "insurrection." As lawlessness took over, bridges were burned, looting began, etc. "Pancho" Villa and his followers went on the war path causing much turmoil and fear for the lives of those Americans living in the colonies, During the last of July 1912, instructions came from the church leader in Mexico, President Romney, for the women and children to take a few things and get to the railroad depot to be sent out to El Paso by train. The men planned to stay behind to watch over their homes, lands and cattle. Plans soon changed. The men, too, were ordered to leave Mexico for their safety. Leaving everything behind, most went to join their families in El Paso, Texas. A very few refused to heed the warning and stayed to protect homes. Ernest, Edith and children, Zereta, Lucille and Carl, lived in El Paso until Uncle Ernest Albert Tietjen invited them to Bluewater, New Mexico to farm with him. After a few months in Bluewater, they moved to Pima, Arizona where Grandparents, Carl and Sine Nielsen, were currently living. They were in Pima in 1913 where son, Otto, was born. About a year later, they went back to Colonia Dublan, Mexico hoping things were more peaceful. There was still much confusion and many soldiers milling around. Somewhere around 1915 (could have been before), Ernest sent his family out to Tombstone where the Nielsen Grandparents were then living. Later, Ernest joined the family and worked doing fi‑eighting for a time. The lure of Mexico kept calling the Farnsworth's, Later in 1916, the family went back to Mexico ‑ this time living in both Juarez and Garcia. Sometime around the first part of 1929, Ernest purchased some land in Virden, New Mexico and moved the family there. Ernest farmed and raised animals. Depression days hit the USA big time in October 1929 when the banks went under. Times were hard. The price for produce and farm animals fell drastically. Ernest was afraid of losing the farm. When an offer came to trade the Virden property for property in Mexico, Ernest gladly accepted the opportunity to return to Mexico, The family lived in Mexico for a few years. Richard T Ely, in writing about the people of the colonies, mentions the outstanding economic factors contributing to the success of the Mormon colonists. He credits them with being industrious, frugal, maintaining sobriety, exercising brotherly love, possessing the ability to enjoy the present while reaching for high goals in the future. He also mentioned the social cement of their religion binding them together as well as bringing submission to leadership. Sometime during the last half of 1937 and the first part of 1938, Ernest moved his family back to Arizona. The family never returned to Mexico to live again. This time, Ernest moved his family to Lebanon (Cactus), Arizona to the old Underwood property. This property was located about 300 feet west of and adjacent to the home of daughter, Zereta and family. How special for mother and daughter to be so near each other after all of these many years. Edith's other three daughters died without growing to maturity. Out of the twelve children born to Ernest and Edith, Douglas, Keith, Grant and Robert were still at home. Robert, the youngest must have been around six years of age at the time of this move back to Arizona, USA The names of the 12 children of Edith and Ernest in order of birth are: Zereta, Ernest Leith, Lucille, Carl Alonzo, Otto Morris, Elmo (B), Douglas Lavere, Edith, Keith Nielsen, Grant Young, Josephine and Robert Lynn. Four of these children were deceased at the time of this move. Leith died around one year of age with a heart condition resulting from measles. Josephine drowned in an irrigation ditch in Virden, New Mexico at one year of age. Lucille and Edith each died between 14 to 15 years of age. Losing these children brought much heartache to their parents. Edith and young son Robert were in a car accident sometime before the family left Mexico the last time. Ernest asked Lucian Mecham, a professor at the Juarez Stake Academy , to drive his vehicle to Juarez. Edith and small son, Robert, were with him. On the way, before Lucian reached as far as Garcia, the vehicle went out of control. On a steep part of the road, the vehicle was picking up speed. The brakes were not totally effective in slowing the vehicle down. In an effort to slow it down to a controllable speed, Lucian tried to down-shift. He could not get the stick-shift out of neutral into a lower gear. The vehicle got out of control and crashed into a tree. Robert, being a very young child, was with them. He sustained a broken leg. Edith's injury was more serious. Her hip was broken. Ernest took Edith to Lordsburg , New Mexico to seek the expertise