Ernst only completed the fourth grade in school. His father was sickly so he had to quit school to take care of 17 head of cattle and other chores that were his to do. He used to chop enough wood on Saturday to last all day Sunday so that he could have one day that he didn't have to chop wood. He was only 11 years of age when his father died, so being the oldest son of five children, he shouldered the responsibility of caring for the needs of the family, along with his widowed mother. He kept care of the farm and remembered going out to plow at this early age. His uncles and his Grandpa Jensen used to make fun of his plowing, telling him that a snake couldn't follow the plow. His Grandma Larson used to try to help and to encourage him, as the teasing had a strong impression on him.
Ernst's closest boyhood friend was Ed McBride. The were together most of the time, and they pulled many boyhood pranks. They once traded some wood for a 5-gallon keg of beer. They caused a lot of commotion with it, giving it to kids in the neighborhood. His Uncle Jim Larson said he would go to reform school yet. His Uncle John Jensen used to be kind to him, and Ernst would go to him for advice he needed. He missed not having a father as any young person would. He ran the farm and worked at odd jobs wherever he could pick one up. One man told him, "Whenever you are out of money, come and I'll give you a job." He knew that he was a widow's son and the family "breadwinner." Ernst never spent a dime without first asking his mother about it. She was a good seamstress, and she also made hair switches which were popular in that day She was well known for her skill.
Once when Ernst was just 12 years of age and working on the farmland in Mt. Sterling, a whirlwind came up and scared the horses which caused a real runaway. He was frail, but strong, and stayed with the team to the end, although those who witnessed it thought sure he would be killed. He had many experiences of this sort in his struggle to make ends meet.
He hauled grain to Corinne when he was 14 years old. He made 14 trips, which was the nearest railroad at that time, and it took one and a half days for each trip. Once while he was hauling grain to Corinne, he and Lorin McBride were camped together for the night. They fed their horses and tied them to Lorin's wagon. Ernst's wagon was used for a bed. The grub box was in the opposite end of the wagon. During the night, they heard footsteps and when they went to investigate, they discovered that a thief had taken their grub box and was riding down the road with it. Ernst called to him, but he just waved his hand and rode on. It was a day and a half before they got something to eat. They had trouble with their wagon which made the trip longer.
When Ernst was 17, he was in the canyon getting wood all winter long. His two uncles, brothers of his mother, used to say he would get killed trying to do some of the things he did. He cut down a tree that measured seven feet through and hauled it down the canyon . The stump still stood, and he said to his kids he could take them to it (later in life). It was located in Devil's Gate in Blacksmith Fork Canyon. He said he would saw a block off of it on Saturday, and it would make enough wood to burn for a whole week. He sold the limbs from the tree for $4.50.
Ernst loved horses and was one of the last farmers to give them up for a tractor. Many of his experiences were connected with driving a team. When Hyrum City brought their power lines down Blacksmith Fork canyon, he with a team or one horse pulled all the poles to the spot needed.
When he was 18, he and his mother took up a homestead of 160 acres in Pocatello Valley. One of his favorite sayings was, "Never let an Indian know you are afraid." Once when they were going to the home in Hyrum, they had a frightening experience. He was driving four head of horses and his mother was following behind with two head of horses on another wagon. Suddenly, a band of drunk Indians surrounded them. They tried to scare the horses, but Ernst cautioned his mother to stay close behind him so they couldn't separate the two wagons. As one of them came close, he tried to grab at one of their horses. This discouraged them, and they took off and left them alone. As they continued on toward Mountain Springs, they found at three different times a bag of flour that the Indians had lost from their wagon. After the three bags of flour, they found the tailgate from the wagon.
In Ernst's history it says that he was a good-looking man and a really good dancer. All the girls like to dance with him. Even the older women would get him to dance with them, and he was friendly to all of them. He had a lot of admiring friends, both girls and boys, and was popular among the social groups.
On the day he met Annie, she and one of her friends were out walking. She said that her mother would always let her go with him because she felt he could be trusted and was at ease around family. He always drove a nice looking buggy and well-trimmed horses. Most any girl was willing to ride with him, especially when he bought five-cents worth of hard-tack candy. When they were married he paid $100 down on the lot that they bought from the Clawson family. He also bought nice furniture for the home, which was doing well for a young man of his circumstances.
As you can see, Ernst was a hard worker from a very young age. Whenever we see Cordell's extended family, they often comment that he looks like his Grandpa Ernst as he ages. I can see a lot of qualities in Ernst that Cordell embodies--especially the sense of humor and being a prankster. Cordell was and still is good-looking and all the girls thought so, too. I think he got his wood-chopping skills from him, too. Like his Grandpa Ernst, Cordell worked on the farm and plowed the fields at a very young age.
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