Switzerland, The Homeland
Near the head of a little valley, which is about six or eight
miles long and varying in width from about half a mile to a mile at its widest place, in the foothill regions of the Switzerland Alps is a hill named Wiliberg. It is in the parish of Bottenwil, Canton Argau, and is about six hundred feet above the base of the little valley. About half way up the hill, overlooking a beautiful small creek, is a typical Swiss home, nestled in the center of a growth of old and stately hazel-nut trees.
This house is the ancestral home of my father's family. How long the
family has lived there is not known. Presumably they have lived
there many generations, and perhaps the family name of Bachman
was taken from the residence itself, the name meaning: "The man
of the creek, or creek man."
Wiliberg is in Canton, Argau in the northern and German part of
Switzerland. This Canton (county) is one of the most historical
parts of Central Europe, also one of the most beautiful Cantons
in Switzerland. About twenty miles from Wiliberg is an
amphitheater, build by the Romans before the time of Christ,
during their conquest of Ancient Gaul and Germania. On the
opposite side of the low range of mountains, forming the eastern
water shed of the valley in which my forefathers lived, and about
six miles from Wiliberg, is the medieval baronial castle, now in
ruins, of the Hapsburgs, the reigning house of Austria and
Hungary.
A Hill Owned by The Bachmans
The whole hill of Wiliberg is owned by the Backmans, and theirs
is the only house which has been built upon it. It is two
stories and is pretentious for the home of ordinary people. The
ground floor has a cow bar, pig sty, small store rooms, kitchen
and living room. The upper story has large store rooms and bed
rooms. In the kitchen is a huge fireplace of stone, the only
provision for heating in the whole house. It is about eight feet
long, five feet wide and four and a half feet high and extends
into the center of the room. The bottom is the firebed and above
is the oven. The top is the most coveted spot in the whole house
on a cold winter night. The little room opposite the kitchen,
the one from which the fireplace is fed, is also warmed by the
fire, and is the one to which a sick member of the family is
assigned.
Lumbering
The inhabitants of the hill have always made their living by
conducting the business of lumbering. The steepness of the hill
makes it impossible to use any considerable part of it for
farming. What hay is raised must be cut by hand and carried into
the loft upon the backs of the harvesters. Vegetables for summer
and winter use are raised in sufficient quantities upon little
spots where cultivation is comparatively easy. The hill has
always been covered by soft and hard wood trees, and their
cutting and hauling to market, about eight miles distant,
constitutes the occupation of lumbering. As the trees are cut
down new ones are planted, so that a good growth is maintained
for the succeeding generation.
Jacob Bachman (My Father)
My father, Jacob Bachman was born in Wiliberg in the parish of
Bottenwil, Canton Argau, on the 26 day of April, 1830. He was
the son of Hans Rudolf Bachman and Lisabetha Aerny. He married
Elizabeth Sutter, of Bozberg, on the 3rd of October, 1852.
The Family Joins The Church In 1885
About two years after their marriage, Mormon missionaries came to
the neighborhood and found good friends in Wiliberg. My father
and his wife joined the church in 1855; also my father's brother
and his family. Persecution caused the spirit of emigration to
seize upon the brothers and it was decided that my father would
come to Utah first, and if he found conditions satisfactory his
brother would follow him. The homestead was owned jointly by the
brothers and my Uncle purchased my father's interest for $2,000,
10,000 francs in Swiss money, a considerable fortune in that
locality at that time.
A Terrible Misfortune
One thousand dollars was considered an ample sum to take the
family to Utah and purchase a home. This sum was entrusted to
two Mormon Elders for safe keeping, but they got into some
difficulty with the authorities and it cost them the entire sum
to free themselves. This delayed father for sometime, but he was
determined to go to Zion, and after some months my uncle was able
to give him the remaining thousand dollars. The family
consisting of the parents and five children, Maria, born February
21, 1954, Verena, born February 23rd 1857, Jacob born October
27th, 1858, Elizabeth, born March 14th, 1860, and Emuel, born
August 17th, 1862, set out for Utah.
