| Notes |
- !BIRTH: from personal and records of Parker Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
MARRIAGE and DEATH from certificates.
He remembered his baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints but not the date. Date was recorded in Parker Ward records as
Aug 1901, without the day, by Henry A. Grover. He said
it was performed in Bishop Grover's irrigation ditch. His mother had
taken him to the Grover home to arrange for his baptism and the Bishop
was out working in the field. They went out to talk to him and he
decided to perform it there and then. The 1999 IGI showed 1 Aug 1901,
from membership record.
Parker Ward records show he was ordained a teacher 1 Feb 1909 by
Henry W. Miller, a priest 19 Feb 1912 by Arnold D. Miller, and Elder, 15
Dec 1912 by Henry W. Miller. He received a Patriarchal Blessing 28 Dec
1913 by Henry W. Jackson. They also show he was Chorister of the
Parker Ward MIA and Sunday School.
Heman Ward records show the Bishop in 1915 was John W. Rhodehouse,
First Counselor Ingwat Henrickson, Second Counselor Frances Decker.
They show Ira was Ward Chorister 1915-1934, First Ass't Sunday School
Superintendant 1915-25 Mar 1917, Ward Teacher 1915-18 June 1917,
Sunday School Sup't 25 May 1917-17 June 1917, Second Counselor to
Bishop 18 June 1917-18 July 1920, First Counselor until 1935, Chairman
of the Social Committee 1922, Supervisor of Teachers Chorum 1933,
Ward Teacher 1940-1943, Ward Music Comm. 1940-1942.
He wrote his autobiography, with pictures, copy in poss of Marva D.
Rydalch.
An interesting story about how Ira and Hattie met: Hattie had been
living with and working for her Aunt Lizzie (Housley) Crapo in Parker.
Ira's mother and Aunt Lizzie had been scheming to get them together. Ira
hadn't seen her yet and was trying to avoid their arrangements. He
succeeded for some time. One night he was at a dance in Parker and
Wayne Ellingson asked him if he'd like to meet a friend of his. He
pointed her out and Ira, being quite impressed with her loveliness said,
"You bet!" On being introduced he learned it was Hattie Housley, the girl
he had been trying to avoid.
They danced several times during the evening. She had come to the dance
with her cousin, Willard Farley, and declined Ira's offer to take her home
but as Ira and Will Winegar were walking toward their homes in Heman,
Hattie and Willard were walking behind toward her Aunt Lizzie's home.
When they reached it, Hattie called out, "In a hurry, Mr. Davenport?" He
stopped and went back and talked awhile, and before they parted had
arranged for their first date. They went together steadily from that
time until their marriage.
Their first home together was with Ira's mother on the farm in Heman.
Ira, Charles and Frank were running the farm. Later, Charles was
married and moved to Parker. Their mother and Frank also moved to
Parker. The farm was divided between Charles and Ira, with Ira
receiving the part on which was the home built by his father.
He and Junius F. Wardle owned and operated a threshing machine for
many years, doing custom threshing for many farmers in the area. An
interesting note is that it was one manufactured by the Case Equipment
Company which was founded in 1847 by Jerome Increase Case, a nephew
of Ira's gr-grandmother, Anna Case. He had bought a crude machine and
did custom threshing for several years, constantly improving it, and
eventually designing and building one in 1844 which was the predecessor
of the one used by Ira for many years. (See notes of Caleb Case, RIN
2901.)
Heman Ward records contain some comments about conditions during the
time they lived there. One said "In 1929 movements were put forth to
obtain means by which to finish construction of the electric line through
the ward." Another, in 1931, "Owing to a drouth which existed in this
section, crops were almost a failure this year. Conditions look better
for the coming year owing to the bountiful snowfall that we have at
present. Oakley Hunter, Clerk."
There was a picture in the "Improvement Era" of March 1935, showing
Boy Scout Troop 69, Heman Ward, Yellowstone Stake, Teton Peaks
Council. Front row, from left to right: Ira Davenport, J. F. Wardle; Troop
committeemen, Carl Severe, Tom Quayle; Scoutmaster, G. O. Neilson;
Asst. Scoutmaster, Elmo Davenport. Second row, left to right: Lenold
Davidson, Lynn Hunter, Wendell Cruser, Harvin Hunter, Jay McFarland,
Rulon Powell, Robert Erickson, Wayne Josephson, Dale Hunter. Third row,
left to right: Calvin Davenport, Weston Mason, Cyril Davenport, Merrill
McMinn, Matt Cruser, Blaine Wardle, Clyde Davidson, Ray Josephson and
Duffin Severe.
