Martha Van Orden Parks

Martha was born November 1, 1902 at Washington, Washington County, Utah. Her parents were Peter Edmund and Laura Christina Bastian. She was named after her father’s mother, Martha Ann Knight who was the daughter of Joseph Knight Jr. Her grandmother remembered the Prophet Joseph Smith and often told Martha of stories how the Prophet would hold her on his knee when she was a child.

When Martha was two, her family moved to Thomas, Idaho.  They lived in a three room log house with a dirt roof with the family who previously owned the house. They hadn’t found another home yet. They had eight in their family and there were ten in Martha’s family. She didn’t know how they did it with so many people and so little room but they made it work.

During the first few years in Thomas, Martha met Margaret, who was Bishop John R. Williams’s daughter. They became fast friends and Martha always enjoyed playing at Margaret’s home. She felt that Margaret had everything, but later learned that dolls and swings weren’t everything.  They could never compare to their friendship. When Margaret started school, Martha wasn’t quite five but she begged and convinced her parent to let her go too.

There wasn’t as much fruit in Idaho as they had in Utah. They had a flour sack full of raisins and a sack of almond nuts that her folks had raised and brought from Utah. They were the treats that the children received for being good or for doing some special errand. Martha does remember growing gooseberries and “pie plant” or rhubarb. They shared or traded with neighbors for currents, raspberries, and apples.

Peter built the family a large rock home and Martha enjoyed playing and watching the rock masons lay the big rock walls. Her father did most or all of the carpenter work. When they moved in, there were enough rooms for everyone, one downstairs and five upstairs for all of the children.

She was baptized in the People’s Canal on July 2, 1911. W.F. Covington baptized her and her father confirmed her the next day in church.

Martha completed nine years of school in Thomas. Then she went to high school as a sophomore in Blackfoot. She would stay in Blackfoot since it was a distance from Thomas. The first year she and Margaret obtained a room and stayed together. They set up their own housekeeping and called it, “Batching It”. The next couple of years she worked for her room and board and stayed at the home of Doctor Bernhisel.

She studied what they called Bible Class during her last year which was held at the Blackfoot Frist Ward Church across the road from school. She enjoyed this class very much.

Martha lost a few of her siblings and in-laws growing up. Often family would come and live with them after, making meal times crowded. She helped her mother raise her brother’s new baby when his wife died. She was sad about the death but enjoyed having a baby in the house.

May 30, 1919 she met her future husband, Rulon Robert Park, at a dance in Thomas. It seemed they were attracted to each other immediately and went together several times that summer. By Thanksgiving time, they were going steady. She continued her high school education and after graduation in May 1921 she began attending Albion State Normal College. After nine weeks, she was eligible to teach school beginning that fall. She taught grades three, four, and five in Sterling, Idaho.  The next summer she attended college at Pocatello for nine weeks to again be eligible to teach school in the fall. That year she taught grades three and four at Thomas. She always enjoyed teaching whether in school or church and it brought much joy into her life.

On December 6, 1922 she and Rulon were married in the Salt Lake Temple. They went by themselves as their families couldn’t afford to go. She was nervous but Rulon was very calm. They returned to Thomas and lived with Martha’s parents for a while since everyone else was gone. She continued to teach school. The latter part of March they moved to Riverside where Rulon rented a farm. Here their first child was born, a girl. In the spring of 1925 they bought a piece of land to farm. There were no buildings on the land so they bought a one roomed house and had it moved to their farm. They had their second child, a boy. Things were pretty rough for them starting out with not any buildings or much money. They were young and full of hope and ambition. They were very happy. They had four more children, three more boys and a girl. Martha served in many different callings in the church. She lost her two youngest boys and later another boy. There was much grief but Martha was strong. Rulon and Martha enjoyed their grandchildren very much.  Martha died September 9, 1976 at the age of 73 in Pocatello, Idaho. She’s buried in Riverside, Idaho at the Riverside cemetery.