The trip across the ocean in a sail boat took six weeks, and the
family was crowded into the poorest part of the boat. My father
called it a cattle ship and they were crowded together as cattle
are now shipped on boats. The trip across the plains in a
covered wagon drawn by ox teams was a hard one, especially for
the mother, who gave birth to her sixth child, Sarah, while
crossing the plains. The baby died soon after her birth.
Finally they arrived in Utah 15 October, 1863.
My uncle never left Wiliberg and none of his family are members of the church.
My father settled first in Harrisville and later moved to Liberty.
He was very much disheartened with the hard trip and
the many trials he had to pass through. He complained bitterly
and several times was on the verge of returning to his native
land. On one occasion he told us he had decided to go back to
Switzerland when he became very ill and was near unto death. He
declared he saw the Evil One enter his room and he felt that he
was going to be destroyed. He repented of the mistake he had
made in complaining and prayed to the Lord for forgiveness, and
the evil power was withdrawn and he felt a wonderful peace. He
was healed and had no more thoughts of returning to his native
land, although he was always dissatisfied and complained. He
never mastered the English language so he could read or talk it
well, but read from the German Book of Mormon and Bible.
Their second home in Utah, at Liberty, was very cold and they
endured great suffering on account of the lack of food and
clothing. Later they moved to Eden and my father's wife gave
birth to three more children, Rosella born February 26, 1864,
Bertha, born April 19th, 1865 and Alma, born in November 1866.
She died giving birth to Alma her ninth child. This left my
father with a family of eight small children, the oldest girl
Maria only twelve Years old. She with her sister Verena, who was
only nine, were left with the care of the family. It was
impossible for these two little girls to take care of the new
baby and five other small children, so my father got kind
neighbors to take the baby and the two smallest girls.
Anna Sidler (My Mother)
27th April, 1867, he married my mother, Anna Sidler
Hegetschweiler. My mother, Anna Sidler was born in Ottenbach,
Zurich Canton, Switzerland on September 29th, 1847. She was the
daughter of Anna Sidler. Her mother told her the father's name
was Hegetschweiler, but the genealogist found no record of their
marriage in Ottenbach, so it is presumed she was an illegitimate
child. When mother was twelve years old she came to America with
her mother, both of them having joined the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-Day-Saints in Ottenbach. It took about six weeks to
cross the ocean in 1860 when they came to America. After
arriving at Iowa City they were fitted out with handcarts and
traveled the 1300 miles to Salt lake on foot pulling their cart.
I have often heard mother speak of her bare feet bleeding and
bruised from the rough roads. They arrived in the Salt Lake
valley 3rd September 1860.
In 1857 Johnson's army came to the valley and the people left
their homes and moved south, but in June, 1858, peace was
restored and the people moved back to their homes.
My Grandmother Becomes Morisite
My grand-mother married Labrech Bar and gave birth to a baby girl
about 1861. A Welshman, named Joseph Morris, got a band of
followers and moved to Kington Fort, now called South Weber.
Here they lived the United order. My grandmother and Mr. Bar
were followers of Morris. Elders Taylor and Woodruff were sent by
President Young to investigate. Richard Cook, Bishop of South
Weber and fifteen others were excommunicated. On April 6th 1861,
Morris organized a church with himself as President, Richard Cook
and John Banks Counselors. The Morisites held their property in
common. The sect soon numbered five or six hundred. Soon some
desired to withdraw from the united order and take what they had
consecrated to the common fund. Several of these dissenters were
captured by Morris and imprisoned in Kington Fort. Two of them
were John Jenson and William Jones. An affidavit was made before
Chief Justice Kinney, setting forth that they were unlawfully
imprisoned. Kinney issued a writ of habeas corpus commanding
them to be brought before him. The writ was served, burned and the
marshall ordered them to leave the Fort. Kinney issued a second
writ on June 10, 1862, demanding the two prisoners, also a
warrant for the arrest of Morris, Cook and Banks on the charge of
false imprisonment. Writs were placed in the hands of Robert T.
Burton, Deputy Sheriff. Acting Governor Frank Fuller called out
several companies of the militia to aid the sheriff. Arriving on
the south heights that overlook the little valley in which
Kington Fort is located, a written message was sent into the fort
calling upon Morris to surrender the prisoners. An answer was
required in thirty minutes or they were warned that forcible
measures would be taken to arrest parties named in the writ.
