Donald Benson Alder & Elsie L. Alder, comp., The Benson Family: The Ancestory and Descendants of Ezra T. Benson (The Ezra T. Benson Genealogical Society, Inc., 1979), pp. 50-53.
[Transcribed by Ann Potter]
George Taft Benson, the first child and eldest son of Ezra T. Benson and Adeline Brooks Andrus Benson, was born 1 May 1846 in a wagon in Garden Grove, Iwa.
George Taft Benson arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley with his mother, Adeline, on 2 October 1847 with the Charles C. Rich Company, and, he lived with his parents in Salt Lake City until 1860. At this time, his parents were called to settle Logan, Utah, where he grw to manhood and married Louisa Alexandrine Ballif 20 Dec 1867 at Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The George Taft Bensons lived for a time in Logan, Utah, where he was assistant Superintendent of the Sunday School in Logan 4th Ward, and, he was chosen a member of the first High Council organized in Cache Valley. In 1871-42 he filled a mission to Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In 1875 he was appointed Assessor and Collector of Logan City where he served for nine years. He worked for a time in the canyons hauling building materials for the Logan Temple and Tabernacle.
In 1884 he was called to go to Preston, Idaho, to reclaim more new country. Here he was made counselor to Bishop William C. Parkinson. He also assisted in building school houses and places of worship at Whitney and Preston, Idaho. He helped build the Oneida Stake Academy and was a member of it’s Board of Regents for many years.
George Taft Benson took a leading part in the construction of irrigation projects in northern Cache Valley and acted as President, Secretary and Director of all the irrigation systems at Whitney, Idaho.
He was bishop of Whitney, Idaho, Ward for 23 years. The Benson Family had a comfortable home in Whitney, with a lawn and flowers and a row of lilacs on each side of the walk.
In 1916, George Taft Benson, and his wife, Louisa, moved back to Logan so they could do temple work.
Louisa Alexandrine Ballif Benson was born in Switzerland. She was the daughter of Serve Louis Ballif and Elise Marie Le Coultre Ballif, who accepted the L.D.S. religion while in Switzerland and emigrated to the United States in 1860 when Louisa was 10 years old. Louisa grew up in Logan, Utah.
Louisa’s gift for healing, even as a young girl, came forth when her kitten jumped from a wagon and was run over and thought to be dead, but, Louisa begged to be allowed to care for it. She dipped clothes in cold water and kept and kitten packed and changed the cloth each tme the wagon came to a stream, and the kitten lived.
From the age of ten years, she assisted much in caring for children in the home, and, at fourteen assisted her mother in teaching reading, writing and spelling in a school for girls.
She married George Taft Benson on 20 Dec 1867, and the became the parents of 13 children. Louisa was called to be secretary of the first Relief Society organized in Cache County, and later, first counselor to the Relief Society President there.
In 1884, the George Taft Bensons moved from Logan to a farm in Whitney, Idaho, where they lived in a log cabin, and there were no trees or flowers, so Louisa planted some.
In 1888, Louisa was chosen to be president of the Whitney Ward Relief Society. She also was a nurse, delivering babies and was never too weary to help those in need. In 1895 she was made Stake President of the Primary.
In 1897 Louisa was called to visit Baker City, Oregon. As the train neared Glenns Ferry, Idaho, a terrible wreck occurred when the train was thrown down a thirty foot embankment at night. Something whispered to her to sit still and hold to the arms of the seat. The car rolled over three times. Every passenger on the train was injured except Louisa. She was able to bind up the wounds of the injured and make them comfortable.
Florence A. Benson born 17 Sept 1851 in Salt Lake City, Utah, was the second child and only daughter of Ezra T. Benson & Adeline Brooks Andrus Benson. This little girl lived only until 24 Dec 1852 and was buried on Christmas day, 25 Dec 1852 in Salt Lake City.
Frank Andrus Benson was a successful farmer and church worker. He was the third child, and second son of Ezra T. Benson & Adeline Brooks Andrus Benson. He was born 16 Oct 1853 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Frank Andrus Benson was President of the first M..I.A. in Logan, Utah, and president of Home Missionary organization of Stake and Ward Teachers. He also fulfilled a mission to the Southern States. He and his companion, F.M.. Cowley, had an appointment at a school house to hold a meeting, but, when they arrived, they found a Methodist Minister was holding a service for the congregation. Not to be outdone, the two Mormon Missionaries made board seats under a tree and began singing, “High on a Mountain Top.” The congregation, a few at a time came out of the school building and assembled on the board seats under the tree. However, after this meeting was over a group of Anti Mormons tarred and feathered the tree, indicating just what would happen to the Mormon Elders if they continued to preach there. Sometime later, lightening struck the tree and shattered it to bits. Cowley and Frank Andrus Benson accepted this as a sign they were being watched over.
Years later, this same Baptism minister came to Logan to find Frank A. Benson to tell him that he had been converted to Mormonism, and to tell him of the happiness this new religion had brought into his life.
As a young man, Frank loved to drive the fastest and best teams of horses, and one time he outraced the sheriff which got him into some trouble for speeding.
The Frank A. Bensons lived at 141 West 1st South in Logan, Utah in the home Ezra T. Benson had built for his second wife, Adeline, Frank’s mother. It was a six room house and the cooking and eating took place in the kitchen. The living room was east of the kitchen. Southeast of the living room was Adeline’s room, and the northeast corner was Frank & Amanda’s room. There were three fireplaces, one in the kitchen, living room and Adeline’s bedroom. At the north side of the house was a large summer kitchen porch. The cooking and canning were done here in the summer kitchen
Frank A. Benson had the first dairy in Logan, Utah. It meant getting up before 6 A.M.. And hand milking from 10 to 20 cows morning and evening and this milk was sold for 5 cents a quart
Amanda Charlotta Eliason, Frank Andrus Benson’s wife, was a beautiful girl with dark, wavy brown hair that came to her knees. She had a beautiful clear complexion all her life. Amanda was baptized in the Swedish Lutheran Church in Alingsas, Sweden about 20 miles from Goteberg. Her parent, Anders Eliason, Jr. And Hediv Carlson, joined the L.D.S. Church and came to Utah settling at Grantsville, Utah, and began farming.
When Amanda was 14 years old, she went to live at the home of Evan Stephens in Salt Lake and learned to play the organ.
In 2876 Amanda’s parents moved to Logan, and her, at age 16 Amanda learned the tailoring trade.
Amanda used to play the harpsichord at parties in Logan, and this is where she first met Frank A. Benson. They were married 9 Dec 1880 when Frank was 28 and Amanda was 19. Eleven children were born to this couple.
Amanda made her family’s clothes and coats. Later she was to take in boarders; students from the Brigham Young College who paid $3.50 a week for room and board.
She went to the homes of her daughters and helped them when their babies were born. She also made dresses for her granddaughters and shirts and pants for her grandsons.
She dove a buggy in the summer time and a cutter in the wintertime. At the age of 45 years, she gave birth to her eleventh and last child.
In the summertime, she would can hundreds of quarts of fruit, also, jams, jellies and pickles. She was active in the Relief Society of Logan first Ward, being president at one time.
In the summer she raised flowers, especially sweet peas, and took many a bunch to friends and neighbors who were ill. Guests were always welcome at her table.