Franklin Staheli
Franklin Staheli
Born on May 3, 1874 in Santa Clara, Utah.
Although my father died when I was only 6 yrs old I remember his musical talent of playing the cornet and the violin.
I distinctly remember a surprise party the choir gave my father.
Another incident I recall was when my father was digging potatoes and I was picking them up.
There were lots of big green worms on the potatoes. I put them in a pan to take home to the chickens, and my father said:
"Why don’t you take them up to the store to Sister Hafen and tell her you want some candy for them.”
Franklin Staheli's Music Talent
When I was around ten years of age my mother gave me a harmonica for Christmas.
She gave it to me Christmas Evening and before I went to bed that night I had learned to play “Home Sweet Home”.
I played the harmonica for years. I used to go to John Staheli’s my half brother’s place and play his organ and pick chords and tunes out by myself.
I bought my first violin from Joseph Worthen for $5.00 and mostly taught myself.
When Fritz Reber, my soon to be brother in law, returned home from a mission in Switzerland he brought with him an autoharp.
No one knew much about it and after I had studied it awhile, I learned how to time, tune and play it. It played very beautiful music and everyone enjoyed it.
Tree Fire
One night my friend Ernest Reber (later became my brother in law) and I went to the field to irrigate.
We took the harp and violin with us and built a fire and played while we irrigated.
The next morning we went back to the field in a wagon to get our bedding and instruments and found that our fire had spread over the tree and our lovely harp and violin both burned up.
Franklin Staheli Threshing
About 1908 I started the threshing machine business.
The first one I owned I got from Heber Barron and Hyrum S. Boggs. It was the first steel machine that came to this part of the country.
It was run by horsepower. We ran it for two seasons and then we bought a steam machine. Running the outfit was really a job.
Coal was so far away and cost so much and the grain was so cheap that we really didn’t make anything, and sometimes we came out in the hole.
After about 10 years I sold the old steam engine and bought a gas tractor and then things went a little better.
I got the first J.I. Case threshing machine and figured out how to thresh and beat seed. I was in the threshing business for 30 years.