Individual Details
Green Paul FURR Jr.
(25 Sep 1913 - 22 Mar 1927)
Green Paul Furr, Jr. (known as Paul) was born September 25, 1913, in Poplar, Bonneville, Idaho, the 6th child of Dean and Mary (Hathcock) Furr.
The Furrs lived on a farm of 320 acres and lived on it for 3 years, during which Paul was born.
His father Dean operated a general store which did well. Then they built a nice brick home near the store. It had a large basement, and on account of World War I, they couldn't get enough coal to keep the home comfortably warm. On a snowy and frigid night in 1917, Paul's little sister Mary was born in the chilly house.
Mary writes: "He was four years older than I was and he was my friend and buddy growing up. He was very active and he drove my mother crazy trying to keep up with him."
The years that the Furr's spent in Idaho were very happy ones. Dean and Mary got along well, and the family had a great time playing baseball together – Dean would throw, Mary would catch. Coyotes could be heard howling all over the area. Dean prospered so well at the store that the family had the luxury of wired electricity installed, a single light bulb on the ceiling.
Paul was 4 years old in 1917, when the final word came from Mom, “Dad, let’s get out of here, it’s too blame cold!”
So the Furr & Hathcock families, 2 horses, a cow, a dog, and two big boxes of apples, headed south. “Well we heard of a place where oranges grew, in Mesa, Arizona... and here we are,“ wrote Dean.
After buying a store on 8th Ave & McDonald St, a farm, and hiring someone to run the store, the Furrs were flat broke. But they dug right in, plowing the land to produce good things such as watermelons, peaches and pears.
Dean worked hard from morning till he went to bed at night starting at 4:00AM. Supplemental to running his general store, Dean ran a milk route, then sold stockings and phonographs, followed by becoming a cotton buyer for the Peterson Bros. Brokerage in Phoenix. Soon the family prospered enough to purchase a telephone and electricity for their home.
In 1919, the Furrs were blessed with a new son, Quentin. Deep sadness followed when he died soon after. Two years later in 1921, they found joy again as they welcomed another boy, Edgar.
In 1926, the Furrs made their last move into a nice $5,000 brick home in Mesa, as Dean now had turned to the Real Estate business. Their housewarming gift was none other than then birth of their 10th and last child, James “Angus”.
Paul's sister Mary recollects:
"Paul was full of mischief. On one occasion he decided it would be fun to hold my youngest brother Angus by the heels over the opening of a well. He somehow talked my brother Cecil to do the deed. Once Angus began to cry, Cecil pulled him out. I remember that well. It was twenty feet from the back door and there was a bucket that was tied to one side."
"He had hazel eyes and dark brown hair and resembled my Aunt Myrtle (my mother's sister) quite a bit. Paul was a fun little rascal and full of life. He was well liked among his friends and was the shining star in our lives because of his ability to make friends."
"My brother Carl said that he was a good student and out of all of us kids, the smartest [coming from Carl, that was a compliment, as Carl was quite brilliant himself.] He took his responsibilities of a Deacon quite seriously and he fulfilled all his obligations well. Magnifying his Priesthood was very important to him."
"Paul loved his pigeons and he felt like they were his friends. he cared for them as anyone would care for farm animals or a small pet."
"Across the street, just west of us (the street was named Chandler Road) lived the family of Chapmans. They were members of the Church and had a fairly large family. I remember Hazel, Realous, and LaVar. Realous and Cecil were friends and LaVar and Paul were friends. Hazel and Essie were friends., and mother and Mrs. Chapman were friends. They were so busy being mothers and tending the farm, they didn't have much chance to 'gossip over the fence.' My reason for bringing up the mention of this family is one day, Paul and LaVar were playing near some rubbish someone had dumped on our property street side. They found an old gun. LaVar picked it up and playfully pulled the trigger. Of course an "unloaded gun" is always loaded, but the boys didn't realize the possible danger. Paul was shot, but survived."
