Reuel was born November 17, 1880 at Woodruff, Utah. He was he third son of Wesley K. and Frances Matilda Huffaker. He was born in a small one room house with dirt floor and roof. The family lived for several years in this house before they moved to Garden City, Utah where they lived on a 10 acre farm for six years. They returned to Woodruff after a bedroom and living room had been added. Soon they had domestic animals, horses, pigs and chickens. They built corrals, stables and fences and planted a garden, currant and gooseberry bushes, etc.

About every two years a new brother or sister was born. In 1885, after five boys and one on the way, they completed plans for a new house. Their nearest neighbor was 3/4 mile away. The family increased over the next 20 or so years to 10 boys and 3 girls. The children went to school in Woodruff. In the winter when they were of school age they skated to school on the creek. Before that they were taken to school in a sled drawn by horses. This home had a large kitchen, a front room and a game room plus four bedrooms upstairs.

The Farm house in Cottonwood was built in 1890 when Reuel was ten years old. It was a two story brick house with both a cellar and attic. After that, time was spent between Woodruff and Cottonwood, a distance of about 110 miles. Evanston became a stopping point between the two homes. Cottonwood is now a part of Salt Lake City. The children went to school in Murray.

This was a busy time in their lives and all of the children learned to play musical instruments. Reuel learned to play the violin, baritone and trombone. During these years the family had their own band and played for many occasions in and around Salt Lake. His granddaughter Shari Byram Fisher has his violin and has been active in playing in an orchestra in both Santa Monica, California and Carson City, Nevada.

In 1902 he attended the L.D.S. Business College as a 2nd year student.

A few notes taken from his diaries show that in 1904 he took both violin and trombone lessons while going to school. The 1905 diary shows he worked at an office and took lessons for $1.00 an hour from W.C. Clive.

In 1906-1907 Reuel attended Law School at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. He was a member of the Barrister Club. You will find a picture of him in the Utonian. He was admitted to the Utah State bar in 1907.

In 1908 Reuel moved to Murray where he worked in his father's office and became interested in politics. He continued taking music lessons and played in the Band.

His diary of 1909 has a record of his trip to Los Angeles by train with Parley Pratt. At this time most transportation in the Los Angeles area was via the L.A. Pacific Company (later called the Red Line). The boys explored the beach communities and generally had a good time.

In 1910 he was back in Salt Lake where he sold cars, played for dances and worked in several law offices. He also continued lessons on the trombone and violin.

In 1911 he took out a Post Office Box in Evanston. He continued selling cars and started working for John R. Arnold in his law office in Evanston. He was admitted to the Wyoming State Bar the 7th of October, 1911 and admitted to practice as an attorney and counselor-at-law in all courts in the State of Wyoming. He opened his law practice in Evanston about that time. By this time he was dating Florence Lewis who became my mother.

During those years his father Wesley K. was involved in political activities and he spent a great deal of time working for him. Transportation between Evanston and Salt Lake City was mainly by train, Evanston being a division point for the Union Pacific Railroad. The activity of the family between Woodruff and Cottonwood also kept him busy. There were several cars in the family at that time, the first one being a Buick 10. Reuel did a lot of local driving for Evanston people who did not have cars.

Their early years of marriage were typical of most struggling young lawyers with income being very limited. However, he added to the family income by playing for dances.

On March 22, 19l4 Rose was born and sixteen months later July 24, 1915 Dorothy arrived.

In April of 1914 Rose became very ill. She had paralysis in her left leg. She was taken to Salt Lake where Florrie stayed with her for almost a month at the home of Mrs. Anderson, Dell's sister. They were under quarantine. The doctors at that time diagnosed the illness as infantile paralysis. In May she was taken back to Evanston with an abscess in her side and very little chance of recovery. She had a cast on her body and leg. Dr. Holland, the local family doctor, took her out of the cast and put a drain in her side. Little by little she began to recover. Although she had started to walk before the illness, it was necessary to begin to creep all over again. During all of this time Florrie was pregnant with Dorothy who arrived July 24, 19l5.

They moved into their new home which he and Dyke had built on Walton Avenue in 1916. For several years the two couples were to live across the street from each other. They shared many happy times together until Dell and Dyke moved to Arizona. The new house had a large front hall where coats and hats were hung and there was a library table. Adjoining the hall was the front room which had a fire place and built in cabinets for books. There was also a dining room, kitchen, service porch, two bedrooms and a bathroom down stairs. Up stairs was one large room used as a bedroom with thirteen small windows and storage areas on each side.

In 1919 "Pop" decided to enter the political field and was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Uinta County on the Democratic ticket. He served one term and then resumed his private practice.

Florrie was raised to the Anglican Church in England and joined the Episcopal Church in Evanston. This became the church the family attended. Rose and Dorothy were both christened and confirmed at St. Paul's in Evanston. Pop went to Church occasionally but did not join the church. Rose and Dorothy both played the organ, and with Florrie sang in the choir. Pop played the violin for special occasions.