Should they disregard this summons to surrender, they were urged
to remove their women and children and all persons peaceably
disposed were notified to leave and find protection with the
posse. Morris withdrew to his dwelling and soon returned with a
"revelation" forbidding them to yield to the demands of the
posse, promising them not one of his faithful people should be
destroyed. The people of the fort assembled, the "revelation"
was read, but before it could be discussed a cannon ball crashed
into the fort, killing my grand-mother, Anna Sidler Bar and her
baby. My mother who was then fourteen years old picked up the
bones of her mother and half sister. Mother joined the posse and
was taken by Sheriff Burton to Bishop Chauncey West's home. Her
step-father, Lebrich Baer, who was also a follower of Morris,
returned to Switzerland after the trouble was over.
My Mother Survives
Left alone, without relatives or friends, Mother worked at Bishop
West's and other places until the 4th of February 1865 when she
married Samuel Stone in the Endowment house in Salt Lake City.
Her first son, William Henry Stone was born September 14, 1865.
Her life with Mr. Stone was not happy as he drank and was not
kind to her, so she left him and with her baby in her arms,
walked to Marriot, where Theresa Marriott gave her a home. Later
she lived in the Lawson home.
A Second Marriage For Both Of Them
My father's first wife, Elizabeth, died in November, 1866,
leaving him with eight small children, the oldest twelve years
old and the youngest a new-born babe. Friends knowing father and
mother were both Swiss introduced them to each other, and as
father needed a wife to help with his large family and mother
needed a home for her son, now a year and a half old, they were
married in the Endowment House on April 27th, 1967. Their union
was not an ideal one, as father was seventeen years older than
mother and they were entirely different in their ideas. Mother
enjoyed social affairs and father was somewhat of a hermit. They
lived in a one-room log house for a number of years and had to
endure all the hardships of pioneer life. Their crops were often
destroyed by grasshoppers and they were molested by Indians.
Sometimes they were so destitute and food was so scarce, they had
to dig sago roots. The climate in Ogden Valley was lovely in
summer, but very long severe winters, the thermometer sometimes
registering 40 degrees below zero and snow covering the ground to
a depth of six feet. They could raise no fruit but berries,
currants and a few apples. Their vegetables often froze before
maturity. Their principal crops were alfalfa and wheat. They
raised hogs and mother ate the fat pork.
One of their neighbors was the Eccles family and a son, David,
who was worth thirty millions at the time of his death, was a
frequent visitor at their house. He and father often walked over
the mountains to Ogden and carried home some flour and molasses
on their backs. Father managed to get a stove before Eccles's
did and they came over and baked their bread on it.
A Summary of the Trials of Anna
When my brother Joseph was born, February 8th, 1868, mother had
no one to help her only the little girls and kind neighbors who
came in when they could spare time from their own large families.
My poor mother's life was surely a hard one and she endured much
for the gospel. Pulling a hand cart a thousand miles across the
plains, bare footed and almost starved at the age of nine, no
schooling, only work and poverty, scarcely enough to eat, no nice
clothes or pleasures such as girls love, left an orphan under
such tragic circumstances at the age of fourteen, picking up the
scattered bones of her mother and baby sister, the only relatives
she ever knew in this life. Then the terrible struggle to try to
earn a living in a pioneer country where there was no work for
girls, but house-work and no pay but board and sometimes few
clothes, home-made and poor at best. Married to a drunkard when
she was seventeen, divorced and a baby to care for at eighteen,
married to a man seventeen years her senior with eight children
of his and one of her own to care for at twenty, living in a one
- room log cabin in the midst of such starvation and poverty,
cold and privation seems almost more than a girl of twenty could
endure. But God made her equal to the burdens she had to bear
and her physical strength must have been great, although she was
only a small woman.
Poverty
Annie was born August 19th, 1870. I heard her say she was all
alone, didn't even have a match to light a candle and had to tie
the cord herself. At the age of twenty-three she had three
babies of her own and little help, as father's older children
were working in homes to earn their living. In November 1874,
father's oldest child, Maria, died at the age of twenty. Father
was broken-hearted over her death.
