Autobiography
(1891-
This is a short history of the life and doings of Joseph Rexel Bachman, born Oct 26, 1891 at Eden, Weber Co., Utah. The first of eleven children of Joseph and Margaret Howard McBride Bachman.
Here I shall digress to give a short synopsis of my parents.
Joseph Bachman was the first child of the second wife of Jacob Bachman. Jacob was born April 26, 1830 at Bottenweil, Switzerland. He with his family joined the church and came to America. They crossed the plains by handcart and settled in the farming community of Eden. Here his first wife died and he married a Swiss girl convert--Anna Hegetschweiler. They had four children. Joseph grew to manhood in Eden and married Margaret Howard McBride, whose parents were of English descent. Margaret was a farm girl. Her parents lived in Eden. They were also farmers. She was born Mar 31, 1871. Joseph and Margaret were married on Dec 9, 189- and had a temple marriage in the Salt Lake Temple at a later date. Neither had a formal education beyond the third grade. Of the eight children--6 boys and 2 girls--to reach maturity, all received college educations or the equivalent thereof. Four boys filled missions and the other two were in the armed services in World War 1 and 2. The girls were school teachers, the boys were fine accountants and one doctor. Joseph died May 9, 1940, Margaret died October 8, 1942.
From this point I shall deal with my own life. I shall divide it into periods.
The first period is from birth. Oct 26, 1891 until Dec. 31, 1899, during which I grew from babyhood to boyhood in Eden. Had a few childhood ills; mumps, measles, etc. In the summer of 1896 my folks decided to take a trip by team and wagon to the Gila River Valley in Pima Arizona. Mothers uncle in Pima, a brother of her father, had settled there. He had a large family. She also had an aunt who had married a Wm. Webb of Pima. The folks thought they might settle in Pima. Mother's diary of the trip makes interesting reading. The folks had three boys. I was the oldest, not yet five. Shortly after arrival all of the children were sick with diphtheria or malaria fever and the youngest boy, Merlin died and was buried at Pima. The folks returned to Utah. While traveling in Arizona I got tired of riding a horse and rode on the reach between two freight wagons, went to sleep and fell off. The rear wagon, heavily loaded, ran over my chest and crushed it and some ribs. I was taken to the army hospital at Fort Apache in Arizona, where I was kept until well enough to travel. Upon return to Utah I entered the public school in Eden about Sep. 1, 1897. I learned to work on the farm. We also attended to our religious duties. When big enough my particular job was to attend to the horses, which I learned to ride and handle.
The second period is from Jan. 1, 1900 to Dec. 31, 1909. During this period I grew from childhood to manhood. Graduated from the public school (8th grade) in June 1905. That fall I started to the Weber Stake academy in Ogden as there was no high school in Ogden Valley. I enrolled for a Commercial Course. This was mainly a business course. As this was a church school (L.D.S.) it was necessary to study theology. David O. McKay was principal and also taught some subjects. It was necessary for me to leave home and take a room in Ogden. I had difficulty in studying as streen noises bothered me. I told one of my teachers, Wm. M. McKendrick of this. He advised me to take my algebra assignment, go where the noise was the worst, and do that each day, until I had solved the first equation. To let him know how much time I spent each day and he would give me credit. He said that after I had solved the problem I would have no more trouble. It took me three weeks, after which I had no more trouble as I had learned concentration. Commencing the second year at Weber I earned my tuition by substituting as a teacher of commercial subjects to freshmen students. J. P. Goddard was the regular teacher. I returned home and worked on the farm during the school vacation seasons.
In January of 1909 I quit school and went to work as a clerk in the House of Representatives of the Utah Legislature in Salt Lake City, at $4.00 per day. A Representative from Weber County, Geo. A. Fuller of Eden, got me the job. We roomed together during the Session. After it was over I went back to the farm.
In June of 1909 I graduated from a three year Commercial Course from the Weber Stake Academy. While going to the Academy I played a coronet in the school band, Ernest Nichols was the band leader. I also belonged to the track team. A Mr. Harter was the coach.
I had been active in the Eden Ward attending various Priesthood quorums, Sunday School and various Ward meetings, also played coronet in the town band.
I was called on a Mission to Germany in the fall of 1909. The Bishop was Henry A. Fuller. I went through the Salt Lake Temple on Nov. 10, 1909, and left for the mission field on Nov. 17, 1909. I was a Sunday School teacher at the time and the S. S. class gave me some inscribed church books at the last class I taught. I still have them. A company (52) European missionaries left Salt Lake City on Nov. 17, 1909 for Montreal Canada, and from there they went by ship to Liverpool, England. The Swiss and German missionaries went by rail and ship to Zurich, Switzerland where we were met and taken to the Mission headquarters. There the Mission President Thos. E. McKay greeted us. Thos. E. McKay had been a teacher at Weber Stake Academy and had called missionaries from the classes of 1908 and 1909. There were thirty two of us in the Swiss and German Mission. I was sent to Hamburg, Germany, where Elder Burton was President of the Hamburg Conference. This was a temporary assignment. I was given a partner, Wilford Y. Cannon of Salt Lake City who knew a little more German than I. We called on saints who could put up with our speech. We found that we could learn German faster by talking with children who used simple words. A missionary conference was held in Hamburg in January of 1910 and I was sent to the city of Meonel (?) in the Koenigsburg conference in north east Germany on the shores of the North sea. It was a cold winter. The sea froze over for eighteen miles off shore. My companion was an old school mate, Hyrum Belnap from Ogden. We called on saints and some friends and studied and learned to read, write and speak German. We were isolated in Meonel as it was about 300 miles to any other missionaries or branches. We worked hard during the winter months. The German government had passed a law to expel Mormon missionaries. We had to register with the police and were told to leave Meonel. We were escorted to the R. R. Station and put on a train for Koenigeburg. There we were sent by train [to] Berlin. This all happened in the late spring of 1910. At Berlin we were separated and I was sent to Hannover Germany. My companion was Francis K. Goddard from Ogden. There was a thriving branch. Hannover was a manufacturing center mostly of optical goods. It was also the cultural center, having many schools. I was assigned to a nearby city, Braunschioeig (?) with Elder Goddard. Here we polished up our German and had many contacts. A conference was held in the fall of 1910 and I was transferred to Munich in the Bavarian conferences of South Germany. This was a hard place to work as they were mostly Catholics with some Lutherans. There were four of us in Munich, the three others were Elders Bracken from Beaver, Utah; Taylor from Provo, and Neiosnan (?) from Salt Lake. Elder Bracken was released and his place was taken by Elder Madsen from Salt Lake City. We had a large branch and a number of investigators. I was transferred to the city Zerickau in Saxony in 1911 of the third period and remained in that city until my release in 1912. I had many companions among who were Clyde S. Clark of Ogden and a school mate also Frank W. Asper from Salt Lake who later became Salt Lake Tabernacle organist. At each assignment I was the branch president. Journals which I kept while on my mission contain my missionary activities and are made a part of this history. I was released at a conference in Zurich, Switzerland in July of 1912 and then toured France, Switzerland, Italy, some of Austria and England and arrived home in Eden on August 5, 1912. I immediately went to work on the farm.
