CHAPTER 10
THE NEWEL HOWLAND COMISH AND LOUISE LARSON FAMILY

      NEWEL HOWLAND COMISH, son of Robert Nephi Comish and Emma Jane
Howland, born 30 January 1888 at Cove, Cache,  Utah; died 17 March 
1982 at Mendon, Cache, Utah and buried at Franklin, Franklin, Idaho; 
married 8 May 1913, Louise LARSON in the LDS Temple at Salt Lake City,
Salt Lake, Utah, daughter of Alof Larson and May Louise Hunt, born 15 
May 1894 at Snowflake, Navajo, Arizona. Emma Jane Howland had married
a second time to John Christian LARSEN Sr. but the marriage was 
annulled because it had taken place after the mandate and John was
already in a polygamist relationship.

     There has been a lot of controversy and nitpicking into Newels
birth date because of the circumstances and the fact that he was born
into this polygamist relationship.  All his records show that he is
the son of Robert Nephi Comish, thus setting the controversy at rest.
When Emma Jane entered into this second marriage with John Christian,
she did not know that she was breaking the law and when she went to
the Church Authorities about it, they suggested the above remedy
It seemed to please everyone, at the time, and Newel has never 
questioned the arrangement and that is the way it should be.

     Newel attended the Utah State Agricultural College (now USU) in
1911. He did graduate work at the University of Chicago, then went to
the University of Wisconsin where he earned an MS and PhD.  He joined
the faculty of the Oregon Agricultural College In 1915 as a professor
of Economics and Sociology.  In 1933 he joined the Business
Administration Faculty of the University of Oregon.  He founded the
Cooperative Managers Association at Oregon State University, and
Oregon Retail Distributors Institute at the University of Oregon.

     Newel authored the first book written on Consumption Economics
and the first book on Channels of Distribution, which made him a
pioneer in marketing.  He also wrote the first book on Small Scale
Retailing, wrote a fourth book and contributed 170 articles to
national jounals. He was listed in "Who’s Who in America," "Leaders
in American Science," RUS, and the "Directory of American Scholars."

     He was active in community affairs, including Boy Scouts, YMCA,
Community Chest, and the Lions Club.  During World War II, he was
chairman of a Lane County, Oregon, War Bond campaign which raised
$11 million in six weeks.  He became a national retailing consultant
after his retirement from the university in 1953.  He and his wife
later moved to Santa Barbara, California, then to St. George, Utah.
They moved to Logan, Utah in June 1981 and joined the Logan LDS Fifth
Ward.

     Louise was born in Snowflake, Arizona, and rode the train  or the
“old Bamberger," as it was called in those days, from Salt Lake City
to Franklin, Idaho, with her new husband, Newel Comish.  Newel
introduced her to Pres. John A. Widstoe of the A.C. as the Utah State
University was then referred.  As they got off the train, Pres.
Widstoe invited them to eat with him sometime.  She was so excited but
they never got the chance as their farm work kept them busy.  Her
first letter home bragged about the green trees and grass that were
all over the place.  It was quite a contrast to the barren land of her
little Mormon community in Arizona. 
     She learned to type on a small portable typewriter, which she
held in her lap and the Whitetreadle sewing machine was also a part of 
their life.  Their life together was a busy but happy life.

Emma Jane Howland Comish


...in Primary ...  Interesting Biblical, or other, stories were read
or told. These had an ethical tinge.  In  fact,  they were chosen 
deliberately to convey the desirability or truthfulness, honesty, 
industry and obedience and other equally important morals.  Deportment
in all its various forms was explained and impressed upon the plastic
minds.  Songs were sung and memorized.  And to encourage the trainees,
they were sometimes permitted to perform at parties, or in Sunday 
School, in front of their elders.  Emma Jane loved this work and put
much effort into it, She was rewarded by noting the progress of the
children and receiving warm praise from their parents.

     The Relief Society offered Emma Jane, along with the other, 
church ladies, an opportunity to exercise their social abilities.
The women laid out the dead, washed and clothed them for burial, for
the professional undertaker had not appeared on the scene at that 
time.  They answered the call of the needy, supplying them with food
and clothing and fuel.  They visited the sick and offered words of
encouragement to them.  They took turns on giving lessons on the 
Gospel.  Occasionally, they even ventured into literature.  A member
was assigned to treat the life and works of some famous author.  
Quilting bees were held.  Once or twice a year, the ladies gave a
dinner party at the Church House.  To these parties their husbands
were invited to partake of delicious foods and listen to the 
specially prepared program.  Emma Jane entered into these activities,
enjoying them immensely.

