Everyone has a story...

A miners story

Since my post on February 17th I've been doing a lot of research documenting the miners who died in mine accidents in Carbon County.  As I am documenting I am thinking about the miners and wondering what is his story.

One of the miners we needed to document was Merrill Clifford Newren.  He was born on 12 Sept 1894 in Scofield, Carbon, Utah and he died on 5 Mar 1925 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah. His death certificate states that he was kicked in the head by a horse in Scofield.  So the question is, is this a mine related accident?

I had special help solving this problem.  The last Carbon County Historical journal was centered around Clear Creek, Scofield and Winter Quarters area.  I had been given many stories, by a friend of mine, that were all about the Newren family.  I spent a whole morning reading all those stories to see if there was any mention of Merrill Clifford Newren in them.  I was successful and found three entries about him in the stories.  Here they are:

History of Maria Charlotta Andersson Newren:  "When Clifford was 15 years old, he went to his brothers in Scofield and worked there the rest of his life.  He married a young lady and they had three children.  He was killed in an accident by a horse kicking him in the head.  He was 30 years old at the time of his death, 6 March 1925.

The Newrens' In Scofield by Gary Newren:  Bernard Newren became the Chief Clerk and later the General Superintendent of the Union Pacific mine.  Clifford Newren also worked at the mine.  In 1925 Merrill Clifford was kicked by a horse outside the mine and died later in a Salt Lake City hospital.

The Newren Family in Scofield by Merrill Newren: In 1915 Merrill Clifford Newren left Gunnison and joined his brothers in Scofield...In the summer of 1925, Merrill Clifford was kicked in the face by one of the mine horses.  He was taken to St. Marks Hospital in Salt Lake City where he later died.

Do you think that these three people, when they wrote their stories, ever imagined the story being used to document how and where the accident occurred?  Merrill Clifford Newrens name has been added to the list of miners and his name will appear on the Miners Memorial.  

Each one of us has a story to share.  We need to share it with our family members.  Who knows maybe 89 years from now that story will be used to document some life event in your family members life.