The Hulbert Family Story

by Carl Hulbert
 

William Hulbert, my great grandfather, was born in Stepney Place, London, England, on January 31, 1817.  In his day, William was a champion swimmer and won several medals as a young man.  William’s first wife, Caroline Menote, was also from London, and was born January 13, 1819.  They were married March 29, 1841, lived in Bethnal Green, London and had six children.  In London William and family owned a silk weaving operation. They had a happy life together until February 15, 1853, when Caroline died.  A year later 1854, William then married Jane Hornsnell, from Blackmore, Essex, England.  She was born November 3, 1831.  Together they had another 14 children, which included two sets of twins.  Several of the children died at birth or very early in life.  In 1861 the Hulbert family moved to South Hackney, London. William and Jane with all of their children came to America in 1867.  They had friends in Detroit, Michigan area that helped them come over.  They did not come for church at that time.  They were silk weavers and shop owners in Michigan.  Later, they moved to the New Jersey area to settle and raise the family.  They heard about the Gospel while in New Jersey, but did not join the church until they came to Utah years later in 1877.  William passed away January 1, 1899, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

My other great grandfather on the Hulbert side was John Davies.  He was born June 18, 1828, in Swansea, Glam,Wales.  He worked as a tailor in Wales and was also Conference President for the church there.  He spoke both Welch and English.  His wife, Catherine Morgan, born June 30, 1832, was from the same village in Wales.  She brought the children alone to the USA. He then followed eight months later.  The family made the journey across the country and came to Salt Lake City, Utah.  After they settled in Salt Lake valley for a few years, they then moved into a home at 177 "L" Street.  This house was the home in which they raised their family and it still stands today.  John Davies died March 11, 1913, and Catherine, June 5, 1897, both in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Arthur Hulbert, my grandfather, was the second son of William and Jane Hulbert and he was born in London, England, on July 21, 1859.  In 1867, at eight years old, Arthur and his family came to the U.S.A.  He then grew up in Michigan and New Jersey and eventually made the trek to Salt Lake City, Utah.  There he met his wife, my grandmother, Gertrude Eleanor Davies.  She was born June 16, 1859, in Swansea, Glam, Wales.  Her family immigrated to the USA in 1867 as well.  Arthur and Gertrude were married in the Logan Temple on November 18, 1885.  

Arthur started Hulbert Brothers Leather Goods Company in the 1890’s.  Later, his older brother Henry joined him in the business.  Hulbert Brother Leather Goods Company was located at 233 South Main Street, Salt Lake City, Utah.  The business flourished for 29 years before the depression of the 1920’s and 1930’s wiped them out.  Grandpa would only sell quality leather goods and would not consider selling the cheaper types of luggage being sold during the depression.

Gertrude and Arthur sang together in the Operettas in old Salt Lake City Theater.  Arthur’s brother, Henry, aka Harry, was quite an actor/comedian, and once substituted for the British great, Sir Harry Lauder, at S.L. Theater.  Sir Harry stated that "Harry Hulbert was the only person who could do justice to replace him."  Gertrude was a gifted seamstress and not only did she sew all her children’s clothes, but also did special work for dress shops in Salt Lake.  Whenever she had a party or birthdays, etc., she would always give the guest a present that she had made.  At Christmas time, she would trim the tree with hand made silk scarves and gave them as gifts to those that came to visit.
    
Now, I’d like to tell you about my father, Arthur Davies Hulbert and my mother Effie Lena Erickson.

Arthur Davies Hulbert was the son of Arthur Hulbert and Gertrude Eleanor Davies.  He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, March 20, 1892.  Siblings were: Thomas born September 26, 1887; Alice, January 14, 1889; Arthur, March 20, 1892; Minnie May, May 11, 1894; Margerite Racheal, May 20, 1896 and Katherine Morgan, March 2, 1889.  When Dad was born, the family lived near 10th East and 2nd South, and they later moved to the house on 177 "L" Street, where he grew up.  He graduated from old Salt Lake City High School.  As a boy, he had a desire to be in the theater and would take odd jobs at the old Salt Lake Theatre sometimes playing hooky from school.  On one occasion, he had a small part in a play to lead a horse onto the stage.  The unfortunate thing was that his mother was in the audience.  When the performance was over, she took him by the ear and marched him home with a good lecture.  Dad worked at Hulbert Brothers Leather Goods Company for a while and then started selling automobiles with Bottrells and then for someone else on old Motor Avenue (Social Hall Avenue.)  Mom, Effie Lena Erickson, had moved up to Salt Lake City from her home in Richfield, Utah, along with her sister Coral, and one or two other girlfriends.  (Mom’s family, the Erickson’s lineage goes back to Sweden and Norway.  Her father Charles William Erickson came to the USA as a young child and met his wife Eda Martine Frost.  They were married September 12, 1888.   They came as pioneers to Utah and settled in the Ephraim and Richfield area.)  Arthur and Effie must have met in Salt Lake City in 1912 or 1913, when Dad was selling the new "automobiles" and Mom was working at the Moxum Hotel.