     At the evening of life, the Comish mother moved into her new
house in Franklin.  Here, by preference she lived alone, but some of
her children lived nearby to assist her when needed Unfortunately,
rheumatism attacked her hands and bent her fingers out of shape.  
From this ailment, she suffered excruciating pain.  Despite the pain,
she insisted on doing her own housework and kept the place neat and
clean.  She proudly combed her beautiful black hair, hardly tinged
with grey.  She parted it in the middle, braided it and wound it into
a bun, which she wore toward the back of her head.  She groomed 
herself becomingly and continued to go out socially, especially to
church meetings.  Apparently, she kept completely alive to the people
and things about her to the very last.  At the age of 69, she died
with rheumatism of the heart.

One tribute to her is found, given in a newspaper, covering her 
funeral.  Here it is:

"Mrs.  Emma Jane Comish died December 24, 1917, of rheumatism of the
heart.  The funeral was held here (Franklin) December 27 and was
attended by practically all the grown people of Cove and Franklin.
"Mormons" and non-"Mormons" alike turned out to show their respect for
her memory.  The services began at 1 o'clock, Bishop S. C. Parkinson
presiding.  Prayer was offered by Cecil Woodard and the benediction by
Robert G. Lowe.  Mrs. Nora Daines and Miss Hazel Larsen sang solos.
The speakers were Bishop H. L. Blair of Cove, former Bishop L. L. 
Hatch (of Franklin), Thomas Durant, and Bishop S. C. Parkinson.

"Mrs. Comish was the daughter of Martha D. Howland and Henry Howland
and was born in Ogle County, Illinois,  January 14, 1849.  In 1852,
she and two of her sisters, Helen Packer and Martha Nash came to Salt
Lake City witi their mother, their father having died on the plains.
The family resided in Salt Lake till 1860 when they moved to Franklin,
where Emma J. Howland married Robert Nephi Comish in 1865.  Ten years
later the couple moved to Cove, where Mrs. Comish proved up on a
homestead and devoted devoted herself to the rearing of a family in
which labor she was very successful.  For eleven years she was 
President of the Primary Association of Cove and for nearly as long,
she was in the Presidency of the Relief Society, and a teacher In the
Sunday School.

"Mrs.  Emma J. Comish was the mother of ten children: Joseph N. Comish
of Mountain Home, Utah; William H. and Myron E. Comish of Grace,
Idaho; George F. Comish of Franklin, Idaho; Mrs. Peter Whitehead 
(deceased); Mrs. J. C. Larsen, Jr. of Lewiston, Utah; Robert C.Comish
of Grace, Idaho; Mrs. William Robinson of Franklin, Idaho; and Newel
H. Comish of the Oregon State Agricultural College, Corvallis, Oregon.
She also is survived by two sisters and a brother: Mrs. Helen Packer
of Showlow, Arizona; Mrs. Robert Parsons of Blackfoot, Idaho; and Don
Hickman of Eureka, Utah.  All the living children, together with the
second sister attended the funeral."
Deseret News, Jan. 5, 1918.]

VOL.  VIII

THE ROBERT NEPHI COMISH AND EMMA JANE HOWLAND FAMILY

     ROBERT NEPHI COMISH, son of William Comish and Elizabeth Kegg, 
born 12 December 1841 at Conchan, Isle of Man, Great Britian and
christened 24 July 1842 at Kirk Onchan, Isle of Man, as Robert Comish.
It is assumed that the name, Robert Nephi, was given to him at the
time of his LDS baptism.  Robert Nephi died 13 November 1882 at Cove,
Cache, Utah, of Quinsy and buried a few days later at Franklin, 
Franklin, Idaho.  He married 21 January 1865, Emma Jane HOWLAND in the
Endowment House (EH) at Salt Lake City, Utah, daughter of Henry
Howland and Martha Diana Case, born 14 January 1849 at Flagtown,Ogle,
Illinois; died 24 December 1917 and buried 27 Dec 1917 at Franklin,
Idaho.  Emma married. (2) 27 April 1887, John Christian LARSEN Sr, but
the marriage was cancelled because it took place after the mandate and 
John was a polygamist.

     Robert's father, William, had joined the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church or "Morman") in 1841 and so Robert
was to be blessed in his church.  Elizabeth did not join until 1848
and so was a bit worried about Robert and slipped over to her vicar
and had him christened on 24 Jul 1842.  He was a little over six
months old at this time but the christening is recorded in the Onchan
Parish Register.  The first six children had been christened within
an eight day period after their birth.

