Robert William Shaw

   Ancestral File Number: 1GNB-0F.

   General Notes:

ROBERT WILLIAM SHAW
Our grandfather, Robert Shaw, was born on the 6th December 1852 in Garnkirk,
Lanark, Scotland. He was the youngest son of Alexander Shaw and Elizabeth Ferguson.
Robert met and married Flora Jane Smith on 27th December 1877. Flora was born
on 29th of May 1860. There were seven children born to this union:
Elizabeth Marie B-3 December 1878
Robert William B-18 November 1880
Alexander (he died young) B-12 July 1882
Heneritta ( died in childhood) B-6 September 1884
James Andrew B-26 April 1887
Ora B-4 October 1889
Leo B-27 October 1892
Our father, Robert William, first son and second child of Robert Shaw and Flora
Jane Smith, was born on the18th of November 1880 in Elsinore, Sevier County, Utah.
Our Grandfather, Robert was a rancher, raising horses and cattle in Southern Utah
between Elsinore and Kanosh. Our dad, Robert William, grew up riding the range with
his father. He was a really good horseman. My dad told me many stories about some of
the things he had done in his early life. He had started riding the range when he was 8
years old.
STORY # 1
When he was 9 years old, he was bringing in some horses from the range into the
ranch. He had an unbroken colt on a 20 ft. rope. He dropped the rope and when he
reached down to get the rope, the colt kicked him in the head. After he was kicked, he
took the colt through the cedars and timber to the ranch, which was about 3 miles away,
and never got tangled up.
When he got to the ranch, his father said, "What's the matter, son?" and he said, " I
have a headache." Grandfather cut the cinch to get him off the saddle. He was stiff in the
saddle and couldn't move. They took him in a buckboard 13 miles away to an old
Blacksmith Doctor. He had his skull broken and it was 1 inch long, 1/4 inch wide and 1/4
inch deep. He had a hole in his head for the rest of his life from this experience.
STORY #2
When Rob was 12 years old, he was riding out in the hills. He was on his way into
the ranch when he saw a coyote. He took his rope of the saddle and tried to rope the
coyote. He ended up chasing the coyote into the lake and then went on to where his dad
was.
The next morning they went out past Otter Creek Reservoir and Robert William
pointed out the coyote he had chased into the reservoir. His Dad cried " Coyote" and "Be
damned!" " It's a good thing you didn't catch that coyote, because that's a mountain lion!"
Our father had a lot of exciting experiences while growing up. He was a great
horseman and broke horses for his dad. He had many wonderful saddle horses during his
time.
STORY #3
When he was 19 years old, he was Superintendent of the Sunday School in
Elsinore, Utah. Shortly after that, he went to work in The Annie Laurel Mines in
Kimberly, Utah.
One day, while working in the mine on a shift, they had a cave-in. He was shut
inside the mine for 72 hours with 5 or 6 other men. While down there, 2 or 3 other men
made a fire and he had to threaten them with a pick handle to get them to put out the fire,
as it was taking all their oxygen.
STORY #4
The mine superintendent liked him very much. One day at the mine they had a
gold nugget in front of the entrance to the mine. It was about the size of a man's head.
He told Dad that if he could carry the gold nugget down to the essay office, he could have
it. Dad couldn't even lift it. Later the mine superintendent had him a pair of cuff-links
made out of the nugget.
STORY #5
On November 27th 1901 (in Kanosh, Utah ) Grandfather Robert Shaw passed
away. Dad was then at the mine in Clear Creek at the time. So he went on horseback to
attend his Dad's funeral. This was the time of the San Fransico earthquake. He was riding
through the Narrows in Clear Creek Canyon. Boulders were coming down from the top
of the rocky cliffs above and all he could do was hang onto his horse. His horse would
run one way and a boulder would come down, and he would run the other way. It lasted
only a short time.
STORY #6
He started freighting, and on one of his trips he was taking dynamite to the mine.
On the way down a hill, the brakes gave way and he had to whip the horse to keep ahead
of the wagon. He went up another hill and barely got the wagon stopped at the top, which
was a very narrow escape!
After that, Dad freighted all over Utah and Southern Idaho. He hauled freight for
the Milner Dam and out of the railroad at Minnidoka and Kamima. He also helped build
canals at Rupert, Idaho.
They had a well in the square at Rupert and he hauled water out to the graders at
the canal. He also hauled grain and hay out to the horses of the graders. Work was all
done by team at that time.
STORY #7