While living in Salt Lake City he and Calvin entered an amateur contest
sponsored by KSL radio station. They both sang in the Tabernacle Choir.
A cantata, "The Restoration", which he wrote, was presented 22 Mar
1959 in Rexburg. It depicted the apostasy from the truth and the
restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Part one, written in a minor
key, was in sharp contrast to the second and third joyous sections in a
major key. The 50-voice choir was directed by Doyle R. Anderson with
Gwen Reed at the organ and Marva D. Rydalch at the piano. Soloists were
Ruth Jacobs, soprano; Helen Davenport, alto; Rondo Barrus, bass; Merlin
Davenport and Allen Holyoak, tenors. It was also presented 9 Apr in
Rigby with the same cast.
Part One - The Apostacy
"Behold the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross Darkness the
people (Isaiah 60:2), by the choir. Then a tenor solo: Behold, the day
cometh, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a
famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the word of the
Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to
the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall
not find it." (Amos 8:11), tenor solo, the choir repeating "they shall run
to and fro..."etc. Then the choir sings "Behold the Lord maketh the earth
empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it up side down, and scattereth
abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so
with the priests; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the
maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as
with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so
with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and
utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth
and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty
people of the earth do languish.
The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they
have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the
everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and
they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the
earth are burned, and few men left." (Isaiah 24:1-6)
The choir then sings: "Stay yourselves and wonder; cry ye out and cry:
they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger but not with strong
drink." (Isaiah 29:9-10) and an alto solo, "And Jesus answered and said
unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in
my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear
of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these
things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise
against nation, and kingdom agaisnt kingdom: and there shall be famines,
and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the
beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and
shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall
hate one another. And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive
many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax
cold." (Matt. 24:4-12)
The choir then sang: "This know also, that in the last days perilous
times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous,
boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
... Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof ..." 2 Tim.
3:1, 2, 5) and "For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves
teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from
the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." (2 Tim. 4:3-4)
A bass solo: "Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that make my
people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth
not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him. Therefore
night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be
dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the
prophets, and the day shall be dark over them. Then shall the seers be
ashamed and the diviners confounded; yea, they shall all cover their lips;
for there is no answer of God." (Micah 3:5-7)
Then the choir sang: "Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of
Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and
pervert all equity. They build up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with
iniquity. The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof
teach for hire,and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they
lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come
upon us. Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and
Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high
places of the forest." (Micah 3:9-12)
Part Two - The Restoration Predicted
Choir: "But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of
the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains,
and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And
many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain
of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of
his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of
Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." (Micah 4:1-2)
Soprano solo: For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven, and
all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day
that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall
leave them neither root nor branch. but unto you that fear my name shall
the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go
forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. ... Behold I will send you Elijah
the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart
of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a
curse." (Malachi 4:1-2; 5-6)
Choir: "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to
every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud
voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is
come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the
fountains of waters." (Rev. 14:6-7)
Tenor Solo: "Moreover, thou son of man,take thee one stick, and write
upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then
take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim,
and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to
another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. And
when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou
not shew us what thou meanest by these? Say unto them, Thus saith the
Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of
Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with
him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they
shall be one in mine hand. And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be
in thine hand before their eyes. And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord
God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen,
whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them
into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the
mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall
be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms
any more at all." (Ezekiel 37:16-22)
Choir: "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be
left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these
kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. (Daniel 2: 44) And the kingdom
and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven,
shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and
obey him. (Daniel 7:27) And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end
come." (Matt. 24:14)
Part Three: The Restoration a Reality
Choir: The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the
earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the
earth, and the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall
roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth. Yea, a voice crying -
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, prepare ye the supper of the Lamb, make
ready for the Bridegroom. Pray unto the Lord, call upon his holy name,
make known his wonderful works among the people. Call upon the Lord,
that his kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants
thereof may receive it, and be prepared for the days to come, in the
which the Son of Man shall come down in heaven, clothed in the
brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on
the earth. Wherefore, may the kingdom of God go forth that the kingdom
of heaven may come, that thou, O God, mayest be glorified in heaven so
on earth, that thine enemies may be subdued; for thine is the honor,
power and glory, forever and ever, Amen." (DC Sec 65:2-6)
He also wrote many other compositions, one of which, "Dedication", was
sung by the choir of Rigby First and Fourth Wards at the dedication of
their new chapel Sep 1962.
