The History of Ira Corbett Stone Sr.

The History of Ira Corbett Stone Sr.

The History of Ira Corbett Stone

Compiled by his great granddaughter, Anjanette Stone Lofgren

With excerpts from Ralph J. Stone, Ira C. “Pete” Stone Jr. and Sally Jo Foster Gibson

November 20, 2005

Updated March 2010

Ira Corbett Stone was born on March 1st, 1894, in Marmaduke, Greene County, Arkansas. He was the 7th child of James Baucher Stone and Francis Arlena (Orlena) “Lena” Ross. James worked on the railroad to support his family. They were of the Methodist faith.

The first baby born in this family was a girl who died the day she was born on October 13, 1877. The other children born into this family were Beatrice A. who was born November 11, 1878, Herman Stone who was born February 18, 1880, and died when he was 22 months old, Benjamin Bedford born December 5, 1881, Ura Bernetta born January 19, 1884, and Kittie Vyletta born April 22, 1887.

It was on a wagon train going to Arkansas that James Baucher Stone met and later married Francis Arlena Ross. The story is told that James wanted to make an impression on the cute, young Ross girl and removed her bonnet and put it on the head of a mule. This did not make much of an impression but broke the ice for a later romance to begin. That was back before there were the modern conveniences we enjoy now. It was typical for a man to get up early, feed the stock, milk the cows, have breakfast, and maybe walk a mile or so and get to town by daylight. In many cases wives worked beside their husbands. People would work hard for six days a week on their own farms, go to town on Saturday and on Sunday they went to church.

When Ira was 19 years old, he married Lillie Bell Yancey on 22 Jun 1913, in Rector, Clay, Arkansas. This marriage ended in divorce but produced a son, Ralph James Stone. Ralph was born on November 30, 1914 in Rector, Clay, Arkansas. Ira was 20 and Lillie was 19. Ralph never really knew his father until he was an adult.

Ira attended schools in Marmaduke, and graduated from Marmaduke High School around 1912. The story told by his cousin, Cloyce Rasberry, is that Ira was the only person who ever kicked a football over the schoolhouse and this became the favorite past-time for all the young men after school each day to see if they could equal him. When Ira was young, and long before it was popular to run marathons, he ran the 10 miles from Marmaduke over to the next town east. That really set the folks talking!

Ira enlisted in the Army with a group of friends and relatives from Star Valley, Wyoming in 1916, and was sent to the Mexican border during the uprising. He was in Company H WNG, which Stands for the "Wyoming National Guard". He was a First Sergeant on the 2nd Troopship to land soldiers in France, and served on the 116th ammunition train. It was while he was in France that he had a book of poetry published mostly about the war and his experiences there. On the cover of the book his title is a “Quartermaster Sergeant”. He would write under the name of J.O.I.C. Stone, which stood for Juvenile Octavus Ira Corbett Stone. Joics was born while Ira was in France and his initials formed Joics' name. Ira picked up this name while he was going to school to become a lawyer.

He attended college in Arkansas and became a lawyer at Heber Springs before moving west where he became acquainted with Almorean Bagley and was introduced to “Al’s” sister Moretta in Star Valley, Wyoming. When he was 23 he married Moretta Virus Bagley on May 6th, 1917 in Kemmerer, Lincoln, WY. Moretta was just a few days away from turning 21. She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and her grandparents on her father’s side were Mormon pioneers who made the trek to the Salt Lake Valley in 1855. They were very religious people who gave up all they had to live in Zion with the Saints. Her grandparents on her mother’s side were very religious as well and were members of the Seventh-Day Baptists. They came from the eastern United States and made their way to California. Moretta’s mother died when Moretta was 9 years old. Moretta’s father was an attorney and was even the Attorney General for the state of Idaho.

After serving in World War I, Ira moved his wife and two children to Rawlins, Wyoming where he owned a coal mine. It was during a blizzard on June 29, 1921 that Ira Stone, Jr. was born at the coal mine south of town.

Ira and Moretta had four children; Joics Bagley born March 3, 1918 in Montpelier, Bear Lake, Idaho, Gwendolyn “Gwen” Virus, born December 7, 1919, in Granger, Sweetwater, Wyoming, Ira Corbett "Pete" born June 29, 1921, in Rawlins, Carbon, Wyoming and Julian Jeffrey “Jeff” born October 9, 1922, in Rawlins, Carbon, Wyoming.

After the war Ira was a Sheriff in Kemmerer, Wyoming. Ira arrested Bill Wesley on their front porch in Kemmerer. He had tried to shoot at the Stone children and in the arrest Ira broke Bill Wesley’s nose, jaw, etc. He was locked in their outhouse until Ira could take him to the Penitentiary.

In 1925 the family moved to Salt Lake and then to Bingham where he began his career in the painting business, which spanned the next 55 years. He was a painting contractor in Salt Lake, Bingham, Utah, and in Long Beach, CA, and in Malad and Rigby, ID. While living in California he painted many commercial buildings. After the 1933 earthquake he was asked to work on the L.A. Times Building, the giant water tank in Long Beach, the Press Telegram Bldg. and Breakers Hotel which were also in Long Beach. After coming to the Intermountain country, he painted many L.D.S. chapels and buildings in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. He painted a huge lump of coal in the Utah State Capital, and was probably the originator of the painted Christmas tree. He was active in the Painting and Decorating Contractors of America since the early 1930's, having held many positions in this organization both locally and nationally, and served as national Vice-President. He was given an honorary life membership in Sept. of 1967. According to the 1930 census, Ira’s mother, Francis and her grandson, Wise Stone, were also living with them.

Ira had never told his children that they had an older brother until Ralph contacted his father while he was serving in the Navy and was on his first leave. The Stones were living in Long Beach, California at the time. Moretta had known about Ira’s previous marriage and son Ralph. What a surprise it was to the children to learn they had an older brother and he was coming to visit them! The Stones enjoyed getting to know their long lost son and brother and Ralph was welcomed as one of the family.

Tragedy struck the family in 1936 when Moretta was in a car accident and died of her injuries on July 19. The family thought she would recover but she took a turn for the worse and passed away. She died in Long Beach, California and was buried in Rose Hill Memorial, Whittier, California. She was 40 years old leaving behind her husband and five children. Her youngest child, Julian “Jeff”, was 13 years old.

When Ira was 43, he was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Sep 5, 1937, in Long Beach, CA. by his son, Joics Bagley Stone.

In 1941, Ira married for the third time to Verrell Smith when he was 46 years old. She had 2 daughters from a previous marriage.

Ira spent the remainder of his days in Rigby, Idaho. He was a member of the Lions Club and the VFW. He was 80 years old when he passed away on April 19, 1974, in Rigby, Jefferson County, Idaho. He was buried on 23 Apr 1974, in the Rigby Pioneer Cemetery in Rigby, Idaho. At the time of his death he was survived by his wife Verrell, 4 sons, 1 daughter, 2 step-daughters, 27 grand-children and 21 great grand-children.