The fourth son and fourth child of David and Mette Marie Madsen, Erastus was born in the little house on the Sand Road on April 22, 1884. He was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on July 6, 1894.
In his youth his mother taught him good manners that he exhibited throughout his life. His parents also instilled in him the value of honest hard work, dependability and endurance as he shared in the efforts to sustain the family through the fruits of the farm. No doubt his father had time to teach him the ways of farming before his untimely death when Erastus was fifteen.
Erastus grew to a very handsome man, having a long lean build, dark brown curly hair, and deep blue eyes. He was quiet and easy-going. His sense of humor was evident, but not to the extent of some of the others in the family. Although he was free with his opinions, he was very likeable because of his friendliness and good-natured mannerisms.
At the age of twenty seven, Erastus was called as a missionary for the Church, to serve in Denmark, the homeland of his parents. He was endowed for that purpose on September 1, 1911, and his mission commenced at that time, lasting for at least one year. All of the family members were so happy that his mission took him to Denmark, especially his mother, for she hoped Erastus would be able to convert some of their relatives. Elder Madsen did meet some of the relatives and wrote home about them, but as it turned out, none of them were interested in the gospel. One experience Erastus had while on his mission which he later shared was how, when he knocked on a door, the people would ask him to take off his hat so they could see his horns and red hair that all Mormons were supposed to have.
Because of his missionary experience Erastus knew the gospel better in the Danish tongue than in English, and when speaking in church he chose to speak in Danish. Since Elsinore was populated with Danes, they probably preferred it. Some of the converts Erastus made in Denmark later came to America and called to see him. One of them, a woman named Haedevig, is referred to in Miriam’s memories on another page.
All through his life Erastus loved music. In his younger years he, along with his brother, Leon, belonged to both the Elsinore Band and the Dance orchestra. He played the coronet and bass saxophone with these groups as well as the harmonica on the side as did all the rest of the family. The dance orchestra played at dances all around, even going up to Kimberly in the mountains above Marysvale in the winter on sleighs, as well as in the summer, having wonderful times. They toured parts of Idaho at one time, and probably other parts of Utah, if it were only known. In those days in Elsinore were held the most wonderful, exciting Fourth of July celebrations anyone could ever dream of. One of the highlights of the day was the Band marching all around town playing at 6:00 P.M. One time Erastus had the group from a semicircle in front of his house and play. Afterwards he gave them in their buttonhole while others put them on their hats.
Erastus attended Weber State College for a time, and also worked for several years at the King Ranch in Grass Valley, Utah, just north of the Koosherm Reservoir. He worked away from the family farm possibly because it was no longer large enough to support the family, or possibly because he had an adventurous spirit. Later on, Erastus ventured up north to work in the smelter in Magna, Utah, near the Great Salt Lake.
It was while he was working at the smelter that he met Lydia English, and married her on April 7, 1919. (Note that Erastus was late in marrying, celebrating his 35th birthday two weeks later.) Lydia was working as a waitress in a restaurant that Erastus frequented, and it is told that it was love at first sight. They had a Temple sealing on April 1, 1927, Lydia having been baptized a member of the church in 1923.
Shortly after they were married, Erastus and Lydia moved to Elsinore where they purchased a two-room house a block north of the Highway in west Elsinore, up the hill two blocks from the lot later purchased by John and Gerda. There they worked together to make a real home, and to beautify their surroundings. They grew lovely flowers and raised a large garden and fruit orchard. Erastus also did a lot of landscape gardening for people in the area. He had a 4-H Club at the time which won 1st place at the state fair for their fruit and vegetable display. Lydia and Erastus entered many things in the fair at different times, and won their share of ribbons. The chicken coop was full of leghorns, and a couple of fine jersey cows made the corral their home.
With the arrival of their daughter, Miriam, on March 29, 1920, their happiness seemed complete. Miriam remembers a home filled with love and serenity, of picnics, fishing trips, and a lot of Madsen get-together’s, as well as all of the church and town activities they attended.