On May 24, 1913, Arthur was called by President Joseph F. Smith to serve in the Australian Mission.  He had his farewell on Friday evening, September 12, 1913, in the Salt Lake 21st Ward meeting house.  Dad corresponded with Effie during his mission and upon his return; they were married in the Manti Temple, July 12, 1916.

Dad and Mom had Richard Erickson Hulbert on July 2, 1917; Eda Kathryn (Bunne) February 5, 1919, Carl Arthur, March 3, 1923; Eleanor Gertrude, September 22, 1924; Gerald Erickson, January 1, 1931; Patricia Jane, September 16, 1934.  All of us were born while Mom and Dad lived at their first home.  Later, we moved to the suburbs of Salt Lake City to our new home at 340 Hampton Avenue (about 1080 So. and 340 E.)

During the depression years, the automobile business went to heck like everything else.  Hulbert Brothers Leather Goods Company was forced out of business and Dad, who had sort of expected to take over the family business sometime in his life, was out in the cold with his wife, four children and a mortgage on his new home.  It was during this time that the folks lost their home at 340 Hampton Avenue.  This tragedy gave them a guarded feeling that lasted all of their lives and effected what they did.  Dad worked with the Workers Project Administration (WPA) to put a sewer line on 9th South Street; hung wallpaper with Mom’s brother, Webber, and sold bananas at Salt Lake Airport when barnstorming air shows came to town.

He was finally able to get some type of permanent employment on the Western Pacific Railroad Company and that forced him to be on the "extra board" taking whatever jobs that came long without a regular run or schedule.  It necessitated a move to Sparks, Nevada, for somewhere around a year.  Later, Dad got on with the Denver and Rio Grand Railroad in Salt Lake City as a brakeman.  Dad worked for the Rio Grand Railroad for 34 years, until his death January 18, 1958.  It was tough work for Dad who had not been use to physical labor in early life, digging ditches with WPA and working outdoors with the railroad for all those years in all kinds of weather.

He loved his family more than anything else in the world.  For years and years, he took only the jobs or runs on the railroad that would allow him to be home most often.  They were the toughest jobs because all the switching, walking, and getting on and off the train.  Most men did not want them, but Dad took those jobs so he could get home at night to his family.  I can even remember a year or so when he took a job with the D&RG Railroad that necessitated Mom to drive him to Springville, Utah, each morning so he could work and then get a ride back to Salt Lake City.  It was not until a few years before his death that the family finally convinced him to take the California Zephyr that runs from Salt Lake City to Grand Junction, Colorado, and only be away one night or so a week to make it easier on himself.

Dad never spoke ill of anyone, at any time.  This is not just a story but a real fact.  If he ever heard any of us speak against anyone, he would always caution us to watch ourselves and his rule for himself and us was, "If you can’t say something good about a person, don’t say anything." He was a real Christian in action.  I cannot remember how many times he would go out and visit all the taverns trying to locate Mom’s younger brother, Webber, who was an alcoholic and bring him home, then feed and clothe him.  This went on for 30 years and he never gave up on him, nor complained about it once.  Dad was not very demonstrative with affection, but he took great pride in any accomplishment of the children, it would just bust his buttons when they were successful.  When Mom was called to be on the Liberty Stake Relief Society Board as a very young mother, he was very proud of her.

If he said anything to us kids, we knew we had better pay attention because it was the law.  He would usually not say much, as Mom would discipline us, but if we got out of hand, he just had to speak to us and we knew he meant business.  I do not recall Dad every laying a hand on any of us.

He always had us treat Mother with great respect and would not tolerate us talking back to her, or not helping with her chores.  One of his statements was "you are younger than your Mother, and you will not always have her."  Another saying I can remember of Dad’s was when I got a job "do the work even better then if you were doing it for yourself."

I have very fond memories of Mom and Dad.  We were almost too young to remember too much about the depression, but we were old enough to have it affect our lives.  I do recall having cardboard in my shoes occasionally when payday was still a few days off.  But everyone else did to.  I remember having patches in my overalls and hand me down clothes, but above all, Mom and Dad insisted we be clean and neat.  I never thought of us as being poor because we always had clean clothes to wear and an awful lot of love at home.  Our family spent a lot of time on the front porch swing on summer nights just talking and having a root beer float which was Mom and Dad’s favorite.

Dad was a terrific guy.  Tough as nails, about 5'8" and 160 lbs. all of his life.  He ate big Hershey bars at night while reading the Reader's Digest in bed and never gained a pound.  I can recall him lying on the front room floor, taking a nap; or if Dad was getting too tired to cut the lawn, you could find him snoozing in the glider on the back porch.

Arthur was a good-natured man with a dry sense of humor.  Dad did not like movies.  I guess he was still stuck on vaudeville and the stage.  He would take us kids and Mom into the movie, buy candy, get us seated, and then after ten minutes, he would get up and tell us he was leaving and would meet us outside as the movie ended.

One of the things he use to love to do most was take each of the grandchildren alone for a walk to the store or visit the fire station.  He had more patience than "Job", and would let them walk at their pace, doodle along the way, and literally take the whole afternoon to go a block or so.  Dad loved it and they loved him for his unhurried special time and they knew he was all theirs.