I left the farm in the fall of 1912 and went to work for the Amalgamated Sugar Co. in its General Offices in Ogden, as a clerk on Nov. 15, 1912. David Eccles was then President of the Company; H. H. Rolapp was in charge. His brother E. S. Rolapp was office manager, and Fera S. Young was chief clerk. I worked under Mr. Young. The company had factories at Ogden, Logan and Lewiston in Utah, also in Burley, Idaho. The folks had acquired a home in Ogden, so that the children would be able to go to high school. I lived at home.
In December of 1912 I was placed on the Ogden Stake Sunday School Board. This was an assignment which took me each Sunday to a different ward. The Stake covered wards in Pleasant View, North Ogden, Middleton, Huntsville, Eden, Liberty, and the Fourth and Sixth in Ogden. We traveled mostly by street car and buggy. Roads were all dirt. We would spend a full Sunday at each ward as we were assigned to talk at Sacrament meeting, usually held for two hours, from two to four P.M. My companion on many assignments was Marianna Stratford. She had a girl friend by the name of Elizabeth Goddard with whom she had a close association. She introduced me to Miss Goddard and we soon were going together. I soon found that Miss Goddard had a nickname by which she was known it was and is Dot. One of her grand parents gave it to her. She accompanied Marianna and me on many of our Sunday School assignments. I stayed on the S. S. board until I was transferred to Burley Idaho, in charged of the sugar factory office. This transfer came Aug 13, 1913.
I took a train to Burley, got a room and went to the office. Burley was in a new irrigated project known as the Minidoka, Idaho South side project. The project was on the south side of the Snake River. A sugar factory had been moved from La Grande, Oregon, in 1912 and was in the second year of its operation. The sugar beet had been introduced to the Minnedoka project. The farmers were either from Utah or Missouri. The sugar beets were grown mostly by Japanese renters.
The man, Horace Nelson, who had been in charge of the office, had quit and gone back to LaGrande Oregon. He and the factory manager Wm A. Budge did not get along. Mr Budge was somewhat over bearing. He attempted to tell me how to run the office. I told him where he could go. The result was a visit from the General Office and the Manager was informed that he had nothing to say or do about the office. It was directly under the General Office in Ogden. Mr. Budge and I became good friends. I wanted to learn more about the beet sugar business and made arrangements with Mr Budge to visit with farmers to see how sugar beets were farmed. I also made arrangements with Geo. Woodruff, factory superintendent, to learn how sugar beets were processed and made into refined sugar. While at Burley I became familiar with the farming of sugar beets and their conversion into refined sugar. We delivered sugar to customers on orders from General Office. I spent much time on the farms and in the factory during the sugar campaign of 1913.
I affiliated myself with the Burley War of the L.D.S. Stake of Oakley, Idaho. I was asked to teach the Parents Class in Sunday School. This I did and had many outsiders from School Teachers and others as regular class members. We were too many for any class room so we met in the Chapel.
After spring came in 1914 I went to Ogden and proposed marriage to Dot. She accepted and we were married in the Salt Lake Temple on April 15, 1914 by Alvin G. Smith, a son of Pres. Joseph F. Smith. Dot was born July 1, 1893 in Bountiful, Utah. We spent a few days in Ogden and Eden. Had some parties and <word illegible> some wedding presents. While in Ogden we purchased some furniture, etc for the house in Burley and had it shipped there. Before marriage I had rented a three room house in Burley near the sugar factory. My folks had given us a kitchen stove, table and chairs, kitchen utensils, dishes, knives and forks and other things for housekeeping.
After a short honey moon we returned to Burley. Dot had never been away from home. She was homesick but, as she became acquainted overcame it. Our house was small and faced west from which direction the wind came, also the dust. The house was not modern, the water and plumbing were outside but we were used to such a life. Our house was located on a cleared piece in a sage brush flat, about one mile from the center of Burley. When we wanted to go to town we walked. Stores solicited our business and made deliveries. All of the people who lived in sugar company houses, near us, were young with young families. We were friendly with all of them.
