The Theodore Turley Family Book, p. 509
Nestled close to the banks of Utah Lake is the picturesque little town of Lehi, Utah where Ida Roxana Bushman was born September 14, 1879. She was the daughter of Jacob and Charlotte Turley Bushman. Her father owned a farm and was able to make a good living for his family.
When Ida was five years of age, her father and mother were called to go to Arizona to help colonize the St. Johns area. The six-week trip must have been a real adventure. There was illness, constant harassment by Indians and rattlesnakes which made for sleepless nights. They settled in Concho, Arizona for two years. Ida went to school with 500 Mexican children. Year after year, their crops were ruined by flash floods, wind, insects, etc. After they had fought the elements for six years, President Woodruff sent a letter of release and encouraged them to return to Utah.
Their mission to Arizona had depleted Grandfather Bushman’s savings considerably. They had just enough money to return to Fairview, Sanpete County, Utah, where Ida’s sister Sarah Fowles lived. Grandfather Bushman bought a farm with a log house on it where they were live. Ida helped her father to clear the land with a grubbing hoe and burn it so it could be plowed, She was just eleven years old but she put in long hours to help her parents make the new farm a success. Ida loved horses and could ride one “as fast as it could run.” Each day she would ride 2 1/2 miles into Fairview to school where she completed the sixth grade.
Archibald Robert Anderson (A. R.), a young man who had returned from Scotland on a mission, met and fell in love with Ida. They were married January 5, 1902 in the Manti Temple where he had been serving as an ordinance worker. A. R. Was a successful wool grower and bank executive. He held many Church positions.
Ida’s parents taught her the value of hard work and she became a real asset to her husband’s sheep business. Preparing food and making quilts for the sheep camps became a special talent. A. R. Had built a lovely home in Fairview for Ida and their children. It was because of this lovely home and the hospitality of Ida and A. R. that the General Authorities of the Church stayed at the Anderson home during conferences in Fairview. This was a tremendous experience for the whole family to live and get acquaintes with these wonderful brethren.
Shepherd’s wagons in the Fairview Museum
The Andersons had five children, three of whom lived to Adulthood: Archibald Jacob (who served many years as Stake President of the North Sanpete Stake), Ora Nivian (Mrs. Paul S. Dixon), Vora Vivian, Helena Charlotte (Mrs. Reed W. Brinton), and Anna Genieve. Vora died at age 10 with rheumatic fever and Genieve died shortly after birth. Ida and A. R. enjoyed seven grandchildren and ther are now ten great-grandchildren.
Ida was an excellent cook and dress maker. Both of her daughters are well-known for their talents in cooking. They claim they gained much experience at home “for Mother had great patience and allowed us to take over the kitchen whenever we wanted to experiment and develop culinary skills.”
Ida’s husband died in 1948. For the next 22 years until her death in 1970, she busied herself with her family, her home, and garden. She loved to read and keep current with the national and local happenings through newspapers and periodicals. She particularly loved to read poetry. She died at age 90 in Salt Lake City and was buried in Fairview.
Going to visit Grandmother and Grandaddy Anderson was a choice treat for her grandchildren. She was always so patient to have us bring our pets, run through her home, investigate the barn and corral, play in the ditch, listen to our noise and confusion; and then for us to remember the sweet scene of her waving “good-bye” from her front porch, saying, “Please come again soon!” She was everything a grandmother could be and sharing her last years with her was a privilege for us all.
Children of Ida Roxanna Bushman and Archibald Robert Anderson:
Archibald Jacob Anderson
Ora Nivian Anderson Dixon
Helena Charlotte Anderson Brinton
Anna Genieve Anderson
Ann's Stories 