"Paul had a paper route with the 'Arizona Republic" and from what we gathered after the fact, he became thirsty while delivering papers, jumped off his bicycle, and drank out of an irrigation ditch. He came down with typhoid fever that went into pneumonia. My mother would give him drops of coffee because the caffeine helped to ease his suffering as there were no pain killers back then."
"In those days antibiotics were not known, so as I recall; it was a slow but painful death for him. Sadly he died all too soon on May 21, 1927. He was only 13 years old at the time of his death. My brother and good friend was gone."
"My parents went into debt to buy him a white suit to be buried in as he had no real church clothes. The funeral home dressed him."
"Mother requested his body be brought to the house for viewing. Many people came. I heard some say this was an unusual custom, but then, my mother was unusual. My mother wanted to be constantly surrounded by her family and she wanted Paul to have his family around him. I remember that she sat by his head in a chair when people came in to pay their respects. On the day of his funeral the chapel was filled with family and friends.
"I couldn't understand why she was 'carrying on' so for many days. But now as a mother,... I thoroughly understand my mother's feelings."
"I loved my brother Paul, and his passing left a void in my life. I think that he invented the 'high five.' Rather than slap my hand, he would hit me in the head instead just to make his presence known. I shall always remember him fondly."
The Furrs lived on a farm of 320 acres and lived on it for 3 years, during which Paul was born.
His father Dean operated a general store which did well. Then they built a nice brick home near the store. It had a large basement, and on account of World War I, they couldn't get enough coal to keep the home comfortably warm. On a snowy and frigid night in 1917, Paul's little sister Mary was born in the chilly house.
Mary writes: "He was four years older than I was and he was my friend and buddy growing up. He was very active and he drove my mother crazy trying to keep up with him."
The years that the Furr's spent in Idaho were very happy ones. Dean and Mary got along well, and the family had a great time playing baseball together – Dean would throw, Mary would catch. Coyotes could be heard howling all over the area. Dean prospered so well at the store that the family had the luxury of wired electricity installed, a single light bulb on the ceiling.
Paul was 4 years old in 1917, when the final word came from Mom, “Dad, let’s get out of here, it’s too blame cold!”
So the Furr & Hathcock families, 2 horses, a cow, a dog, and two big boxes of apples, headed south. “Well we heard of a place where oranges grew, in Mesa, Arizona... and here we are,“ wrote Dean.
After buying a store on 8th Ave & McDonald St, a farm, and hiring someone to run the store, the Furrs were flat broke. But they dug right in, plowing the land to produce good things such as watermelons, peaches and pears.
Dean worked hard from morning till he went to bed at night starting at 4:00AM. Supplemental to running his general store, Dean ran a milk route, then sold stockings and phonographs, followed by becoming a cotton buyer for the Peterson Bros. Brokerage in Phoenix. Soon the family prospered enough to purchase a telephone and electricity for their home.
In 1919, the Furrs were blessed with a new son, Quentin. Deep sadness followed when he died soon after. Two years later in 1921, they found joy again as they welcomed another boy, Edgar.
In 1926, the Furrs made their last move into a nice $5,000 brick home in Mesa, as Dean now had turned to the Real Estate business. Their housewarming gift was none other than then birth of their 10th and last child, James “Angus”.
Paul's sister Mary recollects:
"Paul was full of mischief. On one occasion he decided it would be fun to hold my youngest brother Angus by the heels over the opening of a well. He somehow talked my brother Cecil to do the deed. Once Angus began to cry, Cecil pulled him out. I remember that well. It was twenty feet from the back door and there was a bucket that was tied to one side."
"He had hazel eyes and dark brown hair and resembled my Aunt Myrtle (my mother's sister) quite a bit. Paul was a fun little rascal and full of life. He was well liked among his friends and was the shining star in our lives because of his ability to make friends."