During these years Grandmother Walton used to visit in Evanston. Grandfather Walton had died when I was 2 years old. We still remember the fun picnics with her in the hills above "Dean's Field" south west of Evanston. Nothing was ever too difficult for her to do. If we could do it she could also. She was still going on picnics with us when she was well into her 70's.

"Pop", as Reuel was later called, belonged to the Evanston Band. One of their contributions to the town's entertainment was their Friday night Band Concert on the Court House lawn. It was on one of these occasions that Grandmother Walton with Rose and Dorothy, one on each side, were running across the lawn, holding hands, and hit a wire protecting a new section of lawn. Grandmother took a dive skinning her nose - we also hit the grass and we all three came up laughing.

Reuel belonged to the Masonic Blue Lodge and Florrie was a member of the Eastern Star Lodge. They enjoyed playing bridge and a game called 500.

Grandmother lived in Los Angeles with Blanche and Evy in the late 20's and Louise and Lester took care of the farm. It was on one of the family visits to Salt Lake that Lester cut Dorothy's ringlets for the first time when she was ten years old. Although they did not have any children they were always good to the many brothers and their families who came there.

November 1, 1923 Pop wrote a letter to his Mother and family telling them about a case he had just finished. He defended a man charged with murder who claimed self-defense. He was all alone in his defense of the client and worked very hard, but felt he was well paid by the fact that he got his man off free. The case caused a great deal of publicity and lasted two long days and nights. His letter said that the Court Room was crowded all the time with eager souls and not a sound from them could be heard as they strained every nerve to catch each word that was said by the witnesses, Judge and Counsel. The tension was high and the sentiment was with him. In his closing argument to the jury he spoke something like this and I quote from his letter: "Now in closing, Gentlemen of the Jury, I am appearing before you for the last time in behalf of the defendant. I have given my best efforts to the defense of this unfortunate man. I believe from his and the other witnesses evidence that he is innocent of this awful crime. I say he is unfortunate, for any man so situated is unfortunate, and especially so owing to the fact that the defendant is in a strange land, among strangers and able to speak but little of our language, and now, as you see him sitting there, wondering what it is all about."

"It will be for you to say whether tomorrow's sun shall shine upon a human soul that is destined to the gallows or penitentiary or whether the rays of tomorrow's sun will cast its warmth upon a human soul that has been granted its freedom for doing that which, his God given instincts told him, he had a right and ought to do. Gentlemen of the jury, what would you have done under, and what would I have done under these circumstances, when to hesitate a second would mean death to us. What is the meaning of the Scriptures -Self Preservation is the first law of nature. What does it mean. Apply it in this case and see what it means. It is a God given instinct that is instilled in the breast of all mankind, and it is not confined to the human race but the whole creation of God's kingdom, even a dove if attacked by an adversary. WHOM THE GODS WISH TO DESTROY, THEY FIRST MAKE MAD. A bad, dangerous violent man - saturated with Evanston moonshine and turned loose with a loaded gun - dead bent on spilling human blood. To such a man and to such a condition do we find Vicente Reyes the deceased. He chose the route he desired to travel - which to us the goal is apparent - destruction and dissolution. Oh, Gentleman, little can we realize the remorse and misery one must suffer and endure who is compelled to take a human life to save his own - only 23 years of age. And I beseech you that you do not withhold that solace long from him. Tell this young man that, when that great law of nature stands between you and your assassin, that he did what you and I would have done under like conditions. Don't permit him to remain an hour longer under this suspense, but by your verdict give him life and liberty."

"If I could have the grave open; if I could summon one witness who has not been called; if I could put Vicente Reyes on the stand, I could ask him what he would have done if a half-maddened desperado - with a loaded gun had attacked him with curses and threats of death, if I could have asked him this - I leave it to this honorable court, prosecutor and his surviving friends, what his answer would have been."

"Gentlemen, if you can find a verdict against this man under these conditions, I am addressing men different than I think I am".

There is more to his closing statement but it was very much in the same tone. Florrie and Rose and Dorothy were in the back of the room. His letter says that we all jumped up and started to clap and that the whole court room joined in with them.

In 1919 Reuel was elected County Attorney for one year. He ran on the Democratic ticket. During most of our school years he was a successful candidate for the position of County Attorney.

In 1921 he bought our first car - a "Baby Overland". It was a four door model with side curtains of eisinglass. This was the car we took to Yellowstone National Park in 1927. We camped at Lewis Lake with the Fred Lewis family and Mortie Lewis family. Mortie had a Reo truck that had been made into one of the first camp cars. Later they were called Motor Homes.

Reuel stayed in private practice until 1926 when he was elected again to the office of County Attorney of Uinta County. He held this office until March 1933. It was during these years he became known affectionately by our friends and the young people in town as "Pop Walton". He was admired and respected as a leading citizen of Evanston.

In 1927 Florrie's sister Addie Myers died and her daughter Grace, who was ten years old at that time, came to live with us during the school year and was raised as our sister. This put Pop in a household of "four girls", which he always said was just to his liking.