We were without transportation. I bought an Indian motorcycle in the spring of 1913 but left it with my brother Gainer when we went to Burley. In 1915 a Japanese named A. K. Kazuya who worked for the sugar company security beet labor, bought a Ford roadster to use in his work. He insisted that we have the use of it each week end. He would leave it for us to use and get it again on Monday. The company also had a Maxwell roadster which we used to get the mail and run company errands.
As Wayne grew older we would take him to Church, parties ad picture shows. We became well acquainted in the community.
On June 15, 1916 a second child, a boy was born. He was delivered by Dr. Patterson with the help of the neighbor women. He was a blue baby, with a deficient thyroid gland. The Dr. stayed with him for about 24 hours to keep him alive. He was blessed and named Harold Goddard Bachman. He lived until October 23, 1919, was buried in Ogden.
In the spring of 1916 the Sugar Co. let a contract to the Lairoe (?) constriction Co of Detroit, Michigan to build a beet sugar factory, about four miles south of the town of Twin Falls, Idaho. I was asked to move to Twin Falls to have supervision of that office as well as Burley.
We moved to Twin Falls in the fall of 1916 and lived in a company house on the factory site. We bought our first automobile, a Ford touring car. It had to be hand cranked to start. It was hard riding, but it got us places. It cost $450.00
Roland Emmett was placed in charge of the Burley office and Wm. Reese was in charge of the Twin Falls office. I did considerable driving between the two offices to see that the work was properly done. Burley and Twin falls were forty miles apart with a dirt road between them! I took Dot and the boys with me on many occasions.
We attended church in Twin Falls irregularly on account of distance and bad roads. While in Twin Falls I completed a correspondence course in personal efficiency.
In the spring of 1917 a contract was let to the Lairowe Construction Co. to build a sugar factory on the north side of the Snake River, abut two miles north east of the town of Paul, Idaho. I was asked to supervise that office along with the one at Burley and the one at Twin Falls. The man in charge of the office was named Linfest. The factory was about seven miles north and east of Burley.
I had been on the track and field team while at school at Weber Academy in Ogden. While in Burley I joined with others in using the Burley High School gymnasium about three times a week. We wrestled, boxed and used the gym apparatus. My wrestling companion was Lawrence Mortenson, an employee of the Burley National Bank. He had graduated from the University of Utah. While at school he was on the wrestling team. His teacher was Mike Yokel, then middle weight wrestling champion of the world. Mortensen and I became quite proficient, in wrestling and staged many public bouts. He later went to California in the banking business.
In April of 1918 I was asked to go to Ogden to help with the closing of the company books for the fiscal year ended February 18, 1918. This I did and stayed until sometime late in April of 1918.
This was near the beginning of World War I, when the United States was becoming involved. All eligible men in the beet sugar business were excused from military service as the sugar business had been declared by the Government as a necessary war industry. We worked under Government supervision until the war was over.
I was asked to move to Ogden and to become the head of the accounting department at General Office and for the company. We moved from Twin Falls, Idaho to Ogden in June of 1918.
We rented a house on Jackson Ave, in the confines of the 13th Ward of the Ogden Stake. We stayed there until the spring of 1919 when we bought a home at 2237 Quincy Ave. in the 6th ward of the Ogden Stake.
Of my doings in the beet sugar business from June 1918 to retirement on Nov. 15, 1962 I shall make but brief mention here and there, as I wrote a book entitled "Story of The Amalgamated Sugar Company. It is made a part of this history.
I was active in the Sixth ward doing Ward Teaching, Priesthood and Sunday School teaching and singing in the Choir. Dot was busy with the home and children. We lived a rather simple life. I became a boy scout master in 1919. The scout troop was of the sixth ward. We took many hikes and received many merit badges. So ended the third 10 year period Jan 1, 1911 to Dec 31, 1919.
The next ten year period from Jan 1, 1920 to Dec. 31, 1929 was one of many changes in the sugar company and I was affected thereby.
Financial difficulties had overtaken the Sugar Company and had their effect on all of the employees.
I was appointed auditor in 1921 and set about to change and update the company accounting system. This was a continuos process , on account of changes in the business of the company. Our third child Margaret was born Feb. 7, 1921.
The company had been under the management of sons of David Eccles, who mismanaged it. On Nov 1, 1921 Judge. Henry H. Rolapp was elected President and General Manager and his brother Emil S Rolapp was elected Vice President and asst General Manager. They took over and made many changes. Judge Rolapp had been with The Amalgamated when David Eccles was alive but had left. A new Board of Directors had been elected and one of them was Marriner S. Eccles, the oldest son of the Logan family. David Eccles was a polygamist. Of what happened in the ensuing years my book "Story of The Amalgamated Sugar Co." tells much.
During the Rolapp tenure of office I was given many tasks not ordinarily the duty of an auditor. I was being groomed for General Manager of the Sugar Co. This ceased when the Rolapps left the sugar company on March 1, 1927.
At this point I shall say something of my athletic activities both past and present. As I previously reported, while at Burley, Idaho I took up wrestling and became quite proficient at it.
After we moved to Ogden and about the summer of 1919 I took up weight lifting. This I continued for several years.
When I was about thirty years old in 1921 I joined the Eagles Gym in Ogden. There I wrestled, boxed, swam, and used the apparatus. I kept this up for several years. One evening in the summer of 1923 I was at the gymn when I was challenged to a boxing match by a man by the name of Hadley. He was about my age and said he had served a hitch in the Navy, where he was on the boxing team. After we had boxed a few rounds he said that we should hit hard. This we did and I gave him a knockout blow to the solar plexis. He did not come out of it, so he was taken to the Dee Hospital in Ogden, where he died a few days later. The Doctor said a blood clot had gone to his brain and caused death.
