Comments on: Latter-day Saint Children, 1940

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:18:05 +0000

Left Field, it will be easy for me to find that clipping with the help of the finding aids at the library. May take me a few days to find the time, but I think it would be interesting to establish this connection, or at least not leave you wondering forever.

By: Left Field

Left Field — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:09:01 +0000

I was born at LDS Hospital in SLC in 1959. Now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure my mother said that Dr. Sharp also delivered my brother in 1953. A Trail Builder 1n 1940 would be what, 10 or 11? That would make him something like 23-24 in 1953, which might be a little young to be a practicing obstetrician, what with having to get through medical school and all. Not impossible though, I guess.

I think I remember my mother sending me a clipping from the Church News saying Dr. Sharp had been called as a mission president or something. That would have been probably sometime in the late ’80s or ’90s. I might even still have the clipping somewhere, but it would probably take some extensive searching to locate it.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:02:42 +0000

Tatiana, maybe there’s a difference if you’re 10, and don’t have to do those chores all the time, and are learning how to do them as a social activity with your friends.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:01:22 +0000

Thanks, Maurine! Mentioning my birthday must have slipped my mind — an age-related condition, no doubt …

By: Tatiana

Tatiana — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:01:10 +0000

Ardis, happy late birthday!

As for the canning, weeding, and sewing, I suppose those jobs can be fun, too, if approached the right way. I’m going to try to change my view of things to see more in a positive light.

By: Maurine

Maurine — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 03:40:03 +0000

Ardis, I love these pictures of Primary children and of the other church groups you post. Keep them coming.

Why didn’t you tell me last week when we had lunch that it was your birthday week? Not that I would have sang for you or anything, though. Anyway, belated birthday wishes.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 02:08:11 +0000

It’s a small world, LF — if you want to contact me privately (keepapitchinin at aol dot com) with the year and city of your birth, I may be able to work backwards and forwards without much trouble to see if the two Howard Sharps turn out to be one.

By: Left Field

Left Field — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:39:42 +0000

Howard Sharp was the name of the obstetrician who welcomed me into mortality a couple of decades after these photographs were taken. Could it possibly be the same guy?

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:16:34 +0000

Tatiana, I noticed that too. But just wait until I post a collection of Young Women’s pictures from the same period that I’ve been assembling — you’ll see hikes and swims and horseback riding and marshmallow roasts and all kinds of active games. And lots of grins, too. I can’t account for the difference, but I begin to understand why the 12- and 13-year-old girls begged so hard to be let out of Primary and into MIA.

By: Tatiana

Tatiana — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:05:13 +0000

7. A taber is a drum. So tabering on your breast would mean drumming or beating on your breast.

These are lovely, Ardis! I love seeing these shiny bright hopeful faces.

Am I the only one who noticed that the girls’ activities when displayed are more often some sort of drudge work like weeding the lawn, sewing (okay, somewhat creative), canning apricots, while the boys more often got to do fun stuff like kite flying and building human pyramids? Or is it just my activity preferences showing?