of a qualified doctor to set her hip. The bones in her hip healed, but left her body in a condition that created continual problems for her. Edith used a crutch for support on needed occasions. Sometime later and while living in the old Underwood house, Edith was outside one day hanging clothes or some such thing. She lost her footing, fell and broke an arm. The broken arm healed fine. Edith's death came as the result of another fall and a broken leg. The fall came the afternoon of January 25, 1939. No details of the fall are available. After the accident, Edith was placed on a mattress and taken to town on the back of a flatbed truck to have her injury attended to. Her menfolk took charge of getting the needed medical help for her in town. Zereta (daughter) watched for them to return home. In the late afternoon, as she saw the truck passing by, she stopped the men folks and asked them to leave her Mother with her. She felt she could care for her Mother better than the men could. The mattress, holding unconscious Edith, was carried into the house and placed on a bed. All through the late evening and into the night, Edith was monitored. Every so often, she would moan in her unconscious state but did not wake up. It appeared she was still under the effects of the anesthetic. She was expected to regain consciousness at any moment. Zereta with her new baby, Carol, spent the night in the room with her to be available when she aroused. Shortly after midnight, Ernest came to check on his wife. He found she had slipped quietly away without regaining consciousness. Her death certificate states the cause of death was shock following a fracture of the femur complicated by a pulmonary embolism. The diagnosis of the broken bone was made through x-ray. The bone was restored to normal position and a cast placed on her leg. Edith's death occurred in the early morning hours of January 26, 1939 as nearly as could be calculated. She died in Lebanon , Graham County, Arizona. Grandmother Edith's death came as a great shock to all. She was 53 1/2 years old. Grant was 12 and Keith was 15 1/2. Her youngest son, Robert, was only seven years old when she passed away. How hard life must have been for her sons, especially Robert. Joy, the oldest grandchild was 10 years old at the time of her passing. There was little opportunity for the grandchildren to really know their grandmother. Daughter Zereta said of her Mother, "She aspired for the finer aspects." Edith was buried January 27, 1939 in the Thatcher, Arizona Cemetery in her Allred relative's plot. Edith left some of her writings in a very small notebook referred to as her journal. The writings consist of inspirational poems, thoughts and Edith's feelings. Sometimes, in reading her writings, it is difficult to knowingly separate what might be her own poetic thoughts from those of others that have touched her soul. She writes of prayer, of patience, of self mastery, of the importance of a positive attitude, of self development so as to be a light to others, of faith, of friends, of teaching by example with wisdom and inspiration, of perseverance in times of trial and of the beauties of the earth. Her advice is to cherish purity of thought. The quote she offers to reinforce her advice is, “Noble thoughts are your best friends!” She also writes of grief - telling us that it has an important function in life and if that function is clearly understood, we are not likely to let it be supplanted by self-pity which may do us harm. Deep thinker! She cautions when grief strikes, one must evaluate his/her loss and get a plan - something to hold to as opposed to wilting in self-pity. Edith, no doubt, was blessed with hidden treasures of wisdom and understanding gained through walking the path of experience. What a grand lady! She left a legacy without price. Edith expresses that life teaches us, mellows us, gives us experience and wisdom. Edith was a woman of delicate senses, with a love of refinement and an appreciation for beautiful things. Edith's son, Douglas, remembers his mother as being gentle, kind, loving and always there for the children. Son, Elmo, concurs with him one hundred percent. Ernest spent his life engaged in different occupations, mostly farming and ranching. He did some freighting and what ever was needed to provide for his large family. Ernest was steadfast, strong-minded and a hard worker. Son, Douglas, related an incident that happened either to him or to his Dad when hauling logs. He said six to eight logs would be loaded on each wagon. The logs were loaded in this manner. The wagon was backed up to one end of the log. A chain was then fastened to the opposite end of the log - the one farthest from the