Erastus worked for a time for the Elsinore Sugar Factory, and at other jobs close around, combined with some farming. In the late 20’s he and his brother, Alfred worked for the Twenty-Mule-Team Borax Company in the Death Valley, Ca. Then he began to work at the smelter at Tooele, Utah, and for Lydia’s father who had a mine above Tooele. They mined iron, zinc, lead, silver, and a little gold. Lydia and Miriam maintained the family home in Elsinore, and Lydia filled many of the lonesome hours working in the church.
In August, 1931, just three months before her death, Lydia took Miriam for a visit with Erastus at the Hidden Treasure Mine. That month she and Miriam also went on one of the Madsen camping trips to the southern Utah Parks. They went in John’s (Bodtcher) three-seated Buick and camped in tents. Lydia did a lot of the cooking, and in the evening they gathered around the campfire and sang together. Going along on the trip also were Leon and Leonara, Alfred, Gerda and John, and David’s daughter, Dorthea.
Lydia passed away in November, 1931, from blood poisoning. The was at the beginning of the depression when times were hard and discoursing of themselves, and this loss brought great despair to Erastus and to Miriam, who was only eleven at the time. With the scarcity of jobs, Erastus felt lucky to find work as a cook in Salina, Utah C.C.C. Camp. This program of the Civilian Conservation corp was implemented by President Roosevelt to put men to work improving natural resources. They built fences, roads, bridges, etc. and opened up Federal lands for Resource Management. Erastus had a natural talent with food preparation, so this job was to his liking. The pay was only about a dollar a day, but he felt lucky to be earning it. From Salina he worked, still with the C.C.C. in Fish Lake about 1935-36, and in Kanosh about 1937. During these years Miriam stayed at the home of her Grandma Madsen, who by this time was living in a nice new brick home on the highway on the east end of Elsinore, built by Alfred. At this stage in her life Metta Marie’s health was failing and she became bedridden. (Gerda told Betty she had high blood pressure and would fall from dizziness.) Lorenzo was still living in the home as was Mary who was caring for Metta. The family as a whole played primary roles in Miriam’s life, and helped provide the love and care she needed at this tender age.
During World War II time, Erastus worked at the Bushnell hospital near Brigham City. He was head cook, supervising about seventy five men. After that he worked at the Alta Ski Lodge near Salt Lake City, as cook. This job ended one night when the lodge burned down. Erastus was sleeping in his room on the top floor when he awoke to hear something being thrown against his window. Thinking it was someone trying to get him to get up and cook for him, he ignored it. A man had to go through the basement and up several flights of stairs, and get Erastus back by the same route.
Now being in his early sixties, Erastus decided to return to the little house in Elsinore and rebuild his once beautiful grounds. He became a salesman for Stark Brother’s Nursery, selling shrubs, trees, berries and such to the surrounding community. Gradually, and with great care and planning and access to materials, he not only rebuilt what he once had, he became his own best customer. He filled his large property with the finest in fruit trees of many varieties, boysenberries and raspberries, as well as special shade trees, shrubs, and perennial flowers. Not only did he plant and irrigate the soil, he kept it free of weeds until it was indeed a place of beauty. Only the far west section was left due to the rockiness of the land. He took great pride in showing friends and family around the grounds, inviting them to taste the fruit, or to come inside for a freshly-baked ginger snap cookie.
Eventually, Lorenzo bought the house across the street from Erastus. They both had the idea they were taking care of the other, and it was true. Certainly they were good company for each other, and must have enjoyed their closeness. When one of them had a visitor, it wasn’t long before the other walked across the road to join in the news of the day, and share in a hearty laugh.
When Erastus was about seventy five his health began to fail. His blood pressure was high, and he had several small heart attacks. He had a prostate as well as a cataract surgery, for he had been poor of sight for some time. He spent some time in Miriam’s home in Monroe, Utah, where he enjoyed the love and care of the family until Tyrus’s job took Miriam and the children to Caldwell, Idaho. The Doctor didn’t think Erastus could stand being moved that far, and away from everything he was used to. Arrangements were made for him to be cared for in a Richfield Rest Home. He enjoyed visits from Leon and Leonora, and John and Gerda, and many others with whom he was friends. He kept his cheerful attitude until his death from pneumonia on July 16, 1963. He was seventy nine.
Picture postcard from Denmark. Erastus, the missonary to his mother.
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