BIOGRAPHY OF WALTER HERMAN STEINER
Born 3 Sep 1870 Died 3 Aug 1957
Walter Herman STEINER was born 3 Sep 1870 at La Chauz-de-fonds, Canton Neuchatel, Switzerland. He was second of five children: John Ernest, Walter Herman, Alfred Simon, Gloria Clara, and Ida Hermine.
When Ernest was 5 and Walter 3 1/2, the two boys, in company with missionaries John Huber and Henry Reiser and other converts, emigrated 2 Jun 1874 from Villeret, Switzerland to America and Salt Lake City, UT. As his parents did not have enough money for all the family to come to America, they sent the two older boys ahead with the missionaries, expecting to come soon with the rest of the family. But it was about 10 years later before Walter saw his parents and two sisters. His younger brother, Alfred, died before his parents emigrated.
John C. Naegle was a missionary in Switzerland at the time and knew the parents well and agreed to take care of the boys until their parents came. Ernest lived with Father Naegle's first wife, Louisa Kepple Naegle. Walter lived with the sixth wife, Pauline Beck Naegle, in Lehi, Ut. He continued to live with the Naegle family and went by the name of Naegle even after his own family came from Switzerland, until he was marred at age 21.
The Naegle family moved from Lehi to Toquerville in southern Utah in the fall of 1875. He was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Toquerville, Washington, UT., 7 Aug 1879.
As he grew older he was a good worker and very dependable, so was a great help to Father Naegle. He herded sheep and cattle on the Buckskin Mts. and lived some times at the ranch near Jacobs Lake in Arizona. His schooling was limited to the 7th grade.
When Walter was 19 years old, the Naegle family left Toquerville for Old Mexico, 7 Oct 1889, with 100 head of horses and 307 head of cattle, the Naegle boys driving the animals. They left Jacobs Lake, traveled down the mountains into House Rock Valley, and on to Lee's Ferry about 16 miles north of Navajo Bridge (built many years later) on the Colorado River. It took 3 days to cross House Rock Valley to Lee's Ferry. They had some trouble with the cattle because of storms.
The horses swam across the river, then the cattle were forced in, but they did some milling around and piling. Three shots were fired by one of the boys and the cattle swam across with a loss of only three. The cook wagons and pack horses were ferried across. It was very dark by this time and the trail on the south of the river was narrow with deep canyons on either side. It was a very dangerous undertaking but all went well.
Next morning, on looking back with field glasses, they saw a campfire at Willow Springs and found out later that the Porter family was camped there and Walter's future wife, Mary Elizabeth Porter.
At Winslow, Arizona, while camped near the railroad tracks, the cattle were frightened by the train and stampeded. 16-18 head were lost. They followed the Little Colorado River to Holbrook and Woodruff and on to Concho where one of Father Naegle's families lived. There they left some of the weak and tired cattle, then went east to Springerville in the White Mountains and on to Deming, New Mexico, where they rested for three days. They traveled from Deming to Boco Grande (Big Mouth) and then to Ascencion, the customhouse in Mexico. They continued south to Colonia Dublan, an LDS settlement in Mexico. Then to Colonia Juarez, another LDS town, where they camped again for three days. Traveling south in the mountains, they reached Colonia Pacheco, Chihuahua, Mexico, their destination, 7 Jan 1890. The Porter and other families also arrived.
The cattle were taken on the Gavalan range about 20 miles west of Pacheco. Walter rode the range and helped with cheese making and other things for a livelihood. He learned the carpenter trade by observation and with those which whom he labored. He did considerable farming and driving teams on the freight roads.
1 Jan 1892, Walter was married to Mary Elizabeth PORTER in the Pacheco Ward by Bishop Jessie N. Smith, under the name of Naegle. Two years later, when Apostles George Teasdale and John Henry Smith were at Pacheco attending a Ward Conference, they advised him to take his own name. Apostle George Teasdale, who had the sealing power, married them again under the name of Steiner, on 9 Feb 1894. Then on 4 Oct 1905, they made a trip to Salt Lake City to receive their endowments in the Temple there and had their eldest son, Walter, sealed to them.
