In the spring of 1885, William Porter Squires and two of his brothers migrated from Brigham City, Utah to what is now known as the Upper Snake River Valley, lying between the North and South Fork of the Snake River. He homesteaded a place near the foothills, married and raised a family.

Laurence Bond Squires was born August 10, 1890 to William Porter and Zilpah Elizabeth Young Squires. He was born at his grandmother Young's home (presently the Mark Young home) in Archer, Idaho. Mary Robison helped in the delivery. Laurence was the oldest and then came Grace, Charles (who died at the age of 15 months), Melvin, Ronella, Glen and Milton. They were raised in the Archer community.

At that time, Archer and Lyman were one ward called Lyman. The home near the foothills was a happy one. Laurence's mother was a Young, and everyone knew the Young home was a social center for the community. The hospitality and entertainment of this musically minded family brought much joy to relatives and friends. This same trait spilled over into the Squires family. They all loved music, and they grew up with it in their home. Eventually, when they grew up, Laurence, Melvin, and Glen along with Mark and Clem Young and others had a dance orchestra and played for dances allover the valley.

As Laurence and his brothers were growing up, they helped their father subdue the soil, breaking up sagebrush land, planting trees, and making a home.

Laurence went to school in a log schoolhouse with six windows and a door on the south and a great big stove in the center where you were roasting on one side and freezing on the other. The windowsills would be filled with dinner buckets and paper bags. He graduated from the eighth grade here--the first eighth grade graduating class from Archer. (By the way, Archer was named for Laurence's great grandfather, John Bond Archer.) Later, the log schoolhouse was replaced by a rock building. Still later, the rock building was used for a cheese factory. This building still stands today. It is located behind Kendall Davidson's garage. Later on, Laurence, Clem Young, William Grover, and Seth Grover went to Ricks Academy (now Ricks College) for one year.

Most of his life, Laurence has worked in the building trades. He learned many skills and was quick and efficient in all of them: carpenter, painter, plasterer, paperhanger, brick layer and mason to name a few. As a young boy his father and his Uncle Charles Squires owned and operated a lumber and building business in Rexburg. He learned a great deal from his Uncle Charles who was an architect. He designed and built many buildings in Rexburg, some of which were the homes of J. Webster, T. E. Basset, the First Ward Church, Salem Church, Madison rock school building, some business blocks and many others. Stake authorities had him make up the plans for Ricks Academy and supervise its construction. As a lad, Laurence-would go with him on these jobs, and hence he learned how to chip stone and lay them.

Among his many friends at school and in the religious and social life of the community was a young lady named Minnie Burns. He was attracted to her and they were married at Archer, Idaho March 29, 1910.

Soon after they were married, Laurence built a small house (presently the Glen Squires home) near his parents' home in Archer. For most of the next twelve years they lived there. Six of their seven children were born in Archer. Three babies were not privileged to live, but Norma, Elwin, Leo and Joyce grew up and married. Dona Blackburn was a niece of Minnie's whom they took in and raised along with their own after her own mother died in 1920.

The first few years after their marriage they farmed. Then they went out to Dubois and homesteaded a place along with Clem Young, Albert Nadauld, and Alf Young. But they didn't stay long. They came back and Laurence took the job of delivering mail from Thornton to Heise Hot Springs in a buggy, quite a trying experience. He also worked at the sugar factory for a while. But the building trade was his main love, and Idaho winters meant layoffs every year, so in 1923 Laurence and Minnie moved to southern California. His work took them over much of California, but mostly they settled near Los Angeles. They stayed active in the church wherever they went, and Minnie always had a church job, particularly in the primary.

It was a happy occasion for them when they were finally able to be married in the Temple, February 20,1934. It turned out to be a very memorable occasion. There was an excursion that went from their ward to the Temple at Mesa, Arizona. Most went on a bus, but there were a few who went in private cars. Laurence, Minnie and daughter, Joyce, and I another couple, Joe and Mary Judd and daughter, Betty Jo, drove to Mesa in a car. The group spent a week there doing temple work. When the time came for them to go home it was raining, a real downpour, and it was night. Laurence and Minnie and friends drove for awhile and stopped for a bite to eat at the town of Wickenberg. While they were seated in the cafe, a couple of ladies came in. They were terribly upset. They said that up the road aways there had been a terrible bus accident. Two or three people had been killed including one child, and many more were injured. There had been a detour and. the heavy rain had put out the flares and the bus had missed the road and rolled over.

