It's a Girl!

The first daughter of Etta Lorene (Tootie) Boling and Ream Everett Carpenter, Eleanor Leona was born on November 14, 1925 in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Eleanor Leona Carpenter

She was a tiny baby and weighed only weighed three and a quarter pounds at birth. As typical for that era, Leona was born at home, but there was a doctor and a nurse or midwife in attendance. The doctor (surely joking) said, "Do you think it's worth keeping?" Grandma Tootie said she was furious with him since she had just gone to a lot of work to have that baby!

Leona - mid 1926

Do you see some family resemblance? 
Do you or your children look like this chubby cheeked baby girl?

At the time of Leona's birth, her parents Lorene and Ream, along with Ream's sister Effie, were investigating The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and meeting regularly with the missionaries.  One of the missionary sisters was Eleanor Bills, and Leona was named for her.

 Bessie Williams - Eleanor Bills 

The picture back

The back of the picture reads:  (in Effie's handwriting) "the first missionary girls I ever met.  Sr. Bessie Williams and Sr Eleanor Bills".  Both good as gold"

And in Ream's handwriting below: "Leona, you were named after Sis. Eleanor Bills, the one on the right."

It's a boy! It's a boy!

In a small notebook my mother had written about the day I was born, “On a cold Friday, the Doctor was called and there was very much excitement at 5 in the afternoon, the wonderful young husband went out on the front porch and called, ‘Ruth, it’s a boy! It’s a boy!’”

I was born on the 16th day of March 1923 at Haswell, Kiowa County, Colorado. It was a very small town, 96 miles east of Pueblo on Highway #96 and 30 miles north of the Arkansas River at Las Animas, Colorado. The population of Haswell was (and is maybe less now) about 200 people in the town itself. The population is greatly increased by the surrounding farms and ranches. The Missouri Pacific Railroad passes through Haswell and played a large part in my family’s life. I suppose the town was called Haswell because it “has a well.” But it is best remembered for the bad tasting water. My memory of the water is that whenever possible, we took water from the ranch to town if we were going to visit with my Butler grandparents very long – long enough to get thirsty!

I was born in the home of my parents, Jesse Llewellyn Butler, born 21 December 1898 and Mable Elsa Davis, born 20 July 1902. My father was raised in the town of Haswell and my mother had lived on a ranch 7 ½ miles northwest of Haswell. They were married on February 5, 1922 at the Davis family ranch.

Some birthdays through the years:

March 16, 1985 – I didn’t know at the time that Peter Elliot Butler, our grandson was born on this day in Saudi Arabia, on my 62nd birthday. How about that! A grandson on my birthday! It is a real thrill to have a loved one born on your birthday; somehow it makes it special.

1987 - 64 years old
on a mission in Lawrence, Kansas

1988 - 65 years old
Denver, Colorado - Jim & Tesi's house

16 March 1990 – 67 years old today! I thought only old people ever became 67 years old!

Lou and Leona celebrated this birthday with a trip to Lucerne, Switzerland on March 12 with DeeJay & Roma Valentine. They took a train trip through the countryside near the Alps to Lucerne and then returned to Zollifoken by a different route. The scenery was beautiful and looked much like that in "The Sound of Music."

On his actual birthday, Lou had to stay late to do the posting at the temple, so Leona was by herself. She had to go to Zollifkofen to buy him a birthday present. She found a shop that sold men’s clothing, but she was so confused by European sizes that she walked out without a gift! He didn’t get any present that year – her German wasn’t very good and she couldn’t shop by herself!

year unknown. . .
Pleasant View, Utah -- Lou & Colleen's house

1992 - 69 years old
Yuma, Arizona - Tom & Carol's house

1999 - 76 years old
Don & Lynn's house

Happy Birthday, Dad!