Benjamin Franklin Hulme, written by Benjamin Franklin Hulme, December 1962

Benjamin Franklin Hulme, written by Benjamin Franklin Hulme, December 1962

My father, William Hulme, was born in Stoke on Trent, England, June 29, 1836, just six years after the church was organized. His father, John Hulme, Jr. heard the gospel from some of the first missionaries to England. He was converted, but his wife could not be persuaded to accept the unpopular faith. However, she was not opposed to their migration to America. The new convert took his son, William age 6, and his daughter, Mary, age 4, and sailed to the new land. He expected his wife and baby to follow shortly. John came to Nauvoo where he died in the cholera plague just a few months later.

Charlotte, his heartbroken wife, died almost immediately upon hearing of the death of her husband. The baby was raised be relatives in England, and the two orphans in Nauvoo were given a home by William O. Clark. Mr. Clark moved to San Bernardino, California. Mary remained in California and married Henry Sheldon Green. Her brother returned to Utah to the body of the church to satisfy a feeling that he should be with the church. He went to Payson in 1857 where he met and married Phebe Daniels in 1860. In 1864 they were called by President Young to go to the company of Apostle Charles C. Rich to settle the Bear Lake Valley.

President Young visited the valley in 1877 and ordained father the first bishop of Bloomington Ward, a position that he held for 17 years. The church made unusual demands of its leaders in those days. The following is quoted from the story of the life of Phebe Almira Hulme Nebeker, who is the daughter of William Hulme and Phebe Daniels, written by her daughter, Luella Nebeker Adams: “This was the time when plural marriage was encouraged amongst the people. In order to comply with the counsel of the church leaders, Grandfather felt it his duty to take a second wife, although he and Phebe knew that plural marriage would be difficult. After considering the matter seriously, the decided together, to make the move. A fine and intelligent English girl, eighteen years of age, who had come from England just a short time before was the one they decided to ask to come into the family.

“Ann Maria Briscoe felt highly honored to be asked to marry the kindly, jovial, and good man—the bishop of his ward. They were married in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City on June 10, 1880.

“Mother has told how Grandmother made Ann Maria’s temple clothes by hand, her heart heavy, she shed many tears. That polygamy was a divine principle, she never doubted, although it would be hard to share her husband with another. There surely will be a great reward for the three percent who made the sacrifice.”

Ann Maria was my mother. She was born in Whitwick, Leicestershire, England, April 21, 1862. She, 17, and her sister Ruth, 11, were the first of their immediate family to migrate as converts. They went to Bloomington because their grandparents were there.

I was born March 23, 1890, at Bloomington, Idaho, which was my home for 36 years. Farming and livestock was then, and still is, practically the only source of income. The early day markets were the Wyoming mine areas, and the road building camps of Idaho. Many of the farmers spent part of their time hauling their products to market by teams and wagons.

We learned the principles of thrift and economy the hard way. We learned to work for what we had and to get along without the things we did not have. I enjoyed school in Bloomington. We had good teachers. I finished the seventh grade there but went to the Fielding Academy at Paris, Idaho, for the eighth. I was old enough then to find employment on sheep camps where I spent the next two years. By then Fielding Academy was a four-year high school. My next four years were spent there. During my senior year, I was student body president. In 1912, I secured a teachers’ certificate and taught for ten years in the schools of Bear Lake County. These years were broken into by two years as a missionary and two years in the military service.

My father died in June 1902 leaving mother with the responsibility of providing for nine children, aged two to eighteen years, of whom I was the fourth. She did a magnificent job, as so many widowed mothers have done with the help of the Lord. All four boys filled missions and three were bishops for long terms.

As I grew up, I was advanced through all the offices of the priesthood and was ordained a seventy in January 1914 by B. H. Roberts as few months prior to receiving a call to the French Mission. My mission in France lasted from June to September 1914. Then because of the war between Germany and France, I was transferred to the British Mission with the Apostle Hyrum M. Smith as president. In France I was stationed at Lille, near the Belgium border. The German army soon crossed Belgium and had control of all railroad lines out of Lille before we had our instructions to return to Paris. The three missionaries hired a restaurant owner to take us by truck 30 miles to a railroad connection. It took 36 hours to get to Paris because of necessary detours and also because troop and military supply trains had right of way over passenger trains. The trip in peace time takes two hours. The stations were all filled with refugees from Belgium and Northern France trying to keep ahead of the Germans. During our last month in France, we were not allowed to hold any meetings and people were in such excitement and uncertainty that very little missionary work was done.