Mother gave birth to her fourth child, John Rudolf, October 19,
1875. Father was now in more prosperous circumstances and had
been able to build the four-room house described and pictured in
Lesson 29.
I have heard mother say she nursed John until he was past three.
He was fine looking and healthy.
Family Genealogy
The older children, except Jakob, were married before I was born.
Verena married Henry Hill, ________, Elizabeth married William
Henry Reeder 15 November 1879, Emmuel married Mary Jane Heninger
3 December, 1884 and she died 6 November, 1885 at the birth of
her son Emuel. Emuel married Elizabeth Taylor, 31 October 1888.
She died 15 November, 1922, and he married Elizabeth Taylor, 31
October 1888. She died 15 November 1922 and he married Aridine
Cordilia Rollins 7 March 1924. Resella married Moroni Ferrin, 13
March 1885 and she died at the birth of her first child, Rosella,
6 March 1889. Bertha married Arthur Stallings, 3 July 1885.
My brother William Henry Stone married Luna Adele Candland 14
December 1889. She died 30 March 1920. He married Ida Gustafson
14 December 1928. Joseph married Margaret Howard Mc Bride 8
December 1890.
Alma died on Christmas day, 1890, when I was three years old.
John married Nellie Fordham. After her death he married Emma
Florence Western and after she died he married Helen Ellsworth.
Deaths
Jakob had a diease in childhood which left him deaf and dumb.
There were no institutions in Utah to train deaf and dumb, so
mentally he remained a child and was difficult to control. He
died 9 June 1921. Elisabeth died 21 April 1920. My father died
19 December 1907. Mother died 1 February 1921. Verena died 6
February 1925, Annie died 14 August 1926, Emuel died 12 September
1932, Joseph died 9 May 1940, John died 11 April 1944. My
brother William Henry Stone died 12 May 1952. My sister Bertha
died 12 February 1956. Emma Bachman Scholl, author of this book,
died 12 October 1969.
Emma Is Born On 5 December 1887
In a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains in the small town
of Eden, I was born on a cold wintry day 5 December 1887. The
house was a two-story frame of four rooms on the northeast corner
of a five-acre plot of ground. The old log house where most of
the children were born was still standing and we used it for a
milk house, as father kept about twenty cows and mother made
butter. I remember the numerous pans of milk from which mother
skimmed the cream and fed the milk to pigs. She had a large
wooden churn. There was a cellar where we kept the butter, fruit
and other food. The barns where the cattle and horses were kept
stood on the south end of the lot. The school house, which was
also used as a chapel and dance hall joined our place on the
south. Later a chapel was built a block south of our place.
Jacob Farrel's store was also south of our barns. My sister
Bertha Stallings also lived in the south part of town, several
blocks from our place.
My mother had pneumonia before I was born, which developed into a
chronic cough and asthma, so she was never very well the rest of
her life. Father had worked hard on his farm, which was a couple
of miles southeast of our home. He had leakage of the heart. The
altitude is 4_ feet, so the winters were very cold and often six
feet of snow covered the fences and froze so we could walk on it.
It sometimes registered 40 degrees below zero and I shall never
forget the chilblains.
My childhood playmates were Millie Lindsay, Jene Graham and my
sister's daughters, Charlotte and Clara Stallings. My sister
Annie took care of me most of the time, as my mother had so much
work to do. Anie milked the cows. She also did most of the
sewing. She and the boys slept upstairs, where there were two
bedrooms. I slept downstairs in mother's and father's bed-room.
One day Millie Lindsay and I were climbing in the barn and I fell
and broke my arm. Our dog bit me one time, so I have always had
a fear of dogs.
7 Years Old
When I was about seven my sister took me to school but I was very
bashful and as soon as she started to go home, I cried and ran
home, also. They couldn't get me to go to school until Charlotte
went with me and sat by me. I was eight years old. My first
teacher was Annie Farrell and she was our nearest neighbor. She
gave me a book for neatness, which I still possess. The town was
so small I knew all the people. I always loved school after I
got started.
I was baptized 4 June 1896.
Father Has Strange Eating Habits
I had many colds and much vomiting all my life. My parent's
dressed me in red flannel underwear and kept all the windows
closed. My father took his eggs, butter and farm produce to
Ogden once a week. He also brought me candy and fancy cookies.