I told Judge Rolapp, President of The Amalgamated about this, as I expected trouble from Hadley's mother. He was single. The Judge made his own investigation and said he would handle it. He did and I heard no more of it. Mrs. Hadley was a widow.
About a week after the Hadley affair I was wrestling with a man and broke two of his ribs. After these two accidents I quit the Eagles gym and returned to daily calisthenics and weight lifting. I never again boxed or wrestled with anyone in a gymnasium.
Joseph M Eccles, a son of the David Eccles, Ogden family was appointed General Manager of The Amalgamated after the Rolapps left. He was appointed Feb. 28, 1927. He also represented the David Eccles Co. which company owned voting control of the common stock of The Amalgamated.
Mis management of the company was unsuccessful. I tried to help him out, but he went his own way and finally sold the controlling stock of The Amalgamated to the Boettcher interests in Denver, Colo. They also owned control of The American Beet Sugar Co. of Denver. It had factories in California, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota.
He left the sugar company on Nov. 18, 1929 when the Denver people took over. This was a hectic time for The Amalgamated organization. Especially for me.
I had about decided to go into the public accounting business with Lincoln G. Kelly & Co of Salt Lake City, Utah who were the public auditors of the Amalgamated as the Denver people had ordered the Amalgamated’s' general office in Ogden closed and its business handled jointly with that of the American Beet Sugar Co.
S. W. Sinsheimer who was President of American Beet Sugar Co. had also been made President of The Amalgamated. He came to Ogden and persuaded me to go to Denver and become Auditor for both companies. He promised me an increase in salary and a higher position. This never was fulfilled due to later events.
I went to Denver in November of 1929. Found a place to live and moved the family to Denver. The family consisted of Dot and me and three children, Wayne, born Dec. 31, 1914; Margaret, born Feb 7, 1921 and Rex born June 18, 1925. Our second child Harodl had died, and was buried in Ogden Utah.
At this point I will give some past history of Harold, Margaret and Rex. Wayne has previously been given.
Harold was born in Burley, Idaho on June 15, 1916. He was a blue baby with a
deficient thyroid gland. He was retarded and never developed. He died on Oct 23, 1919 in Ogden, from the effects of a fever. He was a good baby but a great care for his mother. She still greaves for him. Our third child was a girl who was blessed and named Margaret. She was born Feb 7, 1921. She was a good baby and meant much to us as we had buried our second child i October of 1919. On June 18, 1925 our fourth child, a boy was born. He was blessed and named Rex Goddard Bachman. He also was a good baby. Margaret was born in a nursing home in Ogden. Rex was born in the Dee Hospital in Ogden. Margaret’s doctor was a Dr. Robinson and Rex's doctor was frank K. Bartlett. Our family was complete.
By the end of 1929 we had gotten acquainted and joined the Denver Branch of the Western States Mission. Dot had been made President of the Relief Society and I was first counselor to the Branch President John L. Herrick a former citizen of Ogden who remained in Denver after his release from the Presidency of the Western States Mission. He was succeeded by Ashel Woodruff. The fifth period, Jan 1, 1930 to December 31, 1939 had dawned and found us living in Denver Colo. and busy in the Denver Branch of The Western States Mission.
We lived in South Denver on Sough High street near a public school and the Sough High School. Wayne was in High school and Margaret and Rex were in public schools. We fraternized mostly with L.D.S. people. We were kept busy in the church with Dot in the Relief Society, me in the branch presidency and the children in their various organizations.
Shortly after our arrival in Denver I was sent to Saginaw, Michigan to investigate the Michigan Sugar Company, which had gotten into financial difficulties and was for sale. I stayed until about two days before Christmas 1930, when I went home to Denver to spend Christmas with the family.
I went back to Saginaw after Jan 1, 1930 and completed my investigation. One day S. W. Sinsheimer, President of American Beet and Amalgamated surprised me by coming to Saginaw and calling me on the phone. He had met with the Officers and Directors of the Michigan Sugar Co., and wanted to hear what I had to report. We met and went into detail about the Michigan Sugar Co. It was my report that the Michigan was in such bad financial shape and its factories so run down that it would be a liability to American Crystal Sugar Co. (It had changed its name from American Beet Sugar Co.). Mr S. W. Sinsheimer left and went to Denver. A directors meeting was held in Denver and it was decided that no offer be made to the Michigan Sugar Co. and it was so advised. I went home and made a voluminous report on the Michigan Sugar Co., which was adopted by the Board of Directors as the reason for the action which they had taken.
For the next two years (1930-1931) I was busy in establishing an accounting system which was used by both companies. Also in visiting all of the factories which were in California, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, Minnesota, Utah and Idaho. I also visited various U.S. Land Bank districts in the same states to arrange for U. S. Government farm crop loans to growers of sugar beets. Whenever it was possible I took members of the family with me.
From the beginning of the operating of the two companies as a single unit there had been matters which had to be decided and adjusted. Animosity had crept into the discussions, until on June 22, 1932 the two companies were separated and The Amalgamated moved its General Office back to Ogden, Utah, although The Amalgamated common stock was still held in Denver.
We rented office space in The First Security Bank Bldg. in Ogden and went to work.
We moved back into our home at 2815 Van Buren Ave, which had been rented to A. M. Squires and family. We had acquired the home in October of 1925. When we sold the one on Quincy Ave. A new ward, the 17th of The Mt Ogden Stake was built and I was on the Building Committee. The family was all active in the Ward.