In England I was assigned to the Liverpool conference. The work there was enjoyable but had many hindrances because of the war. The people who opened the doors to our knocks wondered why we were not in the trenches with their sons. The English people thought that the United States should be helping to defend the freedom of the world.

I returned to Bloomington in June 1916. Spent the summer on the farm then taught school one year before Uncle Sam needed me. The United States declared war on Germany April 6, 1917. I was enlisted October 3 and sent to Camp Lewis, Washington, for about two months then transferred to Camp Mills, New York, where my company was used to build up the ranks of the 41st Division to war strength. I was placed in Company A of the 162 Infantry. On December 12, we embarked on a convoy for France. Troops were carried in convoys of several ships with submarine chasers and all possible protection from enemy bombs. A submarine was sighted in French waters but did no harm. Our company relieved marines doing guard duty on the docks of St. Nazaire, France. The Marines were moved to the front lines. During March 1918 I developed a corneal ulcer and was transferred to a sanitary corps for medical care. Camp No. 1 was a debarkation camp and barracks including a hospital were under construction and I spent the next 14 months in duties around the hospital as a casual. I was discharged May 20, 1918, from the 162 Infantry. I carried a rifle for nearly two years, cleaned, oiled and polished it many times, but did not fire it once even in target practice. During December 1918, I spent two weeks on leave in Paris and Nice. I was in the crowds that cheered President Woodrow Wilson when he visited Paris for the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.

I was in Europe when war began between France and Germany in August 1914 and was there a part of every calendar year until May 1918, six months after the armistice was signed. However, I was nearer the enemy lines as a missionary than as a soldier.

The mission and military service over, I was home to stay, and I was able to convince the girl for whom I had left all the French and English girls, that she should marry me before something else happened. We were married Jun 12, 1919, in the Salt Lake Temple. My sister Ruth was married at the same time and Jeff had a car and I had enough money to share the expense of the trip. My overseas pay was $45 per month and mustering out pay was a railroad ticket to Montpelier, Idaho, and $168. So our beginning in married life was something less than luxurious. My wife was understanding and cooperative and really taught me many ways to economize. She was patient with the speed we traveled.

I taught in the grade schools of Bear Lake County for the next seven years and added to our agricultural interests. By 1926 we owned 50 head of Hereford cattle and 50 forest privilege and raised enough feed to winter the cattle. During this period, I was ordained an high priest and served on the high counsel of Bear Lake Stake beginning in 1922.

We decided in 1926 that I should get more schooling. I had learned that the summer school method was a slow and difficult one. And even though we were expecting our fourth child, we sold our cattle and moved to Logan, Utah, where I attended the Agricultural College four quarters a year for two years. I majored in animal husbandry and my minor was agricultural economics. I was elected to Phi Kappa Phi. During the early spring of 1928 the Superintendent of the Utah State Experiment Farm at Panguitch died and I was offered the position. We had never heard of Panguitch, but we went to see what life would be like on the farm. We found many primitive conditions, unfavorable especially to our wife and mother. No electricity or running water on the farm, but a lot of fine people in town three miles away. We accepted with the hope that conditions could soon be improved.

On the farm we had a herd of good quality, purebred shorthorn cattle and a little later a farm flock of purebred Rambouillet sheep. Breeding and feeding experiments were conducted as well as testing various grains and alfalfa. This was interesting work and lasted until 1934 when because of a shortage of funds during the depression, several of the experimental sub-stations were closed. We leased the farm a year and continued to live there while I taught seminary in Panguitch. During most of the time there I was stake superintendent of first the Young Men Mutual Improvement Association and then the Sunday School.

During 1935 I was transferred by Dr. John A. Widtsoe, then Commissioner of Education, to the Bear Lake Stake Seminary at Paris, Idaho. My wife spent much time helping with seminary, especially training the students in singing to improve the quality of programs we presented in the wards and stake. During our stay in Paris, a new two-classroom seminary building was constructed on the tabernacle grounds across the street from the high school. A second teacher was employed part time. We spent five very pleasant years working with an excellent group of young people in the seminary and stake Mutual Improvement Association of which I was superintendent and Louise a member of the board.

