1895-1926 

Margaret Lillian Thorpe was born 15 December 1895 in Malad, Idaho, to John Alma Thorpe and Margaret Evans.  Her mother, only 21 years old, died fourteen days after the birth.   

Baby Margaret’s grandparents, Edward J. and Ann Evans, took her as their own child and during her early life, she often went by the name of Evans.  No child could have ever been loved more, nor had more attention given her than Margaret.  Perhaps because she was so tiny and they loved her so, they called her Dollie. 

Little Dollie was cared for and pampered by the whole Evans family.  But then she seemed to require a lot of care.  She was a delicate, anemic child and was not well enough to start school when she was six.  In July 1904, when she was nine years old, her grandfather Edward died, and Grandmother Ann considered Dollie’s every wish to be a command and anything money or love could offer were given to Dollie. 

Six years later, in 1910 Grandmother Ann also died, but before her death, she extracted a promise from her daughter Annie, that she  love and care for Dollie just as she herself had done.  The promise was gladly given, for she loved Dollie dearly and gave her a home and all the tender, loving care she gave her own children. 

Dollie’s father, John Thorpe, had married Elizabeth (Lillie) Green in 1898, and wasn’t able to come see Dollie very often, but the tie of love was there and on her 11th birthday, he brought her an autograph album and wrote this thought on the first page.  “Just a line or two Dollie, to let you know the good that I think of you always, and your place no one can fill.  From Papa to Dollie.”  (John Thorpe died 4 March 1934 in Ogden, Weber, Utah, and was buried in the Mount Ogden Memorial Park, Ogden, Utah.) 

Dollie was almost 10 years old when she started school in the Old Malad Elementary School building.  Her first teacher was Miss Mabel Waylett, and her room was in the basement on the north-east corner at the back of the school.  She was a very bright student, but missed much school on account of poor health. 

By the time she reached 5th grade her health seemed to be much better, and her teacher that year was Blanche Jacobs, a lady from the state of Iowa.  The next year her teacher was Amy Williams.  The next three years of school were in another building, and it must have been very hard for her because by this time she was 19 years old. 

Her teacher as she graduated from the 8th grade was Francis F. Smith.  All the students liked him as he used to take them sleigh riding and seemed to introduce a new quality to their school learning.  Dollie was always full of fun and had a keen sense of humor, but was still rather serious.   Her graduation exercises were held in the old Opera House on Main Street in Malad.  Included in the program was a duet by two of her friends, Manilla Jenkins and Elizabeth Evans. 

One of the loveliest things about this beautiful young woman was her thick, brown, hair.  As a child she had worn it in long golden ringlets and now it was wound around in a fashionable bob at the back of her head.  Dollie was five foot eight inches tall, slender, and very shapely.   She never lacked for friends, whether it be male or female. 

After her graduation she went to Garland, Wyoming to visit her Aunt Maude Darton, her father’s sister.  While there, she met Henry Evans from Logan, Utah.  Love blossomed, and on the 3rd of October 1916, they were married in Malad , Idaho.  Dollie was 21 years old. 

They lived i n Logan, and on 17 July 1919, a son was born.   On his birth certificate, he was named Richard Donald but was known from then on as William Richard, and was always called Billie.  The marriage was not successful and ended in divorce, with Dollie and Billie going back to Malad, where they lived with her Aunts, Annie James and Alice Stewart. 

Before she and Henry had married, Dollie had dated Gene Dalton and when Billie was four years old they picked up their friendship.  They talked of getting married, but there was no money and no jobs.  Gene asked Dollie to wait for him and he and Ned Tovey went to Leona, Idaho to work in a Placer Mine.  Gene’s brother Will and his wife were working there, and it was good to have family ties.  Gene worked there from November 1922 until September 1923, never leaving the mine site and saving all his money.  He then went to Spokane, Washington, sold his stock in the mine, and went back to Malad with a fortune of #1,300.00. 

On 18 September 1923, he and Dollie went to the City and County Building in Salt Lake City, Utah, and were married.