History of
Franklin Reed Brough (1894-1965)
and Della Beatrice Eschler

Quoted from the 1980 RBFO book:
Samuel Richard Brough, 1857-1947: His History, Ancestors & Descendants

Franklin Reed Brough, the second son of the plural marriage of Samuel Richard Brough and Eliza Ann Carter, was born June 6, 1894 in Fort Bridger Valley in the area now known as Lyman, Wyoming. It was during this year that Samuel Richard Brough harvested his first crop from the homestead that he settled on in the spring of 1892.

During the first two winters of Franklin Reed's life, his father placed his mother, Eliza Ann Carter and sons Horace and Reed in a good home in Fort Bridger, just four and one-half miles from his homestead. He then returned to Porterville, Utah where his first family was. There he spent the winter months and early spring working in the timber and then each year late in the spring, he took seed and equipment and returned to his homestead in Wyoming to plant crops and to continue to clear his land for additional farm land and pastures.

It was on this homestead where Franklin Reed Brough grew up into young manhood. He was taught at an early age how to work and share responsibilities along with his brothers and sisters in helping his father and mother develop their homestead into a productive farm where eventually both wives and families were able to live together in love and harmony. It was at his mother's knee where he and his brothers and sisters were taught the gospel and learned to love the Lord and how to communicate with Him in their daily prayers.

Franklin Reed Brough obtained all of his education at the school in Lyman which only covered up to the eighth grade. About the only time he spent in school was during the months when the weather was too bad to be working on the land. Franklin Reed's mother saw to it that their education was continued at home after it was too dark to work outside. Many hours were spent with the children all together learning about the gospel and life at their mother's knees. Their father had many responsibilities which kept him occupied and away from the family much of the time, being called first as presiding elder of the saints in this scattered area
and then later on and for many years as the bishop of the ward.

The story has been told that in order to keep meat on the table, Samuel Richard Brough would allow each one of his sons to take turns taking his l2 gauge shotgun to hunt for grouse and sage hens. If they failed to bring in a bird for each shell that they used, they would miss their next turn. This created quite a challenge for the boys and they really learned how to hunt and to become quite good marksmen. In order to get their limit and not have to miss a turn they would wait until they could get two birds together and then save the shell for the next time around when the hunting wasn't quite as good.

When Franklin Reed was twenty years old he was called on a mission to serve in the Western States Mission. He served a very successful mission and received his honorable release in July of 1916. During the early spring of 1917 his father and brother, Horace, went to California and purchased some land with the potential of moving to that area. In April his father contracted a rail car and sent Franklin Reed and Horace with two teams of horses, seed and equipment to begin farming in Eureka, California. Franklin Reed spent the summer as a foreman of a haying crew and in September returned to Lyman, Wyoming, as it was decided not to keep the land in that area of California.

On October 3, 1917 Franklin Reed Brough married Della Beatrice Eschler in the Salt Lake Temple and returned to Lyman to make their home. He first became acquainted with his wife when they were both serving as missionaries in Denver, Colorado. His wife Della was originally from Paris, Idaho. Just thirteen days after they were married Franklin Reed received his call to the military service. He had registered in California while working there during the summer, so by the time the call came to them, the company was ready to leave. He was able to telegraph and get permission to be sent from Uintah County, Wyoming, which delayed his call until April, 1918. He left on April 6, 1918 and was sent to Camp Lewis, Washington for training and then later to Fort Riley, Kansas. In November he was sent over seas and finally returned the following May of 1919. During his stay in the service, his wife Della stayed with her sister, Amelia, in Raymond, Idaho.

Franklin Reed then went to work for Fred Evans, a brother-in-law, in Raymond, Idaho and worked all that summer until November and then returned to Lyman, Wyoming where they lived with Franklin Reed's parents until January when his wife went to Logan, Utah to stay with her mother as she was expecting her first child.

Their first boy, Eugene Eschler, was born on February 16, 1920 in Logan, Utah. All during the winter of 1919-1920 Franklin Reed worked in the timber in Wyoming and then in the spring, went to work for a Mr. Kelly who had purchased his father's place in Lyman, Wyoming. He worked for Mr. Kelly until the fall of 1921.
He then freighted coal all that winter.

On January 6, 1922 his second son, Robert Samuel was born in Lyman, Wyoming and in April it was discovered that Franklin Reed had an inward goiter. He sold one of his teams and with that money went to Salt Lake City, Utah where he was operated on. He had quite a miraculous recovery and three weeks later returned to Lyman, Wyoming where he went to work for Ernest Roberts, a rancher in that area, until the fall of 1923 when they moved to Green River, Wyoming, to accept a job with the Union Pacific Railroad.

On December 12, 1923 their third son, Rulon Reed was born in Logan, Utah, where his wife Della had gone to be with her mother when their child was born, and then they returned to Green River, Wyoming.

During the time that they lived in Green River, Franklin Reed served as a counselor in the bishopric and then on the Stake High Council. On April 24, 1926, their fourth child and only daughter, Ethel was born. During all of this time, Franklin Reed was steadily progressing while working for the Union Pacific Railroad; and in the spring of 1927 they offered him a job in Ogden, Utah, as Coal Chute Foreman at their big rail center there. He accepted and moved his family there during the summer of 1927.

Because of the long hours that he worked, seven days a week and twelve hours a day, Franklin Reed's church assignments were restricted to those that he could perform at night. He was given the assignment to work with the Senior Aaronic Priesthood members and was instrumental in bringing many of these brethren back into church activity. When his work assignment was changed to five days a week he was soon called to be bishop of the Ogden 27th Ward. He served as bishop for almost six years.
Shortly there after he was released and was called to serve on the Stake High Council and then on September 30, 1962, he was called and set apart as Stake Patriarch by Apostle Gordon B. Hinckley. This was his final church assignment as he passed away on the morning of October 2, 1965, while enjoying the great out-of-doors hunting with his oldest son and grandsons. He was one who really appreciated nature and its beauties. He taught his boys how to enjoy them and many hours were spent together with them and their families enjoying the blessings of this great country.

During the final years of their lives, both Franklin Reed and his wife were given many honors for their devotion to their church assignments. He was made an Honorary Master M-Man and she was made an Honorary Golden Gleaner. Many lives were affected for good by this devoted man and his equally devoted wife.

Ogden, Utah was their final home, for on October 2, 1965, he passed away, and just over nine and one-half years later his lovely wife passed away on June 26, 1975. Both are buried in the Altorest Mortuary in Ogden, together with their oldest son who preceded his mother's death by just three years.

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