Memories from
The James A. Hendricks Family
I am Mary Hendricks Glenn Roberts,born April 23, 1945 in Pocatello,
Bannock County, Idaho to Ione Sant and James Alva
Hendricks (son of Juel Josiah Hendricks and Mary Ellen Kay).
I am the fourth child of seven. James(Von), Dennis, Eugene,
myself, Colleen, Bruce, Renae. As the first girl born in the family,
I enjoyed a certain favorable position which I levered
often with my brothers when wanting to be included in activities."Let her go with you" brought shudders from each of them,
but was mostly heeded by Gene who was two years older
and more vulnerable to my wailing. I was the "Tom Boy"
which I don't think pleased my mom, but brought me a
certain closeness with my father. I loved being outdoors,
the forests and the mountains and do to this day. I love
life and being active and each season for the flavor it brings.
I no longer join family hunting trips, but camp, fish, ski,
quilt and enjoy being together with family. Children and
Grandchildren hold a special place in my heart. I feel
a definite closeness with God, but am not the religious
one in our family. I always said I felt closer to God on
a camping trip than sitting meetings at a church. Not to
say it isn't important that someone sit in meetings, but
they are doing a fine job without me.
I write this story not as a history, but as flavor to add to
the family charts. My Mom and Dad were good people
and deserve not to be forgotten. None of their offspring
have achieved greatness yet, but we are amiable to each
other and enjoy the family closeness they held dear. We
each pay taxes and vote and do our share of volunteer
work, so I assume we are considered good citizens.
Pioneer stock and Mormon heritage came to us from
both parents. Mom's family were Sants, They were
sent by the church to settle Oxford, Idaho and many
of the family still reside in the Treasureton, Grace area.
Driving through there with the family when I was young,
an old white wood building was pointed out to me.
It was falling down and in ruin with cows grazing
around and on the steps. Mom said this was the old
Oxford city hall or courthouse and this was the town
she was born in. I was in awe that my Mother lived
such a long time ago and she laughed. I have heard
family stories of her mother Luvannah Sant sleeping
under the wagon and looking out for bears when the
family came west as a child. Also of Grandma's hiding
missionaries and helping remove tar and feathers when
she was young and lived in the south. Often other
children were not allowed to play with them when they
learned her family were Mormons. The James and
Drucilla Hendricks story is now a prominent pioneer
story. I heard it first from my father. He was proud
of his heritage. His grandfather, Joseph Smith Hendricks
was named by the prophet while he visited the family
soon after the birth. The "White Indian Boy" was my
Dad's "Uncle Nick". We had a copy and read it when
we were kids. He also rode the Pony Express and
helped settle the Wilsonville-Jackson Hole area. I
knew Dad's mother was a postmistress of Marysville,
Idaho and since I was named for both my Grandmothers,
I thought that must mean I was pretty important.
I thought she was probably an early suffregette.
In reality, my grandfather was sent on a mission at
the time, and she took over the duties there. Dad
often talked of the old homestead in the Marysville,
Ashton area and how uncle John had proved up on his
by the river, and kept it, but that his father had fell on
hard times and had to leave to find work to support
the family. He had a team of horses and logged and
helped build roads with them. Dad had a picture of
himself between the age of one or two by a tent with
snow around it near LaGrande Oregon where they
lived one winter while his dad hauled timber with his
horses. He talked of how steep the hills were and the
skill required. My father's mother died when he was
young, about ten, I believe. Dad was too young to
do much work, but said it was his job to do the
cooking and have dinner ready when his dad and
uncle Buster(Alma) got home. He said it was high
tide and trouble if he burned anything because money
was so scarce. Grandpa also helped plant the trees
along the road at Ross Park, and did some work on
the early Frazier Hall. Our family roots grow deep
in the Pocatello area, and I love the community there.
Dad "farmed out" in the Arbon Valley area as a
young man and always felt close to the farm families
there. He would tell us stories of the old times in the
pre-dawn mornings when we would drive to Green
Canyon to hunt. He told of chickorees and dances,
of hard work and fun times. He and mom were
introduced by friends, Bea and Dale Plain in Pocatello.
Mom worked for Bea. They were married
June 17, 1935 and were married 46 years.
Dad was pretty lonely after Mom's death He traveled a bit;
then met and married Margaret Bullock Horton Chipps
They had known each other long ago in that same
Arbon Valley era. Margaret made a gardener out of dad,
and they grew tomatoes, laughed and loved and shared
the last decade of his life together.
(James and Margaret Hendricks)
Dad's Family I Remember Most
My father spent some time when he was young
living with his sister, Lucinda Hendricks Cooper and her family in Weiser, Idaho. They were close.
(Mary Lucinda Hendricks Cooper "Aunt Cindy")
Because I never knew a grandmother on my dad's
side of the family, Aunt Cindy became my
"grandmother" from that side. She liked me. When
I was young and growing up, she lived in the brick
house on the corner of 3rd and Putnam in Pocatello
and we lived in the middle of the block. She was a
widow then, and cared for Uncle Buster, and took
in borders. She baked wonderful pies, and her house
was always spotless. She would make my dad a
chocolate cake with whipped cream frosting for his
birthday. He looked forward to them. Her children
;Joe (Afton), Lyndell(Blanche), and Lucille(Alma Morgan)
Cooper were thought of by us as aunts and uncles.
