We should all have listened better.

Justin (Childs), I suppose that you read the info on Facebook from Uncle David about your Great-Uncle Aldo Childs being the person that your father was referring to. I knew him as a great man but I did not know that he could heal anyone over the telephone. That is amazing. I hope that Vernon answers David's request soon because I would really like to hear more about him. 

I think that I remember a lot from my youth but I do not always have all the facts down. As I try to recall some of the stories I heard from our beloved ones who have gone ahead, I find that I am missing pieces and important bits. For example, I knew that my father built a lot of bridges in Zion's Park after the war. I don't remember which ones and neither does anyone else.

My Great-Grandfather John Pritchett was also known for his ability to heal but he did it with his own drugs and herbal concoctions. You know, of course, that he moved to Huntington from Provo and to Provo from Mt. Pleasant. He received his training in pharmacy from his wife's family. The Ericksen's owned a drug store in Mt. Pleasant and he learned from them. The store they built is still there. One of Great-Grandma's aunts married a Mabin who owned a pharmacy in Provo. He moved there and worked for them while Vivian and Jessie went to BYU Academy. He then moved his family to Huntington and built a pharmacy/drug store (they sold all sorts of things, including fountain drinks) there. He was a pharmacist in the days when that meant that the doctor prescribed a medicine and the pharmacist made it from scratch. If a doctor was not availabe, he could make medications to assist the ill on his own. He made some medications of his own formula that were so excellent that I wish I could get my hands on some of them today. Your Grandmother Renee had one tin of salve that he made that would cure an infected sore in just a couple of applications. Even though his son, Frank Pritchett, became a pharmacist, he did not have his father's formulas. He was a pharmacist in the years when the drugs needed came from pharmaceutical companies. So those formulas died with Great-Grandpa. People used to come to him for salves and other medications that he formulated and he had a knack of knowing just what was needed. A pharmacist, in those days, could formulate medications and dispense them legally. He saved many lives and helped heal many people with his knowledge of herbs and formulations. That was not quite the same thing as what your Uncle Aldo was able to do. 

Actually, Uncle Frank gave up his own pharmacy. He sold it for a tidy profit (it was located in Salt Lake City) and moved to California. He opened a chain of camera shops and invented lots of ways to make cameras work better. He shot underwater film for Disney. One of the inventions of his is still used by Kodak today and the many millions of dollars he made from his inventions have gone to help charities that benefited ill children (like Shiner's Hospital) so that, while he did not have the gift of healing that his father had, he did save lives by donating money to help ill children.

My Great-Great Grandmother, Mary Ann Fulcher Pritchett, was a midwife/nurse/Relief Society president in Fairview, Utah, in pioneer times. She had the gift of healing. On June 14, 1868,  the Relief Society was first organized in Fairview, and she was chosen president, and held that position up to the day of her death, which occurred March 5, 1901. She is legend in Sanpete County. She was noted for performing deeds of service. She was ever at the bedside of the sick as nurse and caregiver and was midwife to the women. She was known to heal and help. She was trained as a midwife when Brigham Young became concerned about the conditions pioneer women suffered when they gave birth. He had training for the women who would act as midwives. But she also served as a nurse to anyone who was ill. Whenever anyone was ill, they sent for her. In addition, she could be counted on for wise counsel as well as practical help. The needy were never refused her assistance. 

Justin wrote: Wow thanks lot of stuff I never knew! I have something to share. When Carrie first moved in with me, my youngest son was severely allergic to cats and they would throw him into asthma attacks. I would lay with him and rub his back and talk to him and he hasn't had an attack in 7 years and can stand to be around cats.

Myrna wrote: Yes, I would say that you have the gift. Thanks for sharing. Do you have other experiences like this one?