1927

Age 1

Contracted pneumonia and whooping cough, a severe case. Parents feared the baby would not live, so they found a specialist doctor in California where they took him for treatment. The treatment proved successful and the baby recovered, but did not yet have a name. Clayton VanKuren Smith and Rachel Campbell Smith, the baby’s uncle and aunt told the baby’s parents that they would give him a hotel when he grew up if they would name the baby after them. So, 9 months after his birth the baby was named Clayton Ray Williams (after Clayton V. Smith and Rachel Campbell Smith). See naming and blessing certificate (October 2, 1927)

CRW Major Events in 1927

Pneumonia and Whooping Cough

CRW contracted pneumonia and whooping cough, a severe case. His parents feared he would not live, so they found a specialist doctor in California where they took him for treatment. It worked!

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California

CRW spent several months in California recovering. In a video interview with CRW and ESW in 1982, his mother recalled how well CRW did in California. She exclaimed that Clayton loved Cream of Wheat and it “fattened him right up.” He had the cutest, chubbiest cheeks she’d ever seen.

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Blessed October 1927

Because CRW was so ill as a baby, his parents were afraid to name him in case he didn’t survive. Once he had healed they brought him back to Utah and he was blessed in October 1927 (10 months after his birth).