     In 1849, Robert's father and oldest sister.  Jane, left for 
America and the remainder of the famiiy stayed in the Isle of Man
until they could earn enough money to make the voyage to America.  
It took almost two years for his father to send for the family and in
1851, Robert Nephi started on the greatest adventure of his life. With 
his family, they left the Isle of Man for Liverpool, England, to meet
the ship, the ELLEN MARIE.  This ship was to take the family to 
America where the family would be reunited at St. Louis, Missouri.
It was while they were living at St. Louis, that his youngest brother,
Joseph, died on 6 July 1851 and was buried there.

     It took several years to make preparations to go to Salt Lake
City and in 1855 they joined the Capt. John Hindley Company of
emigrating Saints for the trip.  There were two hundred emigrants
traveling in forty-six wagons with ox teams in this company and they
reached Salt Lake City on 3 September 1855.  The family was then
directed to move on to another location and they settled at Kaysville, 
for the next five years.

     The family was then called to help settle Cache Valley and as the 
family was now split up, Jane, Elizabeth and Margaret were married, 
they moved on without them.  The family met with other Saints on the
banks of the Cub River, near Franklin, ID, in Cache Valley and camped
there for a few days.  They were joined by several more small groups
of Saints until there were eleven wagons in all that had joined for
protection. (This was necessary because of the Indian threat.)
Captain Thomas Smart was at the head of the column as it headed north
and the Comish wagon was second, with John Comish as the teamster of
their wagon.  As the wagons neared, what is now Franklin, Idaho,
another wagon whipped around the Comish wagon and later received the
honor of being the second wagon into Franklin.  However, when the
line was drawn between Utah and Idaho, it was found that the Comish
wagon was the second wagon to enter the State of Idaho.

     In 1864, at the age of twenty-two, Robert Nephi, with his
brothers, drove an ox-team back to Winter Quarters and assisted in
moving the poor emigrants to Utah. Captain William Preston was in
charge of the wagon train, which consisted of four hundred people and
fifty wagons.  They reached Salt Lake City on 15 September 1864.
Robert was also one of the Minuteman for the Franklin Colony and was
always ready to leave on a minutes notice to help protect the pioneers
from any incidents that might arise.  This would include the colony
and any wagon trains or travelers that were travelling through the
area.  He and his brother, John, along with Porter Rockwell and others,
watched the Battle Creek Massacre of the Shoshoni Indians by the
Federal Troops, north of Preston, Idaho, and always remembered the
horrible event till the day he died.

     Robert Nephi was active in dramatics and was known as the "Star
Actor" in their home dramatic plays and gave readings.  He was five
feet six inches tall and weighed one-hundred sixty pounds.  His hair
was dark and wavy and he had a very good disposition.

     In the spring of 1875 the Robert Nephi Comish family moved a few
miles from Franklin, into what was known as Coveville, Utah, now known
as Cove, Utah.  Here they farmed one-hundred acres of land at the base
of the mountain and along the Mountain Road.  They built a nice home,
set out an orchard and planted trees, flowers and a garden.  East of
the grove was a large spring and a pond with clear running water all
year long.

     Everyone was welcome in the Comish home and like the rest of the
Saints in the area, they became friends with the Indians that traveled 
through the area.  Robert and Emma had issue:

Children born at Franklin, Idaho.

Joseph Nephi Comish, b. 17 Jan 1866; md. (1) Matilda Ann Goaslind; md. (2) Bertha
     Orvilla Bowcut, 
William Henry Comish, b. 20 Feb 1868; unmd, 
Myron Eugene Comish, b. 20 Oct 1869; unmd, 
Emma Miralda Comish. b. 25 Dec 1871; md.  Henry Hoyt Day
George Francis Comish, b. 4 May 1873; md. Margaret Wright Biggs

Children born at Cove, Utah.

Martha Elizabeth Comish, b. 14 Sep 1875; md.  Peter Green Whitehead,.
Harriet Esther Comish, b. 4 Dec 1877; md.  JohnChristian Larsen Jr, 
Robert Carlos Comish, b. 5 Jan 1880; md.  Violet May Chatterton, 
Jane Helen Comish, b. 8 Feb 1882; md.  Ernest Wilburn Robinson,
Newel Howland Comish, b. 30 Jan 1888; md.  Louise Larson, 

Robert Nephi Comish                   Emma Jane Howland Comish

LINKS