Wayne had graduated from High School and had gone to the U of U to study engineering. He had a disagreement with the Dean of the School of Engineering over whether he should have time off to play football. He was 6 feet tall and weighed
200 pounds. Football practice and some engineering classes came at the same hour. The Dean of Engineering was adamant and would not let Wayne off, so Wayne quit school. This happened in the school year, starting in the fall of 1933. He went to work in the General office of the Sugar Co. On July 4, 1935 he was married to Anita Evelyn Cottle. In 1934 and 1935 the Smithfield sugar factory had been moved to Clarksburg, Calif. Wayne went there to work in the Laboratory.
On May 9, 1934 I was appointed Assistant Secretary, Assistant Treasurer and Auditor. From the time the sugar company moved from Denver to Ogden in 1932 I had been very busy in getting the General Office and the factory offices properly organized and smoothly operating.
The company had lost money on its operations and had been unable to pay any dividends on its common stock since 1918 and was in arrears in dividends on preferred stock also bond interest was in arrears.
We organized and ran the business so that it would make a profit. This took many extra hours of my time.
In 1936 the corporate structure of The Amalgamated was completely reorganized. A new stock issue, both common and preferred was adopted and all old stock and bonds were called in and cancelled. In order to accomplish this I made many trips to meet with our bankers in New York; The Bankers Trust Company and The Irving Trust Company.
On Aug 12, 1936 I was appointed Secretary and Treasurer of The Amalgamated Sugar Co.
Dot and I had talked many times of taking time off the job and going on an extended vacation to the Hawaiian Islands. My sister Comfort had married an army officer in Hawaii where he was stationed. His name was Frank L. Brock. We decided that we would do this on our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary which would be on April 15, 1939, and started saving toward that end. We had written Comfort about this and she had invited us to come and stay with them. We accepted the invitation, and went. We had a glorious time for over a month, and returned refreshed. The family was glad to see us when we returned to San Francisco. They came there to meet us. Wayne, Anita, J.R II their son, Margaret and Rex. They drove our car.
We stayed in San Francisco a few days. Margaret and Rex used our tickets on the railroad to go to Ogden and the rest of us went home by auto. Grandma Goddard stayed at our house while we were gone which was about six weeks. Wayne was stationed at the Rupert Factory in Idaho as chief chemist in charge of the Laboratory. He had been at Twin Falls factory.
As we returned home we took up our church duties and I went back to the job, which was waiting for me.
After Margaret graduated from High School in 1939 she went to work.
We had an auto trailer, made several trips on vacations and to fishing streams in Utah, Idaho and Montana, also to hunt pheasants in Idaho. We tried to mix some pleasure with our work.
Joseph Rexel Bachman II was born to Wayne and Anita on Nov. 9, 1936 at Twin Falls, Idaho. This was our first grand child.
I had joined the Weber Gymnasium and spent much time, after work, in playing hand ball, volley ball, and in using the apparatus, also in swimming.
I joined the Ogden Golf and Country Club in 1938. Rex was growing up and we tried to play tennis on the public courts but they were crowded. We quit tennis and both took golf lessons from Geo. Schneiter the pro at the Ogden Country club. He was a good teacher. Rex became a tournament player and entered into many contests. I played about three times a week when in Ogden. I was away a lot on business.
In June of 1940 Dot, Margaret, Rex and I went to the World's Fair in New York. We drove and went to many places of interest on the Mormon Pioneer trail and elsewhere including Boston where a nephew Kenneth Handley, was living with his wife and was attending school at Harvard, studying law. We had friends in New York, the David Hartfield's [sic] and on Rex's birthday June 18, 1940 when he was fifteen years old they invited all of us to have dinner with them at the French Restaurant on the Fair grounds. This we did and at the end of the dinner Hartfield had a birthday cake brought to the table and presented to him and served to all of us.
From the time we moved back to Ogden, June 22, 1932 I had taken a four year course in accounting given by the University of Utah, at night, at the Ogden High School and taught, at times, by the professors of accounting at Utah State University at Logan. Many times over the four years I substituted as teacher. I also took correspondence courses in Law; American School of Law; Business Administration, School of Business Administration, certified Public accounting, Wharton School of commerce, and finished all of them. Was also a guest lecturer on accounting at the Utah State University.
I also held many civic positions during the period ended on Dec. 31, 1949, among which were: Utah Advisory Council on Unemployment Insurance, 1937-1948. War Manpower Commission, eleventh region. War Labor Board, fifth district, during World War II. Ogden Chamber of Commerce 1941-1947, was C&C President in 1947, belonged to U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 1947. Served on Board of Directors of The Ogden Country Club. Was president in 1944. Served on Ogden Pioneer Days and was President in 1945. Was a member of the Weber County Welfare Board for over ten years. Served as a member of the Utah State Board of Health from March 1, 1948 to May 11, 1961. Was President in 1960. I served three terms of one yar each as President of the Idaho Self Insurers Association and a member of The Board of Directors for over ten years. Was on the Ogden City Parks and Recreation Committee. I have also served on the Community Chest, The Boy Scouts of America. Member of the National Association of Accountants, Salt Lake City chapter. Member of Controllers Institute of America, San Francisco control, later the Financial Officers of America. belonged to the Weber Club in Ogden and still have an honorary membership. Was active in all of them.
On Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 1941 I was chosen by the new Stake Presidency of The Mount Ogden Stake as Senior Member of the Stake High Council. Served for almost twenty two years. Was released in Nov. of 1962 at a Stake Conference.
Margaret was married on August 8, 1941 to David Brown Handy in the Logan, Utah, Temple. They made their home in Ogden, where Dave was employed by The Amalgamated Sugar Co. Dave took a leave of absence from his job and joined the Army Air Force on July 27, 1942. He went overseas in 1945 and was released Feb. 3, 1946. He went back to his job. Margaret came home to live while Dave was gone.