In 1940 we moved to Manti, Utah, where I was County Supervisor in the Farmers’ Home Administration, which is a branch of the U.S.D.A. This program was established to assist low-income farmers with their problems of financing, planning and reorganizing their farm operations. The aim of the program is to maintain the family type farm in the United States and retain ownership in the operators in preference to large commercial operation of land.

During the period from 1940-60, great advancement was made in the production of milk per cow and eggs per hen, etc. through better breeding and feeding. The production per acre of grain, alfalfa and other crops was greatly increased through better methods, especially in the use of fertilizers and better seed.

During the early 1940’s to improve the quality and production of dairy cattle, bull blocks were organized in which several small farmers would cooperate in purchasing a sire from high producing lines. The government made small loans to each farmer and supervised the blocks. By 1960, many of these same farmers operated herds of 30 to 50 high producing cows milked in sanitary barns with running hot and cold water and tank coolers. They also produced most of the feed requirements. I was retired from this service under a mandatory age requirement in 1960. The 20 years in Manti was an important period in our lives. We lived among some of the finest people in the world and within walking distance of the Manti Temple. I served as Bishop’s Counselor for nine years and as President of the Stake High Priests Quorum for three years. All five of our sons served their military assignments. Three completed full-time mission. All six of our children were married in the temple. They each have two or more children. They have all earned bachelor or higher degrees. And thanks to the opportunities in this Restored Church, all are serving actively in their respective wards and stakes. We are eternally grateful for the church and its teachers and officers for the continued help and influence in the training our children.

They are all superior to their father, for which I must credit to their mother who has given intelligent, methodical, and detailed supervision to all their activities, physical, spiritual and intellectual. She has exercised the slogan under which she was raised: “If you can’t be earning, be learning.” We bought a Baldwin piano early in our married life. Each child as he became the proper age was instructed in such a pleasing and interesting manner by their own mother that they all do a creditable job at playing and are happy with the accomplishment.

In general, their health has been excellent. This is largely due to her knowledge and practice of proper feeding and nursing care. Another help has been Uncle Douglas for periodic checkups, especially in times of health problems.

We had at least two good reasons for coming to California, Louise came to Berkeley to summer school during her years of teaching. Her mother and youngest sister were with her. She enjoyed the area so much that she could never forget the experience and this as an area in which to live. Her desire to be here increased when Lucile and Nell came here. When retirement time came, she argued, “Well, I have gone with you where you wished for more than forty years, now it should be my turn to choose.” The second reason: Our children are our most important investments and two-thirds of them live in the Bay Area and we must protect our investments.

The third reason we have discovered since we arrived here: The many wonderful new friends we have found. How much we love our brothers and sisters in the Berkeley Second Ward.

(Written by himself, December 1962, eight years before his passing away.)

Epilogue by Louise:

Ben has been very modest about himself in this, as was a strong characteristic of his. What honors he received during his entire life were truly earned. He was a wonderful husband and father. We were not flushed with money so we spent carefully, but he was very anxious that we had the best available. We got along so well together. One close relative who knew us as husband and wife has said that he is sure our union was arranged in Heaven.

His passing was a shock but is a sacred memory. He was speaking to Hulme grandchildren, etc. at a family reunion in his natal town. Shortly after he started to speak, he raised his right hand and said, “I have a strong feeling that my father is here with us.” His legs seemed to weaken, and he was helped to the floor. No struggle.

Additional by children:

In 1970 at Bloomington, not two blocks from the home where he was born, he was addressing the assembled Hulme family at a reunion when his heart failed, and he stepped from mortality into immortality. The date was June 27, anniversary of the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph. He was buried at Sunset View Cemetery in El Cerrito, California, where he and his wife had moved ten years earlier. At the age of 70 he qualified himself for a new career as a real estate salesman. He and his wife served as stake missionaries, among other assignments, and were called with the first group of ordinance workers in the Oakland Temple. At the time of his death, he was a supervisor and an officiator at the temple.

His body was later moved to Bloomington cemetery on 2 July 1985. On 13 September 1985, his wife Louise Krogue Hulme died. She was also buried in Bloomington cemetery.

(How do you “exhume” a Hulme? 😉)