He was a queer eater. I have often seen him eat four or five hard
boiled eggs and drink black coffee and eat a spoon full of sugar.
The other children didn't get candy or sugar to eat, so they were
healthier than I. Mother didn't cook much, so I never had a
normal diet. although we had so much milk, I never drank any.
The foods I remember eating were white bread, eggs cooked hard,
cake and sometimes fruit when we had any. It was too cold to
raise most fruits. We had plum trees. Bertha had nice
raspberries. Some people had apples. Bertha also had nice
rhubarb, currants and a lovely garden. I loved to eat at her
house. She was a wonderful cook and she often made me dresses.
In the summers Charlotte and I drove the cows to our pasture. We
took a lunch and stayed there part of the day. We had great
times at Bertha's house. She allowed us to cook and I loved to
stay there. We dressed up like big ladies. Some winters they
moved to Ogden and I surely missed them. My childhood was not
carefree and joyous. I was very lonely most of the time. Being
so bashful, I had few friends. My parents and sister Annie
quarreled a great deal. I remember one day when they were
quarreling, the stove pipe fell down, and I thought it was
because they quarreled so much. I ran out and sat on a log. I
was a very sober child and my sister used to rub my forehead and
tell me to stop frowning. I had croup often and on cold nights I
almost choked. My teeth were decayed when I was very young and I
had severe tooth-ache and ear-ache and my face was often so
swollen, I could hardly see out of my eyes.
Special Talent
Annie Farrel gave me lessons in Elocution and when I was nine
years old I recited "Little Jim". From then until I left Eden I
recited on all the school and church programs on all the
holidays. The town had a dramatic club and they went to other
towns to give plays. I went with them, also my sister Annie, and
I recited between the acts of the plays. Annie made me nice
dresses. I had a picture taken when I was about ten in a purple
velvet dress with white satin front.
Inactive Parents
My parents were not active in the Church. But I went to Sunday
School and Primary. Josiah Ferrin and Henry Fuller were two
Bishops I remember. Virgil Stallings was my favorite Sunday
School teacher. Mr. E. W. Quionn was my favorite school teacher
after Annie Farrell. The boys didn't like me. They teased me a
lot. Isaac Shupe was the only one who was kind to me. He died
young. Lucy was his sister.
Loneliness
In 1901, when I was fourteen, two events made my life more lonely
and unhappy. My sister Annie married William Inglis and moved to
Oregon. My father, who was past seventy, became discouraged with
the farm work and his failing health and moved to Ogden, but he
was very unhappy after that. He sold his home and farms for far
less then their value, then he grieved so much over it and feared
he might have to go to the poor house. Worry probably shortened
his life. I was not happy in Ogden, either, and longed to be
back in Eden. Father owned five small lots and a three room
house one room brick, two frame, on 1518 Jefferson Avenue. We
had few fruit trees and a garden. All around us on the west and
north were beautiful orchards, owned by Heber Hartog, and north
of his, Brother Nielsens extended to Mill Creek. Chinamen had
gardens west of us. Marcus and Josephine Ballantyne Farr lived a
block south of us. Brother William lived at 531 - 17th Street,
two blocks from us.
I attended the Mount Frot School on 12th and Washington, and
graduated from the eighth grade, May 1902. Clara Leavitt was my
teacher. Nettie Shaw was my best friend.
The Chapel for the 7th Ward was on 13th Street, but I was too
bashful to go, so I never went to anything. Father stayed home
most of the time and sat on the front porch in a big rocker. I
had lost my only pal, my sister annie and Bertha and her
children, so I was most lonely. Mother didn't have so much work
now, as father had sent poor Jakob to Provo to the hospital as he
did not feel able to care for him in the small house and in a
city. So that made us all sad. My happiest days after we moved
to Ogden were when I went back to Eden to stay with Bertha in the
summer. Charlotte took me for long rides in the buggy, and
sometimes she got me on a horse behind her, but I usually fell
off when the horse began to trot. I enjoyed their happy home and
their delicious food. They had Alexander Graham to help on the
farm, and we usually got to laughing before the dinner was over
and had to leave the table, as he ate so much and never passed up
any dish, but tried all of them. Mother always said big eaters
would breed a famine, but he died young. He left his family
quite poor.
