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ORRIN PRESTON MERRILL
Orrin Preston Merrill was born August 5, 1876, the eldest child of Orrin Jackson Merrill and Elizabeth White. He was born and raised as a child in Smithfield. When he was just a small boy, his father went to Oxford, Idaho and they lived there for about three years. They then moved to Cub River, Idaho. When Orrin was about 12 or 13, he took over the farm work while his father worked at the saw mill.
As a boy, he had many experiences with Indians who were then quite friendly. His family's home was a gathering place for the young people and they had many happy times at church, horse racing, playing baseball, and attending dances. Orrin would start school late in the fall and quit early in the spring to help with the farm work. He went to about the sixth or seventh grade in Cub River; he also had two terms in the Agricultural College at Logan. He played center on the first football team of the AC College.
One summer, when he was about 14, Orrin worked at Wooley's valley in Wyoming, and had some exciting adventures bear hunting about the same time. One summer he worked in Blackfoot and another summer he went panning gold along the Snake River between Blackfoot and American Falls.
One winter he went down to Southern California to work for an aunt whose husband was mining gold in an old mine. He had some interesting experiences on this trip, meeting up with all sorts of characters. When he arrived home, he bought a farm and worked it a year or two. When the Church asked for volunteers to go to Canada to work on a project, he volunteered and worked in Canada a few months.
As a young man, he was active in the church organizations. At Cub River he served as counselor in the mutual to Dan Thomas. In January, 1901, he was called to the Eastern States Mission. He first went to New York at headquarters and then he was sent on to West Virginia without purse or scrip. The people in Upture County where he went were very ignorant, poor, and bitter towards the Mormons. Finally they made friends and his mission became more pleasant. Towards the end of his mission, Orrin became very ill.
After his recovery, he and a companion were returning to tell some of their friends goodby, when he slipped and broke his hip. Because of inadequate medical care, it caused him trouble all his life and he always walked with a slight limp. He had to remain in bed for six weeks and then on crutches for ten weeks before he could return home. He arrived home in February of 1903 and stayed up the canyon with his parents.
Soon after arriving home, he saw Alice Stephenson in the Logan post office. She was ten years younger than he and had lived in their home for a short while. He had always thought of her like a little sister. But now she had grown into a young lady. They started to go together and were married November 1, 1905 in the Logan, Utah Temple.
That winter Orrin was put in as counselor to the bishop of the Mapleton ward and the next winter, he became the bishop. In the spring of 1910, Orrin sold his farm in Cub River and he moved with his family to Downey, Idaho. There he was called to serve as a counselor or Bishop George Hyde. Here they built a home and he farmed and also ran a livery stable. In 1913, Bishop Hyde became the stake president and Orrin was made bishop of the Downey ward. He was also chairman of the Downey schools for about three years.
In June of 1917, Orrin sold his farm in Downey, Idaho and bought a farm and home in Preston, Idaho. In 1920, he was put on the high council of the Franklin Stake where her served until 1939, when he was made the Stake Patriarch. While in Preston, he was director of the Preston-Mink Creek Canal Company for fourteen years and president of the company for two terms. He worked his fifty acre farm in Preston and rented a dry farm in Riverdale for several years.
In 1930, he took a trip to California with his wife, Alice, daughter, Geraldine, and Susan and Will Turner. In 1939, they traveled again to California to San Francisco to see the World's Fair. This trip was made with son Donald and his wife, Zoe and her parents. Another son, LaVaun, took them to Moscow, Idaho and into Canada in 1947. Orrin also enjoyed various trips to Yellowstone Park and the Utah parks.
The Merrills lived on their farm in Preston until February of 1948 when they traded it for the L.V. Merrill home in town. Here he enjoyed being near the center of Preston where he could visit more with his friends. He enjoyed people and life until his death on April 2, 1954. He and his wife raised a family of seven children - four sons and three daughters. |