1: February 25, 1952 (Introduction)

Life History of Kenneth Norwood Durrant.

Son of Lorenzo Heber Durrant and Sarah Jane Norwood. Born at Porterville, Morgan Co, Utah on the 28^th day of March 1903. This record being commenced Feb. 25, 1952 at Heber City Utah. Having lived almost 49 years and knowing that my life must be at least half over I feel that I should put in writing, for future generations, a few of the things that have happened in my life. I suppose one of the things that has inspired me to do this more than anything else is the fact that when my father died on 29 of June 1951 all of his records fell into my hands, and the things that he told about himself were the things that I enjoyed the most, and were of the most worth to me. I found there no record of his life, as I intend to make here, but just little sketches in notebooks and on pieces of paper. And I have hungered for a more complete record of his, and my mothers, lives. They were so full and accomplished so much more than I will ever have to tell here but I feel that what little I have should be preserved. There will be no fancy words used here because my education has been very limited.

I remember as a young boy of six years I started school in Porterville and had to walk a little over a mile night and morning 7 years of what constituted most of my schooling. While I was in the 7^th grade World War #1 came along with its many trials. I was forced to stop school and help my father on the farm. My two brothers, Heber Lorenzo and Richard William, having both enlisted in the service of their country. Heber in the Army and Will in the Navy. Then in 1918 “The Flu” epidemic as it was called, came and there wasn’t any school held for quite some time. By this time I thought I was too old to go to school, except for two months I spent in Morgan High School prior to my contracting the flu. I have been sorry all my life for this lack of education, but I have only myself to blame. Had I had more ambition for an education I would have gotten it.

I was the youngest of 12 children my father and mother had. Three died in infancy. Those whom I know in life in their order were Heber, Bertha, Emma, Elizabeth, Amy, Ida, William, Adelphia.

I have many pleasant memories of my childhood days on the farm. Coasting down the hills and skating in the wintertime. And picking flowers and wandering over the hills in the summer time. From the time I was 8 years old until I was 14 I had the chore (along with other things) of hunting the cows in the hills each night which took me some two hours. Had about 8 or 10 miles to go. We lived about 6 miles from a store and food was stored up for almost a year in advance. Father and mother wouldn’t go to town very often. The only means of transportation was a big heavy wagon. It would take a big long day to make the trip. Sometimes when they went they would bring us home some bananas or oranges or maybe a piece of candy. The kerosene can would have a green gumdrop on the spot to keep it from spilling and we would draw lots to see which one got it. There were no electric lights, only the old kerosene lamp. Our home consisted of three rooms made of logs. Then when I was about 8 years old my father built two more rooms on which was of frame construction. Some of us slept up in the hay loft in the summer time.