High School
In September, 1902, I started to Ogden high School on 25th and
Adams, where I went for four years. I liked the school very much
and got good marks. George Thomas, later President of University
of Utah, was Principal and I took Economics from him. I took a
Commercial course first two years. Mr. Stillwell was the book-keeping
teacher and we surely had a good time buying and selling.
We had a bank in the room and I acted as Cashier once. I liked
my English teachers, Miss Anderson and Miss Rasson, also my
Mathematics teacher, Mr. Preeman, Miss Yates and my history
teachers Mr. Rutherford and James Barker. Mr. Rutherford said I
had a marvelous memory equal to a world renowned Pearson
family,but I lost it after I married. Some of my school friends
were Nettie Shaw, Maude Stone, Kate Woodcock, Clara Reberg, Thora
Williams, Eva Brown, Zelta Ballinger, Nellie Powell, Anna Burns,
Alta Cooley and Mary Jones. Zip Mac Beth who had black hair, cut
off a curl of my hair as he said back of me. Lewis Jones, Frank
Hendershot and Lester Child were in my home room. Lucy Stein and
Lilly Greene were also friends. None of the boys ever asked me
to go out with them during my school days.
In summer of 1905 I took a train trip to Mayger, Oregon, where my
sister Annie lived. They took me to Portland, also to Seattle to
the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition, to seaside and to British
Columbia on a swell boat. They gave me a nice watch for a
graduation present when finished school in 1906.
I Become a Teacher
I graduated from high school in May 1906. I dreaded to see my
school days end as they were my happiest days. Some of our class
wished me to take the examinations for school teachers, so I did
and passed the examinations with grades high enough for a State
Certificate. Then we decided to write letters to different
counties and apply for a school and I got a school in Croyden,
Morgan County, Utah, at $55 a month and started to teach there in
september 1906. Croyden was a very small town in the mountains,
with about 25 pupils in one room and all eight grades. Later,
when they were building the Cement Mills at Devil's Slide, they
came up to school. About 200 men came there to work. Mr.
Dundas, the Iron Works Foreman lived in Croydon and his daughter
Elna was in my Eighth Grade. She and Ruth Condie graduated from
the Eighth Grade. They helped me a great deal with the younger
children, also teaching singing and playing the organ. We gave
plays and entertainments on all the holidays and all the town
attended them. I hadn't been there long before some people
called me "Lizzie" and even some of my pupils thought I was
"Lizzie". I attended a dance and was called "Lizzie":
frequently. I soon met Lizzie Blackwell and we became good
friends. I boarded near the school at the home of John London and
his daughter, Maude,. I had a nice big fronts room, well
furnished, with a good heating stove, board and room for $12 a
month. Maude was a splendid cook. Her father kept the Post
Office in his house. I came home at noon for lunch. Maude later
married on of the iron workers and died with tuberculosis after I
left Croydon.
I liked the people of Croydon very much and had good times there.
I attended some of the dances and tried to learn to dance for the
first time in my life. most of the girls in Croydon, including
my friends Lizzie Blackwell married the Iron workers.
I attended Sunday School when I didn't go home to ogden for the
week end. I also attended Mutual on Tuesday nights and taught a
class part of the time.
Unhappy And Not Dating
The only young man in Croydon that I went out with few times was
Edward Saunders, who boarded at Lizzie Blackwell's, but he soon
left and I never saw him again until we were both married. He was
a good singer and I saw him at the San Diego Fair in 1915 and in
Ogden in 1927, when I stayed at my brother Joseph's house at 666
- 21st, he was then Bishop of the Fourth Ward. Lizzie Blackwell
told me after he left Croydon that he said he liked me, but he
didn't think I liked him. I wish I hadn't been so bashful, so I
could have let him know I was very fond of him.
Teaching in Croydon, Utah
I had some students in Croydon who later became prominent
citizens, Alonzo Hopkin, State Senator, James Melvin Toone, who
became a Bishop, Stake President and Mission President, Mark
Thackeray who was a Bishop. Alonzo Hopkin's and James M. Toone's
fathers were school trustees, now called school board, I think.
