Highlighting Jacob Bastian's Posterity

The Bastian Family Reunions are a great way to meet Jacob's Posterity.

For those unable to attend the reunions, this blog is intended to be a mini family reunion. It is a modern way to acquaint all of his posterity to each other.  Each month, different family members from the 3 wives will be highlighted to inspire and link generation to generation. This month we start with Jacob's 2nd wife Johanna and highlight one of their great grandchildren, Sidney Bastian, who was valiant in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Jacob Bastian's 10th child from wife Johanna was Alminda (Alma) Bastian

Alma's 6th child was Sidney (Sid) Bastian    ^

Sid Bastian's family

Richard, Deon Morrison (wife), Morris, Sid (back)

Rochelle, Barry and Sydnee Sue

Sid & Deon's Family (& Spouses)

Barry (& Sheila), Rochelle, Morris (& Elaine), Sue (& Erv), Richard (& Marilyn)

Morris's Family

Back Row L-R: Brent Bastian, Shonna Lappin, Lori Brandt, Brian Bastian, Megan Jones, Irene Maxfield, Rebecca Haight
Front- Elaine & Morris Bastian

Sue's Family

Front: (Darren) & Nicole, (Erv) & Sue, Matthew & (Katie), ?Steven

Middle: ?Sarah

Back: Taylor, Jonathan, (Bryan) & Kristi

Barry's Family

Daniel, Ilene, Katherine, Sid Patrick (& wife Leslie Tobler), Jennifer (Back)

Christiana, Deon (Barry's Mother, Sid's Wife), Barry & Sheila, Ryan & Athlyn 

(missing: Heidi who was on a mission to Philippines)

Rochelle's Family

Mindy, Cara, Sean, Dave & Rochelle, Shally (& Bryce), Jeremy, Cami, Janelle, Brittany, Chelsea

Sid Bastian was born January 15, 1908 in Washington, Utah.

When Sid was 14 months, his father Alminda moved his family to a small town called Vermillion, current day Sigurd, where he purchased a 105 acre farm. Alma, following in the footsteps of Jacob, was a hard worker and taught the principle of work to his sons. Sid at age 7 could milk cows and drive the hay wagon. His spiritual strength was also encouraged, and Sid was baptized at age 8 in a canal by the Vermillion church.  By age 9, Sid fed pigs, helped churn cream into butter, worked in the beets and trapped muskrat and sold the hides for money. Some hides brought $4--a lot during WWI.  One year during the flu epidemic of 1918, Sid helped Alma harvest 25 acres of beets as well as 35 acres for the neighbors.  The beets were all topped and loaded by hand into the wagon.

Sid had a favorite Sunday School teacher, Mrs Jones. Sid found her kind and considerate and even though he could be mischievous, she brought out the good in Sid and he admired her for her patience and goodness.

Sid went to Richfield High, but they moved to Aurora, and he wasn't able to finish school.  He stayed home and worked so his younger sibling could finish school.  A typical day would find Sid irrigating 30 acres, brushing and caring for 8 horses and cleaning their harnesses, plowing, planting and harvesting.  But Sid also found time for recreation, he loved to play baseball and dance or "kick up his heels."  In fact it was at a dance that he met his lifelong wife and sweetheart DeOn Morrison.  DeOn had come to Aurora to teach 3rd and 4th grade. Sid knew DeOn's grandfather Morrison because he used to stop and entertain them with singing, playing the accordion and standing on his head when they lived in Dixie near St. George.  After the dance, Sid knew he would marry DeOn.  Sid said she was a "good dancer, classy dresser and great company."  They were married in February 1934.  The next year Sid bought an acre of land for $300.  He built a home of sawed logs.  His carpenter bill was $105. They were considered well off.  They had 10 acres, 3 horses, a John Deer Wagon, 3 calves, 1 pig and 6 cows.  He purchased a black Ford in 1935 for $250. His days consisted of waking at 4 am and milking 9 cows, and then pitching beets for 8 hours.  It was back breaking work, but he was thankful for the $4.00 an hour and the job.

Sid became the Bishop of the Vermillion Ward, North Sevier Stake in 1942.  Thomas E. McKay of the Quorum of the 12 set him apart. Sid served for 7 years. He felt is was the most rewarding job he ever had. Everything in the ward ran smooth, and his family had no arguments.  Sid decided "that you could do anything you wanted to do if you wanted to do it bad enough." He cut hay for the Stake farm, fed steers for 3 years for the Stake, and plowed, planted and irrigated corn for the Welfare cannery.  His ward members came out to help pick the corn and can 1800 cans, something the former Bishop said couldn't be done. After he was released, he and Deon moved to Nampa, Idaho.

Sid, a faithful member lived to see his children grow up and be married in the temple. He and DeOn served a couple's mission to the Oakland, California Temple.  Before he passed away, Sid was blessed with a posterity of 5 children, and 36 grandchildren. Of those 36 grandchildren, almost all of them were sealed for eternity in the House of God and many served faithful missions in Europe, and North and South America--- a direct result of Sid and DeOn's love of the Savior and valiant service in God's kingdom. Currently, Sid has nearly 50 great grandchildren (a number that keeps growing).  Sid's legacy is much like Jacob's. He worked hard, loved the Lord and received the promise made to Abraham of old to have posterity as the sands of the sea.

(contributed by Katherine Bastian Moore)