At the age of one year Ben moved with his parents from Manassa, Colo., to Oray, Utah and lived there until the age of five. In 1917, his mother died of the flu and the family moved to Vernal, Utah where his mother was buried. It was in Vernal Ben romped the hills, explored the streams, picked berries and mushrooms, robbed magpie nests, fought wasp nests, learned to swim, run, jump, play marbles, climb trees and do all the things that boys do while growing on a acreage, plus going to school. In 1924 the family moved to Idaho where he continued going to school, became a Boy Scout, lacking one merit badge to become an Eagle Scout because they had to move to Rupert, Idaho. There on 28th of January 1928 Ben's dad dies with a broken leg, pleurisy, and pneumonia. At this time, Ben was sixteen years old and did a lot of traveling looking for a job to sustain him. He thinned and topped beets, picked and sorted potatoes for market, moved to Nevada and worked with the section gangs on the railroad, worked for the Nevada Hotel in Battle Mountain, Nevada and mined gold bearing ore at the Getchel mine north of Golconda, Nevada. He also worked for the Sierra Pacific Power Co., running a line from the Nevada Massachusetts mine to the Getchel mine, a distance of fifty-two miles, before getting married to his wife Idona Whiting. He worked for the civil service Department of the Army Post Engineers as maintenance carpenter, supervisor and superintendent of construction at Herlong, California. He retired after 30 years with the government (1943-1973). He and Idona were divorced in 1948. He became active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints after a branch was organized in Herlong, California. He served as Sunday school superintendent, M.I.A. president, Branch clerk, second counselor to the branch president, first counselor, and then Branch President. He moved to Reno, Nevada after marriage to Mrs. Katherine Meyer Toombs and commuted the 106 mile trip each work day, for ten years before retirement. He served as High Priest group leader in the Reno, Nevada 1st Ward, Reno, Nevada