wagon. The horses were placed in front of the wagon, the second end of the chain connected to their harness. As the horses were driven forward, the log would be pulled up on end and over to fall into the wagon. One time as either Ernest or Doug (story not clear) was loading logs the chain broke hitting the unfortunate one in the middle of the back. He was laid up for awhile. A slanted box was made to support the injured back as recuperation took place. This was a big help in dealing with the injury. An interesting story is told about Ernest that hopefully can be related without excessive detail. Lester B. Farnsworth, half brother to Ernest and first counselor to Bishop Whetten, was appointed to take a few men back to the colonies to check out conditions in order to arrive at a sound decision as where the colonists should go from El Paso. Upon their return, Lester Farnsworth reported to the elderly Bishop Whetten that the mountains were still full of colony cattle. He felt that if an adequate number of men went down, they could bring a sizeable herd out to the hard-pressed people in El Paso. Lester was again given the responsibility to head the group. Lester felt deeply the responsibility of taking perhaps a dozen heads of household down into a country swirling with revolution. Three of his Farnsworth halfbrothers, Ernest, Orin and Steve, were among the group of men accompanying him. On September 10, 1912, they reached Colonia Garcia. Skipping much of their detailed efforts and to make the story shorter, they came up with a large number of cattle. These cattle had to be driven to Pearson to the cattle yards to be shipped to El Paso by train. They had to have a shipping permit to ship the cattle. The men tried to keep their operation somewhat secret as they rounded up the cattle. One day they saw three Mexicans standing in a field watching them. One rode over and asked them what they were doing. The explanation was they had come to check on their cattle, The Mexican told them they had better let the cattle alone and get out of the country or they would be killed by the "Red Flaggers" (rebels). The men knew this could happen, and they decided they should send Lester Farnsworth to Pearson to check out the rumor. The men knew they needed a permit, and they knew they could get the cattle out unless a rebel army should spot them and take the cattle from them. They got the herd of cattle started for Garcia and then decided to send Ernest Farnsworth over the top of San Diego mountain to make a phone call to find out if the cars would be ready to make a shipment when they got the cattle there. With good luck, they figured they'd be off the mountain in about two days and on the way to Pearson. In Pearson, they felt they would be protected because the Federals would honor their shipping permit. Meanwhile "Ern" had ridden his old horse, Whiteman, over to the top of the mountain and made the phone call to Pearson. He was told to bring the cattle down to the railroad shipping yards. As he was returning through the bottom of Soldier Canyon, a little box canyon, a rebel soldier upon the steep hillside hailed him and told him to stop. This fellow was one of a group of "Red Flaggers" who had their camp up on the high ledges between Strawberry and Soldier Canyons. They had not seen "Em" as he rode out to make the call, but had spotted him coming back and sent a man down to stop him for questioning. The canyon was rough, and the man had not made it down in time to stop him until Ernest had ridden a little way beyond. So when the guard called, Earnest looked around and saw him. He figured if he could make it around the bend, he would be able to escape. Consequently, he socked in his spurs and took out. Ern rounded the point all right, but a couple of hundred yards farther ahead, the road came up out of the canyon and started to climb a long dugway to the top of the mesa. When "Ern" reached this dugway, the soldier opened up on him. Bullets from the soldier's gun kicked the dirt just behind and just ahead, sometimes above him and sometimes just below. The old white nag gave it all he had, but when he became overly winded he fell into a walk, and the bullets hit a lot closer. Ernest got back to Garcia all right - reported the phone call and his escape from the Red Flagger. The men teased him about his running away, saying that he had only been shot at two or three times because on those switchbacks up the mountain, he had 'got going' so fast he passed up the bullets and counted each one twice! But down underneath, they were worried. Most of them would testify today that they got out of the tight spot the next day because as they stood around the campfire, night and morning, in