He had quite an experience one night when he pulled into camp. He was
unhitching his horses when a big Negro pulled a knife on him. He knocked him down with
a neck yoke. Later the Negro was run out of camp.
He was freighting in the area from about 1902 to 1903. He also worked for the
railroad. He told stories about going to different mining towns. At this time he was in his
middle twenties.
While in Idaho he homesteaded some land west of Heyburn, then he let it go and
moved back to Utah. There he met and married our mother, Louisa Pearl Keyes, on 24th
of April 1912 in Annabella, Sevier County, Utah, she being the daughter of Elisha Burns
Keyes and Lillis Louisa Barney. They farmed in Elsinore and Ivan R. Shaw, oldest son,
was born in Elsinore, Sevier County, Utah, on 18th September 1913. Cecil Keyes Shaw,
2nd son, was born in Elsinore on 15 May 1916. The eldest daughter, Utahna Pearl, was
born in Monroe on 23 October, 1918. Shortly after that, they moved to Idaho Falls.
There Dad bought a farm with Uncle Leo and Uncle Elick, raising potatoes, hay, and
grain. They lived there for two years.
Ivan Robert started school at Sage Creek School. They moved in 1920 to the
Barns Place, Dad and Uncle Leo raising sugar beets, hay, grain, and potatoes. They lived
on that for one year.
While there, Ivan was out in the field riding the leveler with his dad, with 4 head of
horses on it. Uncle Leo was planting beets behind them. There came up a storm and a big
black cloud came rolling in. Dad said to Uncle Leo, "It doesn't look good. I think we will
go to the house." Uncle Leo decided to make one more round. Just as they got to the
house, it started hailing! The hail was as large as hens eggs and Uncle Leo came in from
the field as hard as his horses could run. Aunt Maud laughed at him because the hail was
hitting him. Then she turned around and started crying because the hail was making holes
in their roof. The big black horse bowed his back and ran right under the shed, he had
never been under before.
On the 25th of October, 1921, Nina Lillis was born in Idaho Falls. Ivan and Cecil
went to the St. Leon School that winter. The next year they moved to Lincoln, Idaho.
Dad ran that place alone for six years with Ivan and Cecil to help with the farm work.
During the six years they lived there, June LeRoy was born on 18 November 1924. In
1925 they went to the Salt Lake Temple and had the children sealed to them. Dad bought
a new 1926 Overland car. Uncle Grant, Mother's brother, and Aunt Jenette stayed there
awhile and helped with the farm work. Uncle Jim also came out once and awhile and
helped.
After six years, they moved to Roberts, Idaho, by the Snake River, and would go
fishing there. They lived there for one year. Aunt Vie and Uncle Jim lived there awhile
too, and Cousin Phil and Ivan and his wife came in the fall and helped with the harvest.
Next spring they moved to Osgood, Idaho, northwest of Idaho Falls. The place
was rented from Utah and Idaho Sugar Co. and raised beets, potatoes, hay, and grain.
Wilma Jane was born in Osgood, on March 13th, 1931. Ivan was about 14 years old
when they moved there and he grew up in Osgood. While there, there was a depression.
Things were bad then. We were in Osgood for six years, before moving to Rigby, Idaho,
where they farmed for one year. Dad and Mother then moved to Acequia with the family,
it was northeast of Rupert, and they farmed there for one year. They raised beans, hay,
and grain. They usually had a nice garden everywhere they went. That year they had a lot
of melons.
Then they moved to the Jensen Place, northeast of Rupert. They lived there for
one year, then built a lot in Rupert and built a small house, living there for 11 years, when
the boys hauled logs and built them a two-bedroom log house on their corner lot.
Dad helped build Hanford Washington Nuclear Plant, living in a trailer there. He
worked many years as a carpenter. He also worked in the Sugar Factory in Paul, until he
was 72 years old. Dad passed away when he was 76 years old, receiving a Social Security
check until his death. Their children were all married and had children of their own.

Written by Ivan and Edna Shaw
Typed by Lene Spence!BLESSING - Certificate of blessing - Dec 1880 by Saul Grange
!ORDINATION - Certificate of ordination - ordained an Elder by H. Ray Hatch
on Oct 26, 1925
_UNITS INCHES
_TOP 60
_BOTTOM 5
_LEFT 74
_RIGHT 4

Robert married Louisa Pearl Keyes, daughter of Elisha Burns Keyes and Lillis Louisa Barney, on 24 Apr 1912 in Annabella, Sevier, Utah. (Louisa Pearl Keyes was born on 14 Nov 1891 in Annabelle, Sevier, Utah, died on 7 Nov 1965 in Rupert, Minadoka, ID ¹ and was buried on 9 Nov 1965 in Heyburn, Cassia, ID.)