Life History of Amos Franklin Pace by Thelma Pace Brown

Life History of

AMOS FRANKLIN PACE

written June, 1984

Compiled by Thelma Pace Brown

Amos Franklin Pace, a son of George Milton and Sarah Alvira Standley Pace, was born 5 March 1874, at Atkinson, Summit County, Utah (Atkinson was sometimes called Parley's Park). He was the sixth child in a family of 14. There were eight boys and six girls. Sarah Alvira was given some cows by her mother, so they went into the dairy business. They lived on a ranch at the head of Silver Creek. They milked cows and made butter and cheese which they sold in Salt Lake City or in Park City.

Frank, as he was always called, worked hard on the ranch, along with his brothers. Their father, George Milton Pace, was made bishop of the Parleys Park Ward in 1879. Frank was only four years old, so his father was bishop all of his growing up years, since he served in this capacity for 23 years.Publish Post

The family of Edward and Julia Tree moved into the Parleys Park Ward and became very good friends of the Pace family. Frank soon became very interested in one of the daughters, a brown-eyed beauty named Emma. After quite a long courtship they were married in the Salt Lake Temple, June 21, 1899. June 21st was the longest day of the year and it took just that to make the trip to Salt Lake City by horse and buggy, get married, then make the trek back to the ranch that night. Emma's father had built a new house and they had a big wedding supper and a dance in the new house.

The newlyweds lived on the ranch at the head of Silver Creek, and here is where their first child was born. It was a boy and they named him Alvin Christopher. The Pace brothers, Freeman, James, Frank, and Alma had property together in Silver Creek and also they purchased a farm in Hoytsville. Frank and Emma moved to HoytsviIle to run the farm there.

They bought the farm from the other Pace brothers and acquired another parcel of land from Dick Redden. It was a struggle to pay for the farm and to stock it. They had sheep, cows and a bit of everything. George Edward, the 2nd son, was born in a little log house up the canyon where their water supply, or a spring, was. After they bought property from Dick Redden, they moved down the lane and into a house on this place. Elsie Amelia was born there, and after a while, Amos Eugene came to join the other three. When Eugene was 18 months old, a letter from the headquarters of the Church (came) calling Amos Franklin Pace to serve a two-year mission to the Southern States. What a test of faith this was to this little family. Here they were, just starting to payoff a farm, buy livestock and work the ground to get the farmland productive. There was never a question of whether Frank should go ... of course he would go! The faith of this wonderful couple was strong and they knew the Lord would bless them if they did His work. And bless them He did; perhaps not with worldly or temporal wealth, but with eternal and everlasting wealth in a family of faithful children, all married for time and eternity in the Temples of the Lord.

Frank left for the Southern States Mission on 23 October 1907.

Emma carried on this great responsibility of caring for the family, seeing to the planting and harvesting of crops, doing chores, herding sheep on the hillside, keeping up farm payments, and everything else that had to be done. Alvin was 7 years old and he became a big help with the chores. Alma Pace came to live with the during the winter months to help and to attend school in Coalville.

Emma did not deprive her children of their church activities, nor of the opportunity to grow in the gospel. She would hitch up a team of horses and into the buggy they would pile, and off they rode to the ward house 2 miles away. What a wonderful woman with such faith! Frank filled an honorable mission and returned home 25 months later on 13 November 1909. He was chosen 1st Counselor to Bishop Irwin Crittenden and was set apart for this calling on 29 January 1910. He held this position until November 1936. Frank Pace was always a faithful member of the church, carrying forth his responsibilities also. He was member of the North Summit School Board, was a director in the Wanship Rockport Range Company, a director in the Hoytsville Water Ditch Company, and many other civic jobs.

Eleven children were born to this wonderful couple. They are:

                    Alvin Christopher            Born April 23, 1900

                    George Edward                Born April 28, 1902

                    Elsie Amelia                    Born March 27, 1904

                    Amos Eugene                  Born June 10, 1906

                    Kenneth LeRoy                Born December 2, 1910

                    Raymond J.                     Born January 4,1913

                    Thehna Tree                    Born November 3, 1914

                    Clarence Elmer                Born October 9, 1916

                    Reed De Var                    Born December 3, 1918

                    Emma LaBelle                 Born December 25, 1920

                    Vernal Dean                    Born October 3, 1925

Amos Franklin Pace passed away Friday, February 11, 1955 at his home in Hoytsville, Utah, and was buried Monday February 14, 1955 in Hoytsville Cemetery.

We, his posterity, honor and respect his name and are striving to live so that we cain live with him and our dear mother, Emma Margaret Tree Pace, eternally.

This history has been compiled by Thelma Pace Brown. The following incidents have been written by his sons and daughters, also four granddaughters (Alvin's daughters), who lived by him and knew and loved him.