Uncle Joe lived in Pocatello and was particularly
close to our family. We spent a lot of time with them.
(Joe Cooper Family:Joe, Afton with daughters Linda and Marie)
their children, Linda and Marie were near the ages
of Colleen and myself. Sometimes Afton would visit
mom in the afternoons. They would watch "their soaps"
and we girls spent our time on the old swing set and
climbing an old tree in the back yard. We would
mix sugar and dry Kool Aid mix in the package,
licking it from our fingers. We thought it was great.
Afton is a quiet, kind and caring lady. She loved to
crochet and did beautiful work. I loved to hear my
Uncle Joe laugh. He was a diesel truck mechanic
and ran his own roadside service for years. The
Hendricks' were always good at what they did and
were proud of who they were. My dad would tell
us a man is only as good as his word. He meant it.
Uncle Lynn whistles. He does it beautifully. I use
to listen to Uncle Buster whistle in the back yard of
Aunt Cindy's house and when I hear Uncle Lynn,
I always think of him. Whistling is an art not many
people achieve that well. Their son Jack,
(Jackie to me) was close to my age. They had a dairy
farm in Detreicht and I remember they never could stay
late because they had to get home and take care of the
cows. When Jackie was older he went to ISU.
Lucille had alot of kids. Girl cousins. It was fun
when they were in town from Yakima, Washington.
Aunt Cindy would always have a big dinner and we
would all spend time together. With that many
people, the kids were always outside. That was
where we were the happiest.
My Dad's other sister, Aunt Ada lived in Utah.
I remembered when we were young, she and her
husband had a fruit farm and we visited. She made
up a bed for each of us kids and was very gracious.
She stayed with us , in our basement apartment,
when I was older and taught me how to sew on a
sewing machine. She and Aunt Cindy use to argue
over who could make the best pies. They always
wore dresses and aprons, and their hair pulled back
and "fixed". House dresses were everyday wear then.
My Mother did wear pants, but it was much later.
The Howard (Iona) Coleman family were the part of'
Dad's family we spent the most time with. He and Dad
were cousins, also the McAfees. Dad had known
Howard all the years he and Mom were married.
He worked for the railroad. Our families camped
together many times. Summers were always
full of trips and outings with the Colemans.
We would set up camp anywhere the fishing
was good. In the willows or trees weather it was
a campground or not. We joked that it wasn't
a camp trip if we hadn't forded a creek to get there.
Mom and Dad would laugh and tell us of a time
they had the old cars and heated up going up a
hill to get where they were going. There must have
been some kind engine damage and mom made
a batter with flour and something and put it on the
crack. The heat sealed it up enough to get where
they were going. There wasn't too much Dad and
Howard couldn't figure out. So many memories!
They had as many children as our family did.
How they always packed everything and all of us
in those old cars amazes me. When I pack our
suburban now, I always think of Dad packing and
repacking that trunk. The leftovers went on the top.
The boys were all good fishermen. I used to make
Gene and Jimmy take me along. "Okay sis' but
we are not carrying you across any creeks." They
always came home with their britches soaked from
wading in the creek while fishing. When they took
me along they were wet from wading in the creek
to get my line untangled. I did catch some fish,
and then they would bring me home. Colleen
usually stayed in camp with Susan. They would
play in the water, and with their dolls. Mom and
Iona were excellent camp cooks. After all the work
was done, I remember them sitting in the shade
playing canasta or pinoucle on a plastic covered
cardtable. They loved playing cards together I
remember on New Years Howard and Iona
would always come over and they would play.
At midnight the kids that had managed to stay
awake until midnight would go outside and bang
pans and panlids and all would hollar hapy new year.
Our Family
Dad and mom had seven children. We were all
well loved. Life probably wasn't always easy, but
we didn't know it. We always lived on the ten
hundred block of South 3rd street near the "college".
It was the neighborhood where all the mothers knew
each other and kind of looked after all the kids that
were around. If we were doing something wrong,
our parents usually knew. The campus was a park to us.
We rode our bicycles down the front steps of the
Liberal Arts building and would climb up the fire
escape slides from the taller buildings and slide down.
We would roller skate on the walkways and I thought
the steam vents were surreal. I didn't ever know where
the steam came from. We use to sneak into the Spud
Bowl to watch football games, and if we didn't would
know when ISU scored because the TKE's bell would
ring when IDAHO STATE made a touchdown. Track
was fun to watch and they didn't charge money. We
would catch pollywogs and frogs in the swamp between
the university and the cemetary. The girls in the
neighborhood were always organizing talent shows at
Ann Ghan's house where we would hang sheets and
blankets from the clothes lines and call acts out like a
circus show. Linda Mecham taught us acrobatics.
Tana Crane's mom played the piano and we would
sing "Rolla, Bolla, Bowl and a couple of coconuts"
to the top of our lungs.