Wickenberg was a small town with no hospital, so they brought the dead and injured back to the schoolhouse. Laurence and Minnie and friends spent the rest of the night there helping to care for the injured and identifying the dead, for it was the temple excursion bus.

Between 1923 and 1934 there were a couple of trips between Idaho and California. Laurence and Melvin and their families made the journeys in their Model T touring cars over roads that were unlike those of today. Crossing the desert was some experience. It was so hot it would blowout the tires, radiators would boil, and the drinking water was almost hot. There were places on this journey where the road would be a little too steep for the Model T's and everyone would pile out and Laurence and Melvin would back the cars up the hill.

California experienced a severe earthquake in March of 1933. It was quite an experience for the Squires family. At that time, Laurence and Minnie lived in a large frame house (seven rooms). It slid the whole house six inches off the foundation. A rock fireplace fell forward into the living room.

It was a fearful night. The skies were lit up with fires burning. Sirens were screaming. Every few minutes there would be more tremors. For a week, they lived in the back yard. They cooked over an open fire until the gas lines were repaired and it was safe to move back into the house. They felt tremors for weeks after and were always alert and ready to dash for outdoors again.

The summer of 1935 Laurence, Minnie and Joyce came back to Idaho. Norma, Elwin, and Dona had married and stayed in California. Leo was already in Idaho, having come earlier to work for his grandfather on the farm. This time they stayed in Idaho for about 4 1/2 years, living in Archer and Rexburg. Laurence followed the building trade. Joyce finished high school in 1938. In 1939 she was married to Ross Byrne, and by then Laurence and Minnie were needed in California to help Norma raise her family. Laurence's skills were needed at that time, too, while the nation prepared its defenses.

They stayed in California during the war years. One fall Laurence and Minnie moved to San Bernardino where his work had taken him. On the job, he met four homesick Mormons from Utah. They were brothers. Laurence and Minnie welcomed them into their home and boarded them all winter. Needless to say, they thought the world of Laurence and Minnie and became good friends and thrived in their happy home.

In 1945 they were needed in Idaho to care for Laurence's aging parents. They bought the old home by the foothills and cared for the old folks with love and patience.

Laurence worked with Henry and Laurence Burns during the summer and for a few years while Laurence's folks could still travel they would return to California a few months each winter.

Leo had served his country for a year in the National Guard before the war, and when war broke out he enlisted in the navy. He had just completed his boot training when he became ill with a kidney ailment and was given a medical discharge. After a long stay in the hospital, Leo passed away in 1946, and in addition to their other responsibilities, Laurence and Minnie cared for his little girl for several months. Grandma Squires passed away in 1951, and Grandpa Squires in 1953.

Laurence and Minnie continued to live in the old home by the foothills. In 1961 their daughter, Norma, passed away. She had cancer by then, Minnie 's health was failing, and Laurence had pretty well retired and spent most of his time caring for her. In July 196), they sold the old home to LaVar Squires (a nephew) and bought a trailer house and placed it in Ross and Joyce's yard. In November of that same year, Minnie passed away. Laurence, retired, continued to live in the trailer house alone.

On October 16, 1972, Laurence became ill and went to the hospital for a few days. When he was released, he was not able to live alone anymore and moved in with Ross and Joyce. He never lost his sense of humor or his cheerful attitude even though his health was not good. Laurence got the flu and became weaker every day. On January 26, 1973, he passed away at Archer, Idaho. He was buried in the Sutton Cemetery in Archer, Idaho.

He has two children living, Elwin of Downey, California and Joyce Byrne of Archer, Idaho. A foster daughter, Dona, resides in Cerritus, California. He has eleven grandchildren, twenty-three great grandchildren, and two great great grandchildren.

Burgoyne, Charlotte Tillotson. Squires Histories: Life History of Laurence Bond Squires, compiled by Joyce Byrne, Feb 1973. 2002.