My father's father, Frederick William Hurst, was born on the Isle of Jersey in the English Channel in the year 1836. His family later moved to New Zealand to make their home. Frederick and his brother Charles went to Australia to work in the gold fields, where they came in contact with some Mormon missionaries, and accepted the gospel. Upon learning the boys had joined the Mormon church, their family in New Zealand disowned them and refused to let them live at home.

They returned to Australia and were appointed as missionaries. They had to earn their own way as they preached their gospel message. Finally the two boys made up their minds to travel to Zion (Utah). By the time their ship reached the Sandwhich Islands (Hawaii) it was no longer seaworthy. Both Frederick and Charles remained in Hawaii—Frederick was called to preach to the natives, and Charles worked and help out where he could. Later they were released from their assignments and continued their journey to Utah. They worked their way to California aboard a freighting vessel, where they were treated brutally. The boys were very happy to reach San Francisco, California. There they met some church leaders and were again appointed as missionaries to preach in California, traveling without purse or script.

While he was serving as a missionary in California, Frederick met a young man from Salt Lake City, named Creighton Hawkins. After his mission was over Frederick went home with him to Utah, where he met his sister Aurelia Hawkins, who later became his wife. Aurelia was born in London, England. Her family embraced the gospel and sold everything they had to travel to Zion. They came by way of the Mississippi River to St. Louis, Missouri, where they were outfitted to cross the plains bound for Utah. On their way to Utah, Aurelia's father died and was buried by the wayside. It was a very hard thing to do, but the family had courage and continued on to Salt Lake City.

My mother's father, William Buckminster Lindsay, Jr. was born of Scotch parents in Canada and joined the Church in the early days of Nauvoo. He came across the plains and settled in Kaysville, Utah. He had three wives and raised three families. My mother's mother, Sarah Elizabeth Henderson, was his third wife. My grandfather Lindsay was called to help settle Paris in Bear Lake County, Idaho. He answered the call and proceeded to move his families up there in the fall of the same year. It was so cold that the first two families stayed in Logan for the winter and grandfather and grandmother continued on to Bear Lake. They got over the mountains and stopped in the little town of Liberty for the winter. They lost many of their cattle, due to the extreme cold.

Grandmother's parents died when she was a small child in Missouri. She lived with her aunt, and she remembered the Prophet Joseph Smith very well, along with the terrible gloom cast over the people when he was murdered. She traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah with some relatives in a handcart company. My mother was among the first children born in Paris, Idaho. She was the sixth child in a family of eight. Her name was Deseret and they called her "Dessie." Their family was in very poor circumstances, and didn't get much schooling. Mother only reached the fourth grade.

Father was born in Salt Lake City, Utah February 23, 1860. He was the oldest child of Frederick William and Aurelia Hawkins Hurst. He received his education in the schools of that city and also attended the Boston Polytech Institute where he studied architecture and drawing. Father was very versatile and could do many things. He could paint in oils and water colors, and also draw pen and ink pictures. He was a builder of houses and bridges, and could do very fine cabinet work.

His parents moved to Logan and made their home there. Grandfather and father worked on the Logan Temple at the same time. Father went to Paris, Idaho to work, and there he met mother and fell in love with her. They were married in the Logan Temple in 1885 and made their home in Paris, Idaho. Their first child was a boy, which they named William Merrill. About two years later I was ushered into the world the last month of the year, the last day of the month, the last minute of the day in 1888. Father was called to work on the Salt Lake Temple and he moved our family down there. My sister Leona was born while we lived there. I remember the street car rides and great-grandmother's home, but that is all I remember of Salt Lake City.