My Family Quest

Early Life in Utah and Idaho

William Cyrus Tolman was born on June 28, 1873, in Richfield, Sevier County, Utah, to William Augustus Tolman and Marintha Althera Bates Tolman. His father, William Augustus, was the son of Cyrus Tolman and Alice Brecken—some of the earliest settlers in Tooele County, Utah. Marintha Althera Bates was the daughter of Ormus Ephriam Bates and Phoebe Maria Matteson.

According to William Cyrus himself, “I was about one month old when we moved to Rush Valley, Utah. The 1880 census captures the family living in the area and is recorded in the census for East Canyon Creek Ophir Precinct, in Tooele County, UT. William is 6 years.

Then, eight years later, we moved to Goose Creek, Idaho, which was later named Marion.” Marion is now an extinct community in an unincorporated area in Cassia County, Idaho. The cemetery in Marion is still used today and is where William Cyrus’ grandparent’s Cyrus Tolman and Alice Brecken, are buried.

The Tolman family’s move to Marion likely responded to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ call for its members to colonize the West in promising regions, and Marion fit the call. As Judson Isaac Tolman, one of William Cyrus’s uncles, once said, “It was a time of pioneering…”

Marriage and Life in Marion

It was in Marion, while living and working on a farm, that William Cyrus married Amanda Elison on March 25, 1896. Amanda was the daughter of Swedish immigrants John Alfred Elison and Sophia Anderson.

By 1901, the couple had four children—three living: Ellis Lucretia (1896–1984), Ina Louvelle (1899–1984), and William Orville (1901–1978). Their second child, Attrey Olea (1898), had passed away in infancy.

Homesteading in Canada

Around this time, William Cyrus, Amanda, their children, his parents, and other extended family members relocated to Alberta, Canada. They gave up their U.S. citizenship to claim homesteading rights and established a 160-acre farm located three miles from the Rimbey Post Office and 30 miles west of Lacombe, Canada.

Although few members of the Church lived in the area at the time, more were arriving. William Cyrus recalled traveling with his father to Cardston to request help from the Stake President to organize a local branch. Soon after, the first branch was formed, with William Augustus Tolman as Branch President, William Cyrus, and Brother Noble as counselors. During his time in Canada, William Cyrus baptized eight people into the Church.

The family lived in Canada for about five years. During this period, three more children were born: Elgin Rufus (1903–1999), Ramus Grant 1906, who died in infancy, and Smoot Elison (1907–1943).

Returning to Idaho and Community Involvement

By 1910, William and Amanda had returned to the United States and settled in Burley, Idaho, where Cyrus secured 80 acres of farmland.

William Cyrus started the process of becoming a United States citizen again in 1907 with the Declaration of Intent. It wasn’t until 7 years later, on December 5, 1913, that he took the Oath of Allegiance and became a United States citizen once more.

Not long after William and Amanda moved back to the area of Burely, Idaho, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized a ward in the area. The bishop asked Cyrus to organize a genealogical class, and he was appointed chairman. Remarkably, I have William Cyrus’s genealogy book, complete with family group sheets and pedigree charts written in his handwriting.

Later, William sold the farm and moved into Burley proper, where he built two brick houses—living in one and renting out the other.

While living in Burley, the family grew further with the birth of daughter Odessa (1909–1999) and three sons: Irel G. (1912–1991), my grandfather, Almo J. (1915–2013), and Verden L. (1917–2007).

Mission to the Dakotas

In June 1919, at the age of 46, William Cyrus received a call to serve a mission in the Western States Mission, headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Upon arrival, he was given literature to distribute and began working alone in Denver for two weeks. During a three-day conference attended by all the missionaries—and presided over by President Heber J. Grant—assignments were announced. Cyrus recalled, “I heard my name called. I thought I was almost killed.”

He was assigned to serve in North and South Dakota and part of Wyoming, along with three Elders and two sister missionaries. One significant task was to help build a meetinghouse on an Indian reservation near Van Hook, North Dakota. Since land on the reservation could not be purchased, Cyrus and Elder Richens bought ten acres from a nearby white landowner and constructed the meetinghouse there. During his nearly two years in the region, Cyrus taught the gospel to many and baptized numerous individuals.

The 1920 Census shows him living in Burley Precinct, in Cassia, Idaho, but we know that at this time, he was serving as a Missionary in North Dakota. The census record even shows his trade is a Missionary in North Dakota.

He returned home to Burley in 1921 or 1922. In 1924, his final child, Nadine Tolman (1924–2017), was born. Amanda was about 47 years old at the time.

Later Years in California

In 1929, the Tolman family moved from Burley to Bell, Los Angeles County, California. Southern California was experiencing a boom due to oil field discoveries and related economic growth, which may have influenced their decision to relocate.

The 1930 census for Maywood, California, tells us that William Cyrus was a laborer in a steel factory, and that all four of his sons were working. Grandpa Almo, was working as a “boot black stand,” He was a shoe shine boy.

Cyrus remained active in Church service and attended the meeting where the Maywood Ward was organized. He served for several years as the Genealogical President of the Maywood Ward.

In 1940, William, Amanda, Verdon L, and Nadine Tolman were living at 11259 Virginia Ave, Bell, Compton, Los Angeles, California.

Amanda’s health declined, and she passed away on May 4, 1944. At that time, nine of their children were still living—most of them in California.

Later that year, on November 7, 1944, Cyrus married Bertha Allen Williams, a widow, in Los Angeles, California.

William Cyrus Tolman passed away on September 3, 1960, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, at the age of 87. He left behind a legacy like many that went before him. Born when Utah was still a territory, he moved his family to Canada to homestead before returning to Idaho to farm for a time before ending up in California. His actions show a life of dedication to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the importance of Genealogy in preserving family history. I wonder if that is where I get some of my drive to find out about my roots. Maybe he is pushing and guiding me from the other side of that imaginary curtain that separates the two worlds.

I had finished this story and was sharing it with my dad when he surprised me with something that I hadn’t come across. In glancing, he mentioned that Cyrus had a gold mine while living in California. With surprise in my voice, I said, “What, a gold mine.” Dad said yes, a gold mine. He said he could remember his dad and uncles going out and working the mine. It was a vertical shaft mine and not a lateral mine going into the side of a mountain. He doesn’t think they ever brought any gold home. This sounds like another story in the making. Time to do research.