In his younger years he had done a great deal of hunting and fishing. He still continued these sports although as he grew older he became less enthusiastic about killing animals and eventually confined his sport activities to fishing. He was a good fly fisherman and we always had beautiful rainbow or brown trout during the season. In fact, he made the local paper on catching "Elmer" the prize trout of Jackson Hole.

Pop joined the Blue Lodge of the Masonic Order in 1925 and retained interest in the Lodge until his death.

Reuel kept a diary almost continually from 1904 until the day before his death in 1956. Much of this information has come from his diaries.

In 1928 he took us to Salt Lake to see Al Jolson in "The Singing Fool." This was the first time we saw a movie that was not a silent film, as they were called before talking pictures were made.

"Croquet" was a very popular outdoor game of the early 1930's and Pop and Grandmother Walton could play a real championship game.

Pop taught both Rose and I how to drive when we were about 15 years old. Cars at that time had manual shifts and clutches which were used when going from one gear to the next. He would take us "up the river" where there were many places where it was necessary to shift gears. It was on these trips that we also learned to back up.

In 1931 the ranch at Woodruff was sold to Wally Schultz, who had been running the ranch for the Waltons.

March 16, 1933 Reuel was appointed by Governor Leslie Miller of Wyoming to fill the unexpired term of Judge Arnold, as Judge of the Third Judicial District of Wyoming, which comprised the four counties of Uinta, Lincoln, Sublette and Teton. The salary for this position in 1933 was $6500 a year.

In 1934 Reuel ran for re-election for the office of Judge but was defeated by a narrow margin by Attorney Christmas of Kemmerer. He then resumed his private practice. In 1943 he was appointed Court Commissioner of Uinta County and elected Justice of the Peace.

In 1945 gas lines had come into Evanston down from Myers ranch area and on to Salt Lake. In 1947, thirty years after they had built their home on Walton Avenue, Florrie and Rue decided to convert the heating system, which was run by a coal furnace, to gas. At this time they also put in an electric range, hot water heater and a gas unit in the fireplace. This was the end of an era. No longer was coal delivered.

In August of 1947 his diary read as follows: "At office - beautiful day. The nights are cold and the frost is on hand. Summer has gone, if we had any. Don't remember any this year. I must have slept late some morning in July and missed it."

Another quote: "You have to remember, to know you have forgotten something. All the idiots are not in institutions."

In January of 1949 he wrote about a very cold winter with over a foot of snow. All trains and cars were stopped for two days east of Cheyenne and also east of Rock Springs. No one was able to travel by car in Evanston.

Florrie and Rue came to Los Angeles frequently during the holidays after Rose and I both moved to California. We usually drove to Evanston to visit them during our vacations when we were working and later when we were married with our families. They seemed to have a very happy quiet life.

In 1948 he ran for the office of State Senator from Unita County and was elected for a four year term. However, due to health reasons he resigned from the Senate and again served as Justice of the Peace and County Court Commissioner. He held these offices at the time of his death September 16, 1956. He was 76 years old. He was only in the hospital one week.

Florrie and Rue were a very devoted couple and their way of living quiet and dignified. The three girls, each a year apart in school (Rose, Dorothy and Grace) kept Mom busy at home. They were both interested in the girls education and many evenings were spent around the dining room table encouraging and coaching whoever needed them. For several years Pop was on the School Board. All three girls looked forward to going to college. Rose graduated from Evanston High School in 1932 and I graduated from high school the following year. Rose chose the University of Utah at Salt Lake City and I went to the University of Wyoming at Laramie. My cousin Grace who had lived with us since she was ten years old graduated from high school in 1934 and she also went on to school at the University of Wyoming.

Rose was married to Terry Bissinger in 1939 and divorced in 1943. She later married Arnold Byram in 1955. Dorothy was married to Charles N. Bishop, December 29, l940 and Grace was married to Harold Meyers in 1939.

Florrie and Pop came to California to visit Rose and Dorothy almost every year at Christmas time. In 1955, Florrie stayed in California because of her health dividing her time between the home of their daughters and husbands until April. Reuel went back and forth to Evanston several times during those months. At this time he resigned as Senator and became Justice of the Peace and Court Commissioner at the Uintah county Court House. He was 76 years old at this time.

When Florrie returned to Evanston her health deteriorated even more. Both Florrie and Rue were in hospitals when he died. We believed the stress of her illness precipitated his death.

At the time of his death he was still active at his office and was only in the hospital for one week. He died of a massive heart attack at the Evanston Memorial Hospital, September 16, 1956. Funeral services were at St. Paul's Episcopal Church and burial in the Masonic section of the Evanston Cemetery.

Florrie moved to the Los Angeles area where she lived with her daughter Rose and family and for a while with Dorothy and family. Shari was four months old when Pop died.

Florrie survived Pop by a year and a half. She died March 29, 1958 in Santa Monica, California. Services for her were also held at St. Pauls Episcopal Church in Evanston, Wyoming and she was buried next to Reuel in the Masonic section of the Evanston cemetery. Rose died in 1990 and her ashes were interred with them in the family plot.

Continue to Chapter 7, Florence Matilda Lewis and the rest of the history,
Return to the Dorothy Walton Bishop page, or
Return to the Lewis Family page.