Bike rides would take us to the lava beds at Ross Park
to catch blue belly lizards(my brothers told me they were
poisonous), and to go swimming at Ross Park Pool, which
was not heated very well, but felt good in the summer heat.
You could walk to Tom's donut shop to get a donut.
Whittier Elementary school was accross the street.
We played baseball on the school diamonds and in the
summer went to the city's summer recreation programs.
School recesses were spent playing jump ball and jacks.
Sometimes the boys played marbles and we had playground
equipment. If any of us were really sick, Doctor Bush
would make a house call. In later years, Doctor Sharp
took care of our medical needs. Life was good.
Dad worked as a plumber and a pipefitter most of
my life at home he worked at the "site" in Idaho Falls.
Long days for him, but he never complained. We
spent alot of family time together and alot of time
camping. I thought if people stayed in hotels they
were rich. We used to boat and water ski and
took a group of kids with us wherever we went.
My parents were proud of every one of us.
He got to bring the truck home at night and I thought
he was pretty important if they let him do that.
Our family always hunted deer and elk, and sometimes
birds and rabbits. We always ate the wild game.
We were taught not to waste meat if you shot it. That
was all part of being good sportsmen. My dad and
Mom were good parents. I remember dad being
scout leader when my brothers were in scouting
and them making rope and tents in our living room.
Mom taught blazers later, and they were so wild.
Any adult that teaches 12 year old boys deserves a
medal. Mom belonged to the DUP and the
American War Mothers, and for a while to the Eagles.
They always took us to church. The old LDS sixth
ward on fourth street was my favorite. I loved how
the wood doors could be pulled shut to divide the
basement into classrooms. The basement was the
cultural hall-where we always had the ward dinners
and also the stage was down there. The bishop's
wife always wore these wonderful big hats.
Everyone was so friendly to each other. The
Broberg boys played the piano and organ. I
remember making cupcakes to take as treats to
primary, which was on Thursdays after school
and saving our primary penny's. After they built
the new ward on the hill, it never seemed quite
the same to me. Dad worked hard on the new
church and helped put in the steam furnace.
Polio was a real threat when we were young. A
family who lived just a few blocks away had an
iron lung set up in their living room for their
daughter.I saw her in a wheel chair once, but most
of the time she was in the lung. I was in grade
school when the first "sugar cube" polio vaccine
came out and all of our parents were very happy.
I was ten or eleven when my little brother Bruce
was born, and I became his second mother.
It was great having a little brother.
Ranae was born a few years later but by then I
figured it was Colleen's turn to help take care of her.
I still introduce Bruce as my Baby Brother, which
I attended Hawthorne the first year it was built. There
wasn't enough students to fill it from that area so they
bussed kids from the overcrowded schools. My mother
was mad we were being bussed there, but I loved it.
I had never ridden on a bus before because we always
lived accross the street. I played clarinet and bass clarinet
in the band. We chose school colors, and logo's, team
names, and set up the original clubs. It was great.The next year I was assigned the old Franklin Jr. High
on Eighth street. I graduated from Pocatello High 1963,
the last year everyone attended one school. Highland
opened the next year. All of the Hendricks children
graduated from Pocatello High, as did all of my children.
My Life
After graduation I worked two summers in Blackfoot
Idaho at the old Frost Top Drive Inn, owned by my friend's
aunt and uncle. Thelda and Verl Wilcox. I attended ISU
and BYU. In 1965 I married Larry Richard Glenn, son of
Everett Byrl and Virginia Lovel Glenn, from Billings Montana.
We were married at a Naval Chapel in Hampton Roads
Virginia. Larry was a nuclear reactor operator and stationed
aboard the USS Enterprise, and later a Comminication Station.
We lived in Virginia, California, Waialua Hawaii, and Helena
Montana. Larry died in Sept, 1969, at the age of 28, at the
Fort Harrison Veterans Hospital, Helena Montana
of lympho-sarcoma. Three children were born to us.
Shawn Larry, Michael Shane and Keri Ann Glenn.
In 1976 I married William Peat Roberts, son of
William Lem and Irene Cranor Roberts, in Pocatello
Idaho. Bill's son Troy Allen and Jamie Carlene
Roberts born in 1979 made our family complete.
Bill worked for American Micro Systems in Pocatello
for 23 years. After Jamie's graduation we moved to
Eugene, Oregon where Bill is employed at Hyundai
Semiconductor America as Manufacturing Manager.
We enjoyed our years in Pocatello where our children
were all active in school, sports and musical activities.
Bill coached teams for Bannock Boys Baseball,
and was an active board member for Camp Taylor.
He received a BS in business and Masters from ISU.
I was active as a member of the Pocatello and Idaho
Falls Sweet Adeline Choruses for many years and as
a leader, program and Executive Director of
O-Ki-Ka Council, Camp Fire Boys and Girls.
Our family loves Camping and skiing,
holiday dinners, and being together.
I enjoy living in Oregon but miss Idaho
and the closeness of our family there.
As many of us that can, gather on the 4th of July,
for a camping trip and chance to get together again.
Mom and Dad are both gone but loved and
remembered dearly. I think they would be proud of us.
(by Mary Lue Hendricks Glenn Roberts; Eugene Oregon, 2000)
