Larsen

(Number 63 on the 1958 Highland map - 10750 N. Alpine Hwy)

Hyrum & Henrietta McCloy Larsen

Hyrum was born October 11, 1878, in Lake View, Utah Territory to Niels and Ane Mathiasen Larsen. Henrietta was born February 20, 1874, in Murray, Utah Territory to John and Henrietta McKay McCloy. She was baptized in the basement of the Salt Lake Tabernacle in 1885. They were married by John R Winder in the Salt Lake Temple on December 18, 1901. They had five children: Hyrum Gordon, Thelma Elizabeth, Zelda Olena and John Elmo, another son died at birth. They lived in Murray where he served as constable 1915 - 1917 and as night marshall 1919 - 1920. They moved to Timpanogos Ward in Orem in 1922, then to Vineyard in 1925, Lakeview in 1928 then to Highland in March, 1931 (Number 63 on the 1958 Highland map) and Hyrum served as counselor in the presidency of the Alpine Stake Genealogical class to Brother Seastrand, as counselor in the YMMIA and as secretary of the High Priests group. He worked as a carpenter during construction of Geneva Steel and also at the State Training School. He died October 28, 1947, in American Fork.

Henrietta Larsen and Mary Lee Myers

Henrietta was schooled in Murray 24^th district, graduating from eighth grade in May, 1893. She entered the University of Utah that fall, graduating in June, 1896. She taught school in Scofield and Vineyard. She supervised the Red Cross Drive in Murray during WW I. She served in Relief Society, genealogy classes, Primary and as president of the YWMIA. She died at age 91 on March 10, 1965, in a Provo rest home. They are buried in the Provo City Cemetery.

Hyrum Gordon & Chestina Baird Larsen

Gordon was born November 10, 1902, the eldest child of Hyrum and Henrietta Larsen (q.v.). Chestina was born November 14, 1899, in Syracuse, Utah to James Hyrum and Margaret Ellen Randall Baird. At the 1920 census Gordon was living in Murray, Utah and Chestina was in Pleasant View, Utah. They were married June 2, 1926, in Salt Lake City and in 1930 were living in Pleasant View and he was working for the power company. In 1940 they were living in Washington, D. C. and he was working for the U.S. Government. They had a nine year old daughter, Marlene, who was born in Idaho. As far as can be determined, she was their only child.

When he retired from Government service in the 1950's, they came to live in Highland with his mother (Number 63). Chestina died October 13, 1973, in Provo and Gordon died March 21, 2000, also in Provo.

(Number 64 on the 1958 Highland map - 5285 W. 10800 N.)

Seth Julius & Lilly Thomsen Larsen

The Larsen's both came from long distances and took diverse routes to live in Highland. Seth was born in Sterling, Alberta, Canada on July 24, 1907, to Christian and Inger Augusta Himmermann Larsen. At the age of ten both of his parents died, a few weeks apart, and he went to live with his Bishop, Arthur Eugene Fawns. He attended Grammar school in Sterling then moved to Chisholm and attended agricultural High School. He participated in amateur and professional boxing and played golf, wrote poetry, gave readings, rode his bike and loved music-he had a beautiful tenor voice. He trained himself to box by using a mail-order course written by Jimmy deForest, who trained Jack Dempsey.

After High School he was called on a mission to his fatherland, Denmark, and was set apart by Joseph Fielding Smith. His Stake President was a prominent attorney and WW I Army Colonel-Hugh B Brown. After attending the Mission Home in Salt Lake, his first field of labor was Copenhagen where he met his father's sister who had joined the Church and was prominent in the Relief Society there.

Early on in his mission he and his companion were standing in front of a Church building and two teenage girls rode up on bikes and talked to them, having known his companion from a prior meeting. As his eyes caught the eyes of one of the girls he heard a voice stating clearly and simply: "she will be your wife if you remain worthy". He learned that she was the daughter of the Silkeborg Branch President, Christian Thomsen. Several months later, while working in a different town, he got the impression he needed to go to their home. When they arrived they discovered that the mother, Kristine was extremely ill with seizures. They were called upon to give her a blessing and she was miraculously cured and had good health until her death at 96.

Lilly was born July 30, 1910, in Lilheborg, Denmark to Christian Emil and Kristine Jensine Christensen Thomsen. She came to America and Salt Lake City with her family in the late 1930s.

After many adventures and many jobs, Seth attended BYU and while there learned that Jack Dempsey would fight an exhibition in Provo. He wanted to attend but didn't have the price of a ticket so he signed up to fight a preliminary match. It was a three-round match that ended in a draw but he got to meet Jack Dempsey. Seth was living with his brother in Provo and dating a girl from Idaho. One night he had a date with the Idaho girl and was going to ask her to marry him. Before he left Lilly Thomsen found him and asked him to attend a fireside with her. He resisted but she insisted and they went. He never saw the girl from Idaho again and he and Lilly were married June 27, 1940, in the Salt Lake Temple.

They lived in Orem and Seth worked on the construction of Geneva Steel and then in the blast furnace. They moved to Highland (Number 66 on the 1958 Highland map) on 37 acres in 1944 and made efforts to raise turkeys on their farm and he worked at Lark Mine. In 1950 they sold their farm to Tofeek Kaleel and bought two acres from Henrietta Larsen (no relation) and built a new home (Number 64), the first new home built in Highland for many years. He helped push for a culinary water system for Highland.

The Larsen's were always involved and active in the Church. Lilly worked in the YWMIA and Seth was Elder's Quorum president and Stake Missionary with Ralph Rogers. Seth participated on many programs with humorous readings, including the following:

Tony Paroni - Da Son a da Beach

I sella de fish, I sella de crab; I'm notta so good, an, notta so bad;

I leev in da shack, ver da seagull dey screech, I'm called Tony Paroni, da Son a da Beach.

I guess maybe you teenk I'm pretty beeg fool, 'Cause I naivair go to American school;

An' I don't know so guud da American speech, I'm joost "Tony" da Fish-pedla, da Son a da Beach.

Day say to me, "Tony, vot for you stay here? You maka more mon' if you sella da beer";

I say, "I don' care if I naivair be reech, I joost Tony Paroni, poor Son a da Beach."

Laz' week I hear two fella talk on da san', 'Bout feller called "Harry", a beeg Prezdent man;

I don' hear so good vot day say in da speech, But it soun' like he too is a Son a da Beach.

Now, I don' teenk day mean he be fella like me; 'Cause he don' leef here, on da sand by da sea;

So I don' understan', maybe him and me each be two differen' kind of a Son a da Beach.

Vell, I'm joost "Tony Paroni", an' darn glad I am, I'm glad I ain't vot you call a Prezdent man;

'Cause some day ven I die and Heaven I reach, Day will say, "Come in Tony, you old Son a da Beach."

After a failed business venture, Seth sold his home in Highland and moved to Salt Lake where he worked for contractors and the city parks department until his retirement. They served two missions to Denmark together and Seth received his degree from BYU at the age of 70. Lilly passed away on February 25, 1987, after which Seth spent many hours doing temple work. He died on October 23 of the same year and they are buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.

Source: HIGHLAND HISTORY: A compilation by Charles T Greenland II for the Highland Historical Society

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Larsen

Hyrum & Henrietta McCloy Larsen

Hyrum Gordon & Chestina Baird Larsen

Seth Julius & Lilly Thomsen Larsen

Tony Paroni - Da Son a da Beach

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