Frank was born 18 November 1872 (from death certificate) in Box Elder County, UT, one of many children born to polygamist James May and wife Martha Allen. His father James was one of those caught in the ex-post facto fallout, after the U.S. Government declared polygamy a misdemeanor in 1862. The Edmunds Act of 1882 made polygamy a felony. Obviously, Frank and his 12 brothers and sisters (and 11 half brothers and sisters) had challenges that few others in North America faced at the time.

James' second wife was Rhoda Lang. James found sanctuary from the U.S. Government in Canada, in the Cardston, Alberta area. Various members of both families spent time at the Utah(Martha May) and Canada(Rhoda May) homes.

Frank drove a dozen of his father's cattle to Canada in 1890 and stayed for about 2.5 years. After a year or so at his mother's in Utah, he returned to Canada in 1894. A couple years later he was called on a Mormon mission to Manitoba, Canada.

Just before serving his Mormon mission he went to Utah and married Emma "Nettie" Wight, with whom he had been corresponding. Three weeks later he left for his mission. Upon his return the family lived in Utah on a rented farm for two years and had Frank Orlin and Sterling May.

In 1901 they moved to the Beazer district, Alberta, Canada where Frank homesteaded, but soon found himself the first operator of the rolling flour mill on the St. Mary's River until 1908, when the mill was flooded a 2nd time and moved to Cardston. They moved with the mill until 1911, then ranched and farmed again at Beazer. During this time Naomi, Stephen Glen, Andrew, Hattie and Wilford (who lived only 2 days) had arrived.

One other enterprise for the Mays was a coal mining (1913 - 1919) operation that they opened on their property soon after son Stephen Glen came home with some samples in his pockets one day! The mines on their property would go on to fuel the local power house, Mormon temple and many other businesses and residences in the region.

Frank was a large and strong man, standing well over six feet tall and pushing 240lbs at times. He loved the mountains, lakes and streams of Canada, and often took time out to enjoy them with family. He was also one of the well known hunters of Beazer.

Both Frank and Nettie diligently served both church and community.

A year after suffering through the record dry summer of 1919 in the Beazer district, the family moved to Creston B.C. to try their hand at full-time dairy farming. That move not being to their liking, they shortly thereafter moved to Weiser, Idaho where Frank had a battery and service station business for a couple years and afterwards was a traveling insurance salesman in Eastern Oregon.

Frank died of heart failure at the relatively young age of 50, in Weiser, Idaho.

Mitchell A. May
Great Grandson
Kennewick, WA
Updated 9 July 2021