Ruth was the oldest of 7 children. She grew up in pretty humble circumstances. She grew up on an old farm and had to work really hard. She was always painfully shy. She was a worker, she could not sit still. She always wanted to be working and wanted everyone around her working too. She was very talented and loved to garden and make quilts. Grandma was very industrious and supportive to her husband and family. “When I was little, maybe 9 or 10 I had a worm business. There was a refrigerator we buried in the ground and filled it with coffee grounds. Worms really liked them [coffee grounds]. Mom and I would go out at night and catch these night crawlers and sell them at a penny a piece.” She was always very kind to me. One time on Christmas Eve my stinkin older sisters came up and emptied out my stocking and put coal in it. When I got up, I was only 7 and still a believer. I went to find my stocking and all the other kids had stockings clear full of good stuff and mine was clear full of coal. I started balling and my parents went ballistic! The girls were laughing at first, but they sure got in trouble!
Spouse: Glen Ellis Anderson
Joseph Eugene Barrus was the last of eight children. The first five kids were born before their Dad left on his mission, Joseph came after he came back from his mission in 1908. Joseph’s mother took over the farm when her husband left and managed the farm just as well, if not better. Joseph’s Mom was a school teacher in Afton, Wyoming and started many programs at the school, such as the lunch program. She got sick and died when Joseph was only 11years old. From that age on he was bounced around and never had a place to stay. In his teenager years he was known somewhat as a hooligan. Joseph was also known for his amazing strength. One time, some people from the track team asked him to throw the shot put. Joseph casually bent down and tossed it and threw it farther than any of the guys on the team when they were trying.
He married his sweetheart Ruth Tolman, who was extremely shy. Ruth was the oldest child of seven. When Joseph and Ruth got married, he and Cy Balls, his brother-in-law (married to Joseph’s sister Luella) went to work together and farmed. They had one of the very first tractors (steam tractor) in the area StarValley.
Joseph during the 1940s changed his focus from farming to raising turkeys. The Afton, Wyoming weather was not good for raising turkey’s so in 1946 Joseph and his family moved to Wendell, Idaho. Out of his seven children, only Alfred and LeAnn were born in Idaho. On the day they moved it was in the middle of the winter, he was driving one truck and Ruth and his kids were in the other. Joseph was in the lead. Joseph stopped and waited for his family to catch up. He soon found out that the truck Ruth was driving had flipped and that it was a horrible accident. Luckily, no one got hurt.
Once they moved to Wendell they began to build their own house. They first built it as a basement house. They lived in basement for many years then later built the top on. They raised turkeys in Wendell and then changed to raising chickens. Joseph had many nicknames, he was known as ‘Joe’ in Afton and as ‘Gene’ in Wendell, Idaho.
He was always so kind and loving, very sweet. Unless you did something to disrespect his wife then he could get really tough.
“I was probably about 12 or so. I thought I was pretty smart. Dad had just left the house, or I thought he had. I had my foot on the chair and was tying my shoe. My mom wanted me to take my foot off the chair. I said something snotty back to her. My Dad was there and kicked me in the butt clear across the room. He picked me up and said “Don’t you ever talk to my sweetheart like that. You get to your room.” I went down to my room and my Dad came down to me about an hour later and said “My wife is the most precious thing to me. Don’t ever treat her like that.” It just always stuck with me how important it is to love and take care of my wife. -Alfred Barrus, son
Spouse:
Ruth Tolman (Hopkin) Barrus
Children: Beverly Barrus Marilyn Barrus Brent Barrus LeAnn Barrus Carolyn Ruth Barrus Patsy Lavoy Barrus Alfred Emery Barrus
Parents:
Emery Freeman Barrus
Martha Ann (Tolman) Barrus
Siblings:
Emery Milton Barrus
Benjamin Marriner Barrus
Orlando Tolman Barrus
Foster Junius Barrus
Osmond Wendell Barrus
Margaret Lovina Barrus
Leulla Barrus
Joseph Eugene Barrus