their humble prayers, they asked for protection to accomplish their job. Early the next morning, they started the cattle on their way. During the noon rest, a rebel came walking up to them, They knew it meant trouble. The colonists suggested "Bert" (James E. Whetten) talk with the rebel soldier. He knew Spanish well. "Bert" greeted the stranger in a friendly way inviting him to eat. The man ignored the invitation and asked what they were doing. He became a little hostile. The rebel spoke of the man who wouldn't stop the day before. He accused the man of taking information about the Red Flaggers to the Federals. He insisted on talking with him. "Bert" told the rebel that "the man" didn't speak Spanish and it would do him no good to talk with him. He continued to insist and inquired which one was it. All of the time, Ernest was sitting on the ground cross-legged with his head down trying to swallow his meat. Finally, without looking at him, "Bert" said in English, "Ern, you climb in the wagon and get right up in the middle of that herd." The rebel kept insisting. One of the men wanted to put a bullet through the rebel's head. "Bert" told him better to lose the whole herd than to do that. The rebel insisted that his men would be angry with him if he did not bring back the man who ran from them the day before. "Bert" would not give in. Finally he satisfied the rebel by giving him a saddle, two slickers and several horses to satisfy the Red Flagger's group. To shorten the story, the men brought out a herd of well over a thousand full grown cattle. The cattle brought a price of $12,000 which was divided among the colonists from Garcia and Pacheco. The money helped tide the people through a very rough period in their lives. Not one man had been hurt on the expedition. They attributed their success to the watchful care of divine power, The above story was adapted from the original in the book, "Ordeal in Mexico," by Karl E. Young. Ernest was an attractive man. He had a nice bass voice and enjoyed singing. After his wife passed away, he liked to have a granddaughter play a song he and Edith sang together in their earlier years. Edith would play the piano as they sang, "Silver Threads Among the Gold." Following are the words from the song: Darling, I am growing old, Silver threads among the gold Shine upon my brow today; Life is fading fast away, But, my darling, you will be Always young and fair to me. Yes! My darling, you will be, will be, Always young and fair to me. When your hair is silver white And your cheeks no longer bright With the roses of the May, I will kiss your lips and say: Oh my darling, mine alone, alone, You have never older grown, Yes, my darling, mine alone, You have never older grown. Love can never more grow old; Locks may lose their brown and gold, Cheeks may fade and hollow grow; But the hearts that love will know Never, never winter's frost and chill; Summer warmth is in them still, Never winter's frost and chill, Summer's warmth is in them still. Love is always young and fair, What to us is silver hair, Faded cheeks or steps grown slow, To the hearts that beat below? Since I kissed you, mine alone, alone, You have never older grown, Since I kissed you mine alone, You have never older grown. Chorus: Darling, I am growing old, Silver Threads Among The Gold. Shine upon my brow today, Life is fading fast away. After Edith died, Ernest was very lonely. He was sixty years old with four sons at home. Son Douglas married his sweetheart, Helen Sorrells, less than a month after his mother's death. This left Keith (15), Grant (12) and little Bob (7) who greatly missed their mother's tender caregiving. Ernest's great need to have a woman in the home led him to seek a wife soon after the loss of his sweetheart. He first married Maude Ellen Frazier on March 9, 1939. This union proved very unsatisfactory and was soon dissolved. On February 24, 194 1, Ernest married Lavina Brinkerhoff Lee. The family lived in Colorado at this time. The teenage boys had some conflict living in harmony with Lavina. After some months of dealing with their mischievous pranks, Lavina decided being step-mother to the Farnsworth boys was not for her. She moved on. Ernest's last marriage was to Eva Henderson on November 27, 1946, Ernest built a two bedroom home in Kirtland, New Mexico near his daughter Zereta. He and Eva moved there.
Children of Edith and Ernest Farnsworth Ernest Leith Farnsworth Lucille Farnsworth Carl Alonzo Farnsworth Otto Morris Farnsworth Elmo "B" Farnsworth Douglas Laverne Farnsworth Edith Farnsworth Keith Nielsen Farnsworth Grant Young Farnsworth Josephine Farnsworth Robert Lynn Farnsworth
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