He wrote many poems, one of which was a short one commemorating his
91st birthday, "Today is my anniversary and I should be getting about.
But here I sit and think and dream, just what is it all about? Perhaps I
should be more active, facing life with its hopes and fears. But I don't
know what you'd expect from a man of my tender years. So I still sit
here in the partial gloom and wonder what to do, or aimlessly wander
about the room. You'd think I was ninety-two. I do not know, I cannot
see the setting of life's sun. But for now I am content to be just a
tender ninety-one."
He had a great sense of humor and was often involved in humorous skits
and presentation. One such, done in July 1950 at a rodeo in Rigby, he and
Eugene Stowell were clowns. The newspaper reported it saying "The
clowns, 'Slippery Ole' (Eugene Stowell), and his girl friend 'Eczema', (Ira
Davenport) greatly amused the crowd with their antics and activity. 'Ole'
proved himself proficient with the lasso rope on both cattle and horses,
while 'Exzema' actively assisted. 'Her' trim figure, graceful carriage
and nifty hat, were no handicap when 'she' made a dash for the fence
closely followed by a determined critter. Their act was declared better
than several professional Rodeo clowns who have appeared here."
In Aug of 1984, at a family reunion held at the home of Reed and Ellen
Baker in Hibbard, a picture was taken of five Davenport generations, Ira
S., Elmo Ira, Price Elmo, David Price, and Derik David. The picture was
published in the Rexburg Standard of Tuesday, 7 Aug.
During the first part of January 1986 he had a nasty fall and from that
time on his condition deteriorated fast. Doctor Kim Johnson said it
caused a brain hemorrhage.
His funeral was held at Ammon First Ward Chapel in Ammon, Idaho, at 1
PM, Thursday, 16 Jan 1986, with Bishop Etsel E. Sommer officiating,
assisted by counselors Geral Cheney and Jerald Hansen. Directors were
Wood Funeral Home of Idaho Falls. Family prayer by Merlin Davenport;
prelude and postlude organ music by Beverly Hansen. vocal solo, "I Shall
Not Pass Again This Way", by Rulon Powell, accompanied by Fay Wardle;
invocation, Bud Tietjen; life sketch, Dean Davenport; speaker, Winford
Crapo; vocal solo, "May The Good Lord Bless and Keep You", by Melvina
Crapo, accompanied by Rita Crapo; remarks by Bishop Etsel E. Sommer;
musical number, "I Am a Child of God" by great-grandchildren, directed
by Melinda Davenport and accompanied by Beverly Hansen; benediction by
Darwin Calapp. He was buried in the Parker Cemetery with dedicatory
prayer by Nyal Rydalch. Pall bearers were grandsons, Price, David J.,
Kendall and Troy Davenport, Steve Calapp, Daren Neibaur, Richard Rydalch
and Ronald Tietjen. Honorary pallbearers were James and Dan Davenport,
Bill and Bruce Tietjen, Paul, Kevin and Mike Neibaur, and Ammon First
Ward High Priests. Floral arrangements were handled by the Ammon
First Ward Relief Society with Beverly Johnson, president, and
counselors Carla Judy and Geneal Fullmer, granddaughters being the
bearers. On the back of the program was a poem written by him "I do
not know, I cannot tell the hour, the day or year when I shall breathe my
last farewell and leave this mortal sphere. I do not know how soon
'twould be, were I to go today, that I might meet those dear to me who
long since passed away. But this I know, God's at the helm. His
judgements go before. Sometime in that celestial realm, I'll be with
them once more. God is just, God is good, His purposes are great, but
never fully understood this side of Heaven's gate."
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