Rex went into the army Sept. 25, 1943 and was sent to Camp Fannin, Texas for basic training. He went overseas to New Calidonia for special training on March 30, 1944. He went in on the invasion of the Phillipines on the island of Crbu (?) and was wounded on April 10, 1945 and was invalided (?) to the Baxter General Hospital in Spokane Wash. from about June 12, 1945, where he was operated on for his wounded lung. He was released from Baxter on Oct. 12, 1945 and was released from the army on Dec. 6, 1945. We went to Baxter to see him.
While he was at Camp Fannin, Texas, I went to see him. I stayed in Tyler, which was nearby. Rex came and spent a day with me. We telephoned his mother and talked to her. Before he went ovrseas from San Francisco we went there and spent a day with him. He came from Fort Ord, Cal.
He was married to Barbara Weaver in the Salt Lake Temple on June 19, 1946.
Rex graduated from the U of U. He is a Certified Public accountant.
In January of 1946 I had an operation for a scrotal hernia. It was performed by Dr. E. R. Dunke, a specialist. I took a local anaesthetic, the after effects thereof were such as to paralyze my stomach and cause it to collapse. Other internal organs were affected. I lapsed into a coma. While in the coma, two army nurses, Barbara Handy and her friend came to see me and recommended a special army treatment. This was given to me and I responded to it, but was very weak. While I was still weak Dot, who had faith in administration, had the Stake Presidency; Earl S. Paul, A Walter Stevenson and Stanley Robins, administer to me. I started to get well almost at once.
When I was well enough to leave the Hospital, a special nurse, who had taken care of me, asked Dr. Dumke if he would prescribe a special diet for me. His answer was "Hell no. Mrs. Bachman has kept him well for all these years and we damn near killed him, let well-enough alone."
I returned to work after a time of convalescing. No ill effects since. During World War II I was offered a position, by Utah's senior Senator Watkins, in the management of the U.S. Post Office in Washington D.C. this I turned down as I had no desire to go to Washington D.C.
Business, church, civic activities and travel kept me pretty busy all through the 1950's. Only Dot and I were home and she went with me on many trips.
In 1957 Dot and I took inventory of our assets and decided that we had reached a point of affluence where we had our attorneys, Ray, Quinney & Nebeker of Salt Lake City and the First Officer of the Trust Department of the First Security Bank of Utah, Ogden, Utah, work out a division, make the same and make a will for each of us which we signed individually, and deposited with the First security Bank Trust Department for safe keeping.
In part the wills provide that at the death of the first deceased, that estate goes into Trust at First Security Trust for the benefit of the survivor. When the last survivor for the benefit of the heirs. All legal requirements are met and the combined estate is divided among the heirs, as provided in the wills. There ar checking & savings accounts and the house, lot and furnishings at the address 5316 E. University, Mesa, Ariz 85205, which are undivided and jointly owned and are part of the estate.
I should have retired from The Amalgamated Sugar Co. at age sixty-five which was Oct 26, 1956 but was asked to continue in the company service to some future date. This I was happy to do. Efforts were being made by The Sugar Co. management to get or train someone t fill my place in the company. A likely looking prospect by the name of Keith M. Orme, a graduate of Harvard School of Business Administration had been hired on January 1, 1959 and was being trained for the job.
For some time the management of The Amalgamated had talked about and done some investigation on the subject of having a history of The Amalgamated Sugar Company written. Several attempts had been made but were unsuccessful. I was assigned to write a history of The Amalgamated Sugar Co., and most of the duties of Secretary and Treasurer were assigned to Keith M. Orme on Feb. 15, 1961. He was given the title of Asst Secy-Treas., and I proceeded with the research work and the writing of the book "Story of The Amalgamated Sugar Co.," which was published in 1962.
In March of 1962 I was asked by the management of the sugar Co., to go to Phoenix Arizona and investigate the Salt River and the Gila River Valleys as possible sugar beet growing areas and to pick out a sugar factory site and report back to the Sugar Co. I took Dot and went to Phoenix. We made our headquarters at a cabin motel in Phoenix. I had a letter of introduction to a Mr. Smith, chairman of the Governor of Arizona Agricultural Committee. He introduced me to Governor, Paul Fannin who instructed Smith to give me all assistance possible. He went with me on many occasions and was of great help. I met with the Governor many times. We spent the month of March 1962 in Arizona and then returned to Ogden and made a voluminous report to the management of the Sugar Co. The management went over the report and later presented it to the Board of Directors for action. While sugar beets would grow in the area investigated the Board of Directors decided not to spend the $20,000,00.00, estimated cost, to build a modern beet sugar factory.
I retired on Nov. 15, 1962 after fifty years of continuous service to The Amalgamated Sugar Co., and received from The Board of Directors, a gold wrist watch and a gold band. The watch was engraved as follows:
"J. R. Bachman
Fifty years of loyal
and devoted service.
Board of Directors
The Amalgamated
Sugar Company
Nov. 15, 1962
Thus ended a business career. During the last year (1962) of that career I was a consultant to the management of the Sugar Co. Now I needed to turn my efforts to something else.
At this point I feel that I should say something about Dot. As I said before she was born July 1, 1893 in Bountiful, Utah to Hyrum H. and Elizabeth Stanford Goddard. She was the second of eight children and was raised and schooled in Ogden.
While she was growing up she had a severe case of scarlet fever, she was also subject to bronchitis, but out grew them. In later years of her life she contracted asthma. Around 1940 she became a patient of Dr. Stranquist, who treated her for asthma. Her asthmatic attacks became more frequent and about 1946 she lapsed into a coma. Dr. Floyd W. Seagar was called in and he treated her and became our family doctor. He told her that she would need medication for the rest of her life.