Three children were born to them while living in Pacheco: Walter John, Herman Warriner, and Mary Barbara. In 1899 they moved to Oaxaco, Sonora, Mexico and while there, their son, Karl Anthony, was born. They then went on the freight road to Naco, Mexico, across the border from Naco, Arizona, where their five month old baby, Karl, died and was buried.
In 1902, they moved to Colonia Morelos, 25 miles west of Oaxaco. Walter built a nice brick home for his family and did farming and raising cattle on the range. Four other children were born to them in Morelos: Glendon Eugene, Junius Martin, Delbert Lionel and Albert Darwin (twins). While living in Morelos, Junius Martin, age 1, died of measles and Albert Darwin died at birth.
In the spring of 1905, Walter went to Nacozari in the state of Sonora, Mexico, south of Douglas, Arizona, with his teams and wagons to haul supplies to the mines in the mountains. After school was out for the summer in Morelos, his wife and four children joined him there. During that summer there was a great explosion at the mines, killing and wounding many people. He did not happen to be at the mines at the time of the blast. The wounded were taken to the hospital in Nacazari, where his son, Walter John, was hospitalized with scarlet fever. In the fall, after Walter's freighting was finished, he returned with his family to their home in Morelos.
Walter had been a Ward Teacher since 1891 while living in the Pacheco Ward and was also in the Sunday School Superintendency there. He was ordained a High Priest by Guy C. Wilson, 18 Dec 1906, in Morelos and sustained Second Councilor to Bishop Charles W. Lillywhite. Daniel H. Snarr was the First Councilor.
He was released from the bishopric in Morelos 30 Apr 1911 when he moved back to the United States. They decided to move back because of his wife's health as she suffered with asthma. They traveled by team and settled in southern Utah, at Blanding, San Juan County. The move was made a year before the people were driven out of Mexico because of the revolution. The war was so bad at the time they left that they had to sell their home and cattle for a very small amount, getting $3.00 a head, Mexican money, for their cattle. The move was made in two wagons, six horses and one saddle pony. This was a great deal more than the people had who were driven out later. It took six weeks to make the trip.
Walter was on the High Council of the San Juan Stake while living in Blanding. He was set apart by Pres. George Adams. Their youngest son, Ivan Lathell, was born there. Walter built a two-story home, a barn, and other buildings; had horses and cows and did some farming and freighting while at Blanding. Hauled wool to Denver and Grand Junction, CO and brought back merchandise for Blanding and nearby towns. He took two wagons and three teams. His 12-year-old son, Glendon, helped by driving one of the teams. On all his freighting and moving trips he did all the cooking on the open campfire and was noted for his delicious Dutch oven biscuits. Because he was unable to obtain enough farm land and work was scarce (after three years), he and his brother, Ernest, and families moved to Oakley, Cassia, ID. in the spring of 1914.
Walter was always active in church work and set a good example in everything for his children. His wife, Mary Elizabeth, was also very active in the church and supported him in all his duties. While in Mexico she was President of the Y.W.M.I.A. in the Morelos Ward and held other positions wherever she lived, in Primary, Sunday School, Relief Society, and M.I.A. They enjoyed doing everything together as a family, including the children, in all of their activities. Their oldest son, Walter John, went on a mission from the Oakley Ward to the Central States Mission.
Walter farmed in Oakley, but this place proved unsatisfactory for them to make a living so they chartered a railroad car and moved family, belongings and animals to Logan, Cache, UT in 1918. They first lived in the Fourth Ward where their daughter, Barbara, was called to fill a mission in the Eastern States Mission.
Later he bought a home in the 2d Ward on West 2d South and while living there he was called to be Chairman of the Genealogical Committee and Ward Teacher. He was set apart by Elder Frederick Scholes. His councilors were J.J. Roberts and Lucherini. He worked as a solicitor for the local paper, "The Journal". On 11 May 1927, his youngest son, Ivan Lathell, age 15, died and was buried in the Logan, UT cemetery.
In Oct 1933, his daughter, Barbara, took him and his wife to Salome, Arizona to visit his son, Herman. While there he spent much of his time carving many lovely things from the rare and beautiful native Iron Wood tree of Arizona.
