Charles Rampton's Family History: Grandpa Joe Bush

I was finally able to talk to Uncle Glen (Glen Linnebach) today about Grandpa Joe Bush (Arthur Phillip Linnebach - my Grandpa). My question to him was "where did the name "Joe Bush" come from? You will laugh at the answer.

But, before I spill the beans, let me tell you a little about his early life. Arthur Phillip Linnebach was born on 3 April 1900 in Karlsruhe, Germany. He was the oldest child and only son of George Adam Linnebach and Anna Katharina Kirschenlohr. He had seven younger sisters. When Art was about six months old his parents joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This was during a time in Church history when converts in foreign lands were encouraged to join the saints in the Rocky Mountains. And this is what the Linnebach Family did. George, his wife, one son and three daughters left for America in 1907, not speaking a word of English. They arrived at Ellis Island in New York Harbor on 20 April 1907. Arthur had just turned seven. The family was almost sent back to Germany since one of the youngest daughters was sick. However, the inspectors let them through and they set off for Salt Lake City. When they arrived they settled in an area with other German converts. They all set about to learn English.

Growing up in Salt Lake City was not easy for Art, especially his early teenage years. With the outbreak of World War I in 1914 there was, even in Salt Lake City, and anti-German sentiment. Art was bullied and teased. Around the time of his 21st birthday, he left Utah for the warmer and wilder climes of Southern California. In 1922 he met and married a woman by the name of Ione Crawford. Having little to no money between them, the young couple moved in with her father who lived on Stepney Place in Inglewood. The house still exists today. Their first son, Phil was born there in 1923. Several years later, they moved back to Salt Lake City and had another son, Laurie. At this point in her young life, Ione was not cut out for motherhood and abandoned her family. Phil and Laurie were then raised by Grandpa and Grandma Linnebach.

A few years later, Art met and fell in love with Frances Ethel Jolley (Grandma Ethel). They were married 1 November 1928. Their first son, Glen was born the next year, followed by their first daughter, Lois in 1930. Grandma Ethel once told me a story about Art when they were dating. She said he never washed his socks....when he needed a clean pair he would throw the dirty pair in the back of the closet and go and buy a new pair.

During his teenage years Art was never active in the church, even though his parents were. It was said that George Adam Linnebach deducted the tithing from his workers' paychecks and gave it to the bishop. (He also did the masonry work on the "This is the Place" Monument). During those teenage years Art picked up two nasty habits, drinking and smoking. I fear that his drinking may have resulted in the physical abuse of his children. I know that it resulted and a charge of vehicular manslaughter being filed against him (he was later pardoned.) His smoking, ultimately, led to his premature death from lunge cancer at the age of 69 even though he had stopped smoking a year earlier. During his early 30's he worked out at the Kennecott Copper Mine west of Salt Lake City. He carpooled with his drinking buddies their and back every day. It was also during this time that he developed a love for fishing. One of his favorite places to fish was at Fish Lake in northern Utah. And, this is where the name "Joe Bush" came from. Art knew the lake well, especially where to catch the largest rainbow trout. The best place was at Joe Bush Point. He would catch so many fish there that his drinking buddies from Kennecott who frequently went fishing with him, nicknamed his Joe Bush. Somehow, that name stuck and when grandkids started to come into the picture, he wasn't Grandpa Art. Oh no, he was Grandpa Joe Bush.

More on the Linnebachs in future weeks. Here are a few pictures of Grandpa Joe Bush.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------