During the next several years she had several major operations; gall bladder, duodenal hernia, and bronchial-tubes, among them. She recovered from all of them but still had asthma, which was getting worse. We went to Miami Florida in 1957 and later to Los Angeles and San Francisco, Calif. also to Seattle, Wash to see if the climate would help her. She was no better.
We spent the month of March 1962 in Phoenix, Arizona on an assignment from the Sugar Co. While there Dot had an asthmatic attack but it was much lighter. We felt encouraged and in the fall of 1962 we decided that we would give Arizona another tryout during the coming winter.
On January 1, 1963 we rented an apartment in Dreamland Villa, a retirement area in East Mesa. We stayed there until May 1, 1963. Dot was much better in the low altitude during the winter, so we made arrangements to rent the same apartment on Dec. 1, 1963. We went to Mesa and Dot began taking treatments from a Dr. Johnson in Mesa, this she kept up fro the next year when we were in Mesa. We were so pleased with the improvement in her condition that we bought a house (in Dreamland Villa) at 5316 E. University Dr. Mesa, Az 85205, furnished it and moved in sometime in January 1964.
In January of 1966 Dot had an attack of asthma and went to a Doctor Couter, a respiratory specialist, who sent her to the Southside Hospital in Mesa for special treatment. She stayed about two weeks and was much better. She doctored with Dr. Couter in Mesa and Dr. Seager in Ogden. Her attacks were becoming milder and less frequent.
In April of 1970 she lost her balance in the house at Mesa and fell to the floor, she broke her right leg between the hip and the knee and fractured her right wrist. She was taken by ambulance to the Southside Hospital in Mesa where a Dr. Huffman of the orthopedic Professional Association of Mesa operated on her leg, placing a steel plate on her leg and a cast on her arm. When she could leave the hospital she went to the Golden Mesa Nursing Center where she stayed for over a month.
In May of 1972 she fell on the concrete driveway in Mesa and broke her left leg between the hip and the knee and fractured her left wrist. She was taken by ambulance to the same hospital and there operated upon, and had a steel plate placed in her left leg and a cast on her left arm. Dr. Egon Johnson of the Orthopedic Professional Association of Mesa operated. When she was well enough she was transferred to the Country Club Nursing Home in Mesa where she stayed a few weeks. She had been using a walker to assist her in walking and Dr. Johnson recommended that she us a cane, which she did, and still does.
In June of 1973 Dot fell down one flight of the basement stairs in our home in Ogden. She was taken to the McKay Dee Hospital in Ogden and treated for a fractured left arm, above the elbow. She was Dr. Seagers patient but he called in Dr. Gabbert, to treat her arm. She was in the hospital for about two weeks. She was released and came home to recuperate.
On Nov. 6, 1974 after we had returned to Mesa, Dot fell in our house and bruised her right hip. She went to Dr. Egon Johnson and was treated by him until the hip healed.
At present, on May 24, 1976 she is in good health, has a pleasant disposition, is fastidious about her clothes and her person, but accidents, sickness and age have made her somewhat senile. She is also crippled and walks with a cane. She can do no cooking, serving, or fancy work and does nonly minor household tasks. She reads a lot or just sits. We have visitors from family and friends and also try to go out each day in the auto.
I was concerned about what I would do after retirement, but I need not have been as various things came along.
In September of 1964 I was called by The First Presidency of the L.D.S. Church to be the Chairman of the David O. McKay Hospital Building Fund Committee. The church had the Dee Hospital in Ogden but had decided to build a new hospital. This hospital was to be financed by the Church and by contributions from Wards and Stakes, businessman and individuals in the area to be served which was Box Elder, North Davis, Morgan and Weber Counties. Our committee was given an assignment of $800,000.00, but before I could get the committee organized our assignment had been raised to $1,000,000.00 on account of increased costs.
The Church had agreed to hire an office man and give us office space in the administration building of the Dee Hospital. This was done, and I started to select a committee. My first selection was a vice-chairman. I chose Harmon B. Barton, an officer of the Commercial Security Bank in Ogden and a non-member of the Church. He accepted and we selected districts in the area to be covered. We then assigned an amount to be solicited from each district. We selected names of committee individuals to be contracted, and contacted them. This preliminary work was completed and the committee was ready to go to work about January 1, 1965. We set a goal from the Committe of $1,600,000.00. During the life of the committee over $1,800,000.00 was pledged or paid in cash. Pledges and cash payments went from a few dollars, from flower funds to an individual pledge of $175,000.00. The David O. McKay Hospital was built and paid for, and dedicated July 9, 1969. The committee was released and thanked for its services and I was released and thanked by the First Presidency of the L.D.S. Church.
It was just another milestone in a busy career.
During the years 1964 to the end of 1974 I was engaged in Church work both in Ogden and in Mesa. This included teaching of the High Priests class in Priesthood meeting and of the Gospel Doctrine class in Sunday School as well as sundry assignments. This was a great joy and increased my knowledge of the Gospel.
Dots condition had deteriorated to and a print (?) that I gave up teaching and all outside activities to take care of her.
We had been married sixty-two years on April 15, 1976 and had lived happily together all those years. How much longer we have is in the hands of the Lord.
In 1945 I had been President of Ogden Pioneer days, which carried on a weeks celebration of parades and rodeos. This is an annual doings and means much to Ogden and surrounding areas for the week of July 245h. On December 13, 1974 I received a letter--which follows--from Ogden Pioneer Days asking me to be the Grand Marshall of the 1975 July 24th parade. This I readily accepted. The letter follows:
December 10, 1974
Nr. J. R. Bachman
5316 East University Drive
Mesa, AZ 85205
Dear Mr. Bachman:
As you know, I am the General Chairman of the Pioneer Days Executive Committee this year and we had a meeting last Thursday, December 5th, and at this time, it was proposed that you serve as the Grand Marshal of the Pioneer Days Celebration for 1975 and you were the unamimous [sic] choice of the Executive Committee.