Not wanting to return to the cold north land, he and his wife moved to Whittier, CA in 1934. He was set apart as First Councilor to Pres. Herbert J. Bingham of Whittier Branch and later, when it became a Ward, as First Councilor to the Bishop, 23 Aug 1936, by Elder Rudger Clawson, Pres. of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. Later they moved to Montebello, CA in the Los Angeles Stake and was set apart as First Councilor to William May of the High Priest Quorum of Montebello Ward, 20 Aug 1939 by Bertrum M. Jones.
Walter's wife, Mary Elizabeth, died 28 Sep 1939, while living in Montebello, CA. She was buried in Logan, Cache, UT on 5 Oct 1939. He then moved back to Utah to be near his children, living part of the time with his daughter, Barbara, in Logan, and in Draper, UT and Salt Lake City, with his son, Walter John and in Arizona with his son, Herman.
While living in Salt Lake City with his son, Walter, he had the misfortune to fall from a ladder, while painting the house, and broke his hip and wrist. His hip was slow in healing but eventually was quite normal. While recuperating, his daughter and family took him on a trip to Toquerville in southern Utah, his old home town he had not seen since he left in 1889. The old rock home was still being lived in and was the same except that a new front porch had been added.
In 1951, his daughter and family, moved to Mesa, Arizona where he spent most of his time in the lovely mild climate there. Then in the hot summer months he would go to Salt Lake City to visit his sons, Walter and Glendon, and their families. Then on to Ogden, Utah to visit his son, Delbert and family.
Five of his nine children were married as follows: Walter John married Sylvia Cutler; Herman Warriner married (1) Bertha Lois Elder and (2) Lois Marcella Collett; Mary Barbara married Clement Crookston; Glendon Eugene married Eva Hawkes; Delbert Lionel married (1) Fern Moore and (2) Fern Romrell.
He enjoyed doing temple work in the Logan, Salt Lake and Arizona Temples. He also liked to read and spent much of his later life reading church books and studying the Gospel. He also spent some time visiting one of his grand children, Elaine Steiner Rand, in Phoenix, AZ, but insisted on having some project to work on: building furniture, etc.
His travels have been quite extensive. He traveled with his son, Herman and wife, to the Canadian Rockies, then three years later with them to Mexico City. Again they traveled to New York to see the Hill Cumorah Pageant, traveling over the Pioneer Trail. He took many shorter trips with other children. One time they were in the St. George Temple and he was slow getting dressed and said, "Go ahead. I'll catch the next train!"
While on a summer visit to his son, Delbert, in Ogden, UT, he suddenly became ill and without suffering long, passed away 3 Aug 1957 at the age of 86. He was buried in the Logan Cemetery beside his wife.
(Story related by Walter H. Steiner)
When George and Hyrum Naegle were hunting cattle on North Creek, they encountered a bear. One of them shot and the bear went up over the rock ledges out of the creek back of the mesa between the Gavilan River and North Creek. As the bear went up, Hyrum followed him, going ahead of George. George's shell stuck in his gun and Hyrum went on ahead of George while he was getting the shell loose. When he got to the top of the little bench up from the river, he followed the bear so close he ran onto him in a clump of small oaks. When he saw the bear he was so close that the bear jumped on him before he had a chance to shoot. Then George followed on the mule. Mules are very scared of bears and as he rode up and saw the situation, the bear was so enraged that he left Hyrum and went for George on the mule. Of course the mule got scared and ran, and when George got stopped he shot from the mule and hit the bear and disabled him and then he shot a second time and killed the bear. When George went up to Hyrum he found his gun was laying beside him, cocked, but had never been fired. When he first saw Hyrum and the bear, Hyrum had his arm over his face and the bear was chewing his arm. On closer examination he found that the bear had clawed him on top of the head and through the skull and the brain was oozing out. He put Hyrum on his horse and rode behind and held Hyrum in the saddle. They had 15 miles to go up over the top of the Sierra Madre Mts. to get to Pacheco, and on the way over they got to the divide and rested at Box Springs. Hyrum begged to be left there saying he couldn't go any further, but George told him he had to go and at that got him on his horse again and took him to his home. I think it was two days later that he died.
I later saw the bones of the bear and he was a silver tip and was a big fellow.
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