Elsie Thackeray had St. Vitus Dance and Alvin London had Spinal
Meningitis. They were in my lower grades. I never remember
punishing any one but Charles Brokaw. I slapped his hand with my
ruler.
In summer of 1907 I was home in Ogden. My parents were not well.
They wished me to teach nearer home, so I taught the Primary
grades in Warren, Weber County, Utah from September 1907 to June
1908. Bryant Jacobs was principal. He lived in Ogden, so I rode
home with him on Friday nights and back to Warren on Sunday
nights. He had a buggy and horse to make the trip. He later
married a Warren girl, Mary Belle Wayment and I met him in
Farmington in 1939 or later when he was living in Clearfield. We
both boarded at Bishop Stweart's in Warren. It was a lovely home
and they were good cooks and I was always friendly with them.
They later moved to Ogden and I visited them there. There were
two boys and four girls home when I boarded with them in Warren
and several married. My nephew, Arthur Stallings later married
Verna Folkman, one of Bishop Stewart's grand-daughters who
attended my school. Nettie Stewart had cancer but recovered.
She, Esther and Ruth never married. Mary married, also Nell.
Dan was married. Will and Frank were not married when I boarded
at their house. Sister Stewart lived until she was 98 years old.
I had good times in Warren. I took the star part in a play
"Philopena". Charles Bullock was director, Arthur Marriott was
the hero. I liked Arthur Marriott very much be he later married
one of the girls in Bryant Jacobs room, Hazel Wade.
My Father Dies
On 19 December 1907 I was called home. Father had pneumonia. He
was in a coma and never regained consciousness. he died that
day. My sister Annie and husband, Will Inglis, came from Oregon
for the funeral and stayed for the holidays.
My father left some money in the bank for Mother, but he deeded
the house and two lots to me and the other three lots to my
sister Annie, but several years later when mother needed more
money, we sold the house and five lots for $1400 and gave the
money to mother.
I spent the summer of 1908 at home with mother and in Eden at my
sister Bertha's were I loved to be more than anyplace.
I did not like Warren as well as Croydon, so in September 1908 I
went back to Croydon to teach, with a ten dollar a month raise in
salary, $65 per month. Maud London was gone, so I boarded at
Lizzie Blackwell's. He father was blind and he enjoyed company
very much. Lizzie helped me in school with the music and singing
when I gave programs. Later she married Mr. Beery, an iron
worker, and named her first child Emma after me.
Teaching 8 Grades
It was a difficult job, teaching eight grades, but I got along
fairly well by preparing much material at nights. Some of the
students were very bright. One morning one of the trustees,
James Toone, visited the school, as I was lining up the children
to march in the room. He had several of his children in my
school. He said before all the school, "Give them a good licking
if they don't mind you." I answered quickly, "I will let you do
that, I am here to teach." He often dropped in and talked after
school.
One of The Worst Experiences of My Life
Croydon school closed 21 May 1909 and I am sorry to say that was
the last school I ever taught. One of the worst experiences of
my life occurred during the next year. I think now it was Satan
trying to destroy me. I was not active in the Church, had been
inactive ever since I left Eden when I was fourteen. Being
inactive I was not guided by the Holy Ghost and did many foolish
things and lot many blessings I might have obtained.
On l5 June, 1909 I went to Maygler, Oregon to visit my sister
Annie. Her husband was foreman of the Oregon Lumber Company at
that mill. She kept the Post Office and a store for the company.
She was fond of rich food and candy. Will bought large salmon
trouts, weighing twelve pounds, caught in the Columbia river.
she loved the Company's horses and fed them sugar. One day a
horse reached through the window and took a loaf of bread off the
table. The cow came up and put her front feet on the steps. The
cat slept on her bed and when Will went out to the mill at night
the cat went with him.
I enjoyed waiting on the store and post - office while the mill
was running, but in the fall the mill closed down and all the
families moved away. Will had to stay and watch the mill. Annie
fed all the cats the people left behind. Will's brother, John
Inglis, was foreman at the planning mill at Inglis, about seven
miles from Mayger. In November I spent a week there with his
wife Marinda. She had two sons, Arlo and John. They were very
kind to me.