I hope that you will be able to accept this nomination and I would be pleased to receive your acceptance as soon as possible.
I hope that you are well and are enjoying the Arizona sunshine.
Very truly yours,
George B. Handy
GBH/sb
send to: George B. Handy
521 Eccles Building
Ogden, UT 84401
Pioneer day, July 24, 1975 dawned a beautiful sunshining day with every one in a festive mood. The parade was to start at 10 o’clock am at 29th St and Washington and go north on Washington to 21st street and there disperse.
Our grandson, Scott Handy, came for Dot and me in a new Oldsmobile Convertible, loaned by Hughes, Olds & Cadillac Co. of Ogden for the occasion. We were taken to 29th and Washington, and took our place at the head of the parade, immediately behind the color guard. The parade started promptly at 10, oclock am. and went north past a jam packed crowd for the entire distance. As we came along, those who were seated arose and stood until we passed. We finished at 21st St and returned to the main reviewing stand at 25th St and Washington where we saw the rest of the parade.
After the parade we were guests at a luncheon given by the Parade Committee. I was a guest of honor and was presented with a silver platter, engraved as follows. "Ogden Pioneer Days, Grand Marshall Joseph R. Bachman, 1975. Copy of the
[Program of 1975 Ogden Pioneer Days Parade]
[Pages 49-50 missing, or else there is part of the program missing, or the pages are misnumbered.]
I quote some history shown on the program as a conclusion of a day and a time of public appearance.
Nothing much of historical nature has happened during the past year so I close this part of my history on my eighty fifth birthday, October 26th 1976.
J.R. Bachman.
Assignment:
Title: Story of the Amalgamated Sugar Company, 1897-1961. Creator: Joseph R. Bachman Creation Date: 1962 Publisher: Caldwell, Idaho : Caxton Printers Subjects: Amalgamated Sugar Company ; Sugar -- Manufacture and refining ; Beet sugar Type: Book Format: 388 p. illus.. Language: English
1908 Ogden 1908
1909 US Passport Applications November1
1909UK Incoming Passenger Lists Go On Mission Joseph Rexel
1912 Joseph Rexell Bachman New York Passenger Lists 27 Jul 1912
1912 NewYork Passenger Lists 27 Jul 1912 Mission Return Joseph
1917 USWorld War I Joseph Rexel Bachman Draft RegistrationCards
1919 Ogden City Dir
1930 Census Joseph Rexell Bachman
Baltic Ship Joseph Rexell Bachman
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| Add caption |
Harold Goddard Bachman 1916 - 1919
Rex Goddard Bachman 1925 - 1987
Birth: Oct. 26, 1891
Eden
Weber County
Utah, USA
Death: Apr. 14, 1978
Ogden
Weber County
Utah, USA
Family links:
Parents:
Joseph Bachman (1868 - 1940)
Margaret Bachman (1871 - 1942)
Spouse:
Elizabeth Goddard Bachman (1893 - 1980)
Children:
Harold Goddard Bachman (1916 - 1919)*
Burial:
Ogden City Cemetery
Ogden
Weber County
Utah, USA
Plot: J-12-9-3W
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Birth: Oct. 26, 1891
Eden
Weber County
Utah, USA
Death: Apr. 14, 1978
Ogden
Weber County
Utah, USA
Family links:
Parents:
Joseph Bachman (1868 - 1940)
Margaret Bachman (1871 - 1942)
Spouse:
Elizabeth Goddard Bachman (1893 - 1980)
Children:
Harold Goddard Bachman (1916 - 1919)*
Burial:
Ogden City Cemetery
Ogden
Weber County
Utah, USA
Plot: J-12-9-3W
Grave marker location help:
You asked for photographs of the surrounding area so you could more easily find the headstones when you come to Utah. The last time I may have sent too much information, so this time I’ll try to be more concise.
The main entrance off 20th street into the Ogden City Cemetery is Madison Avenue, but it’s called Gold Star Drive in the cemetery. Turn into the cemetery on Gold Star Drive and head north until you come to Center Street. It’s only a short block. Turn right onto Center St. and you’ll have to circle around a monument. The first attached picture shows the monument.
Halfway between that monument and the next one (directly behind it), pull over to the right side of Center St. and park. All of the Bachman family graves are about 30 feet south of Center St and about halfway between the two monuments. The second attached picture was taken from the Bachman graves looking back toward the monument you passed. The road you can see beyond the monument is Gold Star Drive (Madison Ave.).
The next picture shows where I parked while taking the pictures. As you can see, the graves aren’t very far from the road (Center St.).
The last picture is looking from the graves toward the second monument. It just gives you a little more perspective.
Good luck.
R
The main entrance off 20th street into the Ogden City Cemetery is Madison Avenue, but it’s called Gold Star Drive in the cemetery. Turn into the cemetery on Gold Star Drive and head north until you come to Center Street. It’s only a short block. Turn right onto Center St. and you’ll have to circle around a monument. The first attached picture shows the monument.
Halfway between that monument and the next one (directly behind it), pull over to the right side of Center St. and park. All of the Bachman family graves are about 30 feet south of Center St and about halfway between the two monuments. The second attached picture was taken from the Bachman graves looking back toward the monument you passed. The road you can see beyond the monument is Gold Star Drive (Madison Ave.).
The next picture shows where I parked while taking the pictures. As you can see, the graves aren’t very far from the road (Center St.).
The last picture is looking from the graves toward the second monument. It just gives you a little more perspective.
Good luck.
R
