Alonzo Franklin Robison (1873-1949) Biography

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE LIFE OF

ALONZO FRANKLIN ROBISON

as told by his son Aaron Wayne Robison to his grandson Wayne Ashby Robison

Included in History & Genealogy of the Franklin Alonzo Robison Family

compiled by Carrie Robison Despain and Melba Despain Garner in 1960

Alonzo Franklin Robison was born Jan. 16, 1873 in Fillmore, Utah as the oldest of twelve children to Franklin Alonzo And Isabella Eleanor Pratt Robison. He was baptized 2 Jun 1881. He lived in Fillmore most of his life except when business ventures took him to Idaho, Arizona or other parts of Utah.

While still a young man he made various trips into Arizona to help move his father and Aunt Lois and their family there and also to take dried fruit for sale. The sale of this fruit provided funds with which to maintain the family. On one of these trips he was riding his horse, trying to find a crossing of one of the rivers. He entered the river, but the stream was swift and the water was deep. He was separated from his horse. His horse crossed the river and came out on the other side. He couldn't swim, but he floated down the stream on his back. His father tried to reach him from one trail into the river, but he floated by before his father could reach him. He finally caught in some bushes and held on until his father could rescue him.

Frank and True

Alonzo Franklin Robison was married to Gertrude Amelia Peterson -- a daughter of Ova and Amelia Warner Peterson, in the Salt Lake Temple on May 29, 1895. To this union was born five children -- Aaron Wayne, Melvin Alonzo, Parley Pratt, Herma Vernell and Evelyn.

He was a stockman and had many sheep and cattle. For three or four years he took sheep belonging to him and his father to Box Elder County, Utah and southern Idaho to range. While there he was sheep inspector for either the State of Utah of the State of Idaho. In the fall of 1905 he took his family to Rosette in Box Elder County to live. He also took his brother-in-law Doris Peterson as a herder and his sister-in-law Evelyn Peterson as a school teacher. The winter was severe and the snow was deep. The clothes line was fastened from the door of the house to the corral gate so that anyone who was doing the chores could get back to the house without getting lost during a blizzard.

While in Box Elder County his son Wayne was scalded on the head by a kettle of boiling water. He lost all of his hair, but was restored to health by the faith of his parents and the administration of the Elders coupled with medical attention that his mother was able to give him.

In the fall of 1906 Father sold his sheep and returned to Fillmore to farm at the Sink. There he was a good and successful farmer.

The Frank Robison Family, summer 1908

In the fall of 1910 he was baling hay with his brothers Alma and Parker at the Sink. At breakfast that morning in Fillmore, Mother cried and told the children that something dreadful would happen that day. During the forenoon--about 10 or 11 o clock--Father got his leg in the baler and it was all crushed off except the cords in the leg. The doctor said that he would have bled to death if it had been cut instead of crushed. Alma went for his father about a mile and one-half away. Alma and his father brought him to town in a buckboard while Parker went on ahead on horseback to get Doctor Stevens. Dr. Stevens was a young doctor who had just come to Fillmore. The doctor had Parker get my Mother, True, to fill everything with hot water. They got Father to town about 12:30 and began operating. They used several cans of ether and finished about 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. They completely took out one bone from the knee to the ankle. The house was full of men as the doctor sent out word for men with steady nerves to hold the leg while he operated. Others were used to administer the ether. Towards evening the doctor said that he would wait a little before taking the leg off. Each day he said that he would wait another day before amputating it. After a few weeks the doctor told Father that his blood was as pure as that of a baby because he had not used tobacco and liquor and that his leg was healing enough that it would not have to come off. The bone splinters had been pieced together to form one bone. About ten years before Father died his leg festered and a splinter of bone worked out through the flesh and skin. His leg bothered him some throughout his life, but he always said that it was better than a wooden leg. He never complained but always said that his leg was fine.

Father had several accidents during his life. When he was a boy a horse fell on the ice with him and he broke his collar bone. Another time a mule kicked him on the shin and broke his ankle. Another time he was loading rails at Clear Lake Station to take to Snake Valley to rail brush. One of these fell on his toe and practically cut it off. Again he was patched up and his toe was saved. He was a good horseman. One time he was riding a horse and leading a mule around the corner of his lot. His horse crossed the ditch which was full of water. The mule hung back and pulled his horse over backwards with Father landing in the ditch of water with the horse on top of him laying across the ditch. He had freed his foot from the saddle as the horse was falling. While lying there in the ditch of water he held the horse down by the reins and the horn of the saddle until such time as he was able to completely free himself from underneath the horse.

In the fall of 1916 Father bought a ranch of some 400 or 500 acres at Snake Valley in western Millard County with range and water rights. In addition to the cattle on the place he took his cattle from Fillmore together with several hundred head of his Uncle Almon's. After about five years he sold his interests to the Davies brothers and returned to Fillmore. On Sept. 15, 1917 his third son Parley was killed on his ranch in Snake Valley by a falling derrick pole which hit him on his head. He got the word and went to the stockyard where he picked up his son, a 16 year old man, and carried him without stopping over a mile to the house. Others offered to help, but he said that he would carry him. This shows how he had regained his strength after his accident with the baler.

He served two terms as Fillmore City Councilman, then one term as Mayor and still another term as Councilman.

In the fall of 1928 he accepted a call as missionary to the Southern States. He left Mother at home while he spent a short term mission of six months in Durham, North Carolina.

He served as a counselor to Edward L. Black in the presidency of the high priest quorum of the Millard Stake. These brethren raised sufficient funds to purchase a temple bus to make trips from Millard Stake to the Manti Temple to do temple work.

He was left a widower when Mother died Aug. 7, 1930. His sister-in-law, Evelyn Peterson, had been sealed to him in the Manti Temple following her death about 1907. In his later years he married Mrs. Mary Napper of Logan, Utah. They lived in Fillmore for a few years then moved to Manti for about three years where he devoted his time to doing temple work for his kindred dead. They then moved to Logan where he spent his last two or three years doing temple work. On Feb. 7, 1949 he went to the Logan Temple and did one session after which he came home to dinner. After dinner he pushed back his chair and began winding his watch. His wife heard his watch drop and he had quietly passed away.

He was buried in his family plot in the Fillmore cemetery.