On 29 November 1909, my sister went to Portland to the Good
Samaritan hospital and was operated on by Dr. Marshall. They
said she had a fibroid tumor and they removed her female organs.
She was very ill and was in the hospital two months, until 28
January, 1910. The first part of January Will asked me to go to
the hospital and help take care of her. It was my menstrual
period and I did not feel like going, but he insisted, so I went.
On the way the worst accident of my life occurred from which I
have had pain all my life. We had to ride several miles over a
board road in a lumber wagon to get to the railroad. It had
rained for a month and it was very cold. There was ice on the
board road. The horses slipped and the wagon slid and bounced
up, so I was jerked from place where I was sitting. I felt a
terrible pain in my left side. The doctors in Portland said I
had ruptured an ovary. But Annie was ill and dopey with morphine
and screamed most of the time. I stayed at the hospital and
tried to help take care of her. On 28 January, 1910, we took her
to John Inglis's for a week, then we took her home. She still
took the sedative, which the doctor said he didn't authorize the
nurses in the hospital to give to her. The tablets resembled
small white navy beans. So will and I gave her beans in place of
the tablets and broke her of the habit. She was very thin,
weighed less than 90 pounds. But she soon started to gain in
weight and became very fleshy. Sixteen years later the doctors
said she had cancer and they operated on her and she died from
the anesthetic.
The Aftermath
When my next menstrual period came on in February, I was very
ill. They sent for Dr. Wooden from Clatskanie and he said I had
peritonitis. In March I went to stay at John Inglis's and
Marinda took care of me. I stayed in bed for three weeks and Dr.
Wooden came every other day and gave me treatments. They were
local packs and were very painful. He also gave me several kinds
of medicine to take every hour. John and Marinda were very nice
to me. But I didn't improve much. I was in bed most of the day
until June. One day in June the Mill got on fire and burned the
mill, millions of feet of lumber, all the houses an store owned
by the Oregon Lumber company. It was the worst fire I ever saw.
I got up out of bed and walked to the next town, Quincy, and
asked at a house where I had never been, if I could have a bed,
as I was ill. They took me to an upstairs bedroom and I could
see the fire from the window. All day John Inglis carried things
out of his house and threw them down a well that was almost dry.
He had a gallon of buttermilk and he stopped and drank it between
trips. he threw all my clothes in the well. He dropped his
wife's diamond ring and later they killed a rooster and found the
ring in his craw.
I went home to Ogden that summer (1910). I was never well any
more in my life. I have always had pains in my back and side
(left) at frequent intervals. I had missed a year of teaching.
I was so miserable I doubted if I was fit to teach.
In September, 1910, Rose Hartog, my next door neighbor, who was
employed at W. H. Wright's department store, secured a job for me
as book-keeper. I kept the books of the credit department. It
was a very good job. Josie Reno was head-book-keeper. Jennie
Anderson and Loretta Greenwell worked in the office, also,
D.George Shorten was floor manager. Albert Foulger was a
department head. Parley T. Angus and William H. Wright were
owners I remember. We had very good times and I believe I made a
mistake when I quit that good job.
I Become More Active
I had been inactive in the Church now for nearly ten years, sad
to relate. Beatrice Farr lived near us. She was active in the
7th Ward. She told the bishop I had taught school. So he
visited me and asked me to teach a Sunday School class. It was
the First Intermediate class. There were about 35 students in
the class and all classes were held in one room with curtains
drawn at classtime. They couldn't find a teacher who could keep
this class quiet. Since I was a school teacher they hoped I
could and I did. Josephine Farr Olson, who later married Niels
Lundwahl was Beatrice's sister, also Lionel Farr was her brother.
He later married Eleanor Miller.
Leaving Utah for Oregon
I think I did a foolish thing to leave Utah. I don't know why I
did it. But in June 1911, I resigned from Wright's and Mother,
Charlotte and I took the train and went to Mayger, Oregon, to
visit Annie and Will Inglis. We picked wild blackberries and
walked the flume seven miles to Inglis to visit John and Marinda
Inglis. The flume had a narrow board walk and in some places it
was 90 feet above the ground and made us dizzy if we looked down.
We also watched the loggers get out the heavy logs and transport
them to the mill. A boat ride on the