"My brother Carl said that he was a good student and out of all of us kids, the smartest [coming from Carl, that was a compliment, as Carl was quite brilliant himself.] He took his responsibilities of a Deacon quite seriously and he fulfilled all his obligations well. Magnifying his Priesthood was very important to him."
"Paul loved his pigeons and he felt like they were his friends. he cared for them as anyone would care for farm animals or a small pet."
"Across the street, just west of us (the street was named Chandler Road) lived the family of Chapmans. They were members of the Church and had a fairly large family. I remember Hazel, Realous, and LaVar. Realous and Cecil were friends and LaVar and Paul were friends. Hazel and Essie were friends., and mother and Mrs. Chapman were friends. They were so busy being mothers and tending the farm, they didn't have much chance to 'gossip over the fence.' My reason for bringing up the mention of this family is one day, Paul and LaVar were playing near some rubbish someone had dumped on our property street side. They found an old gun. LaVar picked it up and playfully pulled the trigger. Of course an "unloaded gun" is always loaded, but the boys didn't realize the possible danger. Paul was shot, but survived."
"Paul had a paper route with the 'Arizona Republic" and from what we gathered after the fact, he became thirsty while delivering papers, jumped off his bicycle, and drank out of an irrigation ditch. He came down with typhoid fever that went into pneumonia. My mother would give him drops of coffee because the caffeine helped to ease his suffering as there were no pain killers back then."
"In those days antibiotics were not known, so as I recall; it was a slow but painful death for him. Sadly he died all too soon on May 21, 1927. He was only 13 years old at the time of his death. My brother and good friend was gone."
"My parents went into debt to buy him a white suit to be buried in as he had no real church clothes. The funeral home dressed him."
"Mother requested his body be brought to the house for viewing. Many people came. I heard some say this was an unusual custom, but then, my mother was unusual. My mother wanted to be constantly surrounded by her family and she wanted Paul to have his family around him. I remember that she sat by his head in a chair when people came in to pay their respects. On the day of his funeral the chapel was filled with family and friends.
"I couldn't understand why she was 'carrying on' so for many days. But now as a mother,... I thoroughly understand my mother's feelings."
"I loved my brother Paul, and his passing left a void in my life. I think that he invented the 'high five.' Rather than slap my hand, he would hit me in the head instead just to make his presence known. I shall always remember him fondly."
Events
| Birth | 25 Sep 1913 | Poplar, Bonneville County, ID | |||
| Death | 22 Mar 1927 | Mesa, Maricopa County, AZ |  |  | |
| Burial | City of Mesa Cemetery, Mesa, Maricopa County, AZ | |
Families
| Father | Green Paul "Dean" FURR (1879 - 1966) |
| Mother | Mary Catherine HATHCOCK (1881 - 1972) |
| Sibling | Carl Jethro FURR (1903 - 1991) |
| Sibling | Vernon Cornelius FURR (1905 - 1988) |
| Sibling | Essie Elizabeth FURR (1907 - 1929) |
| Sibling | Ruth FURR (1909 - 1910) |
| Sibling | Cecil Ray FURR (1911 - 1987) |
| Sibling | Mary FURR (1917 - 2006) |
| Sibling | Kenneth Quentin FURR (1919 - 1920) |
| Sibling | Edgar Grant "Eddie" FURR (1921 - 1990) |
| Sibling | James Angus FURR (1926 - 1996) |
Notes
Death
Paul Furr,13, son of Mr. and Mrs. G. P. Furr, 165 West Second avenue, died this morning at 11 o'clock at the family home following a four weeks illness from typhoid fever and double pneumonia. He was a freshman in Mesa Union high school. Funeral arrangements are being delayed pending the expected arrival of a brother who has been attending school in Utah.The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona, March 23, 1927
Endnotes
1. "Arizona Deaths, 1870-1963", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLJB-64H : Sat Mar 09 17:31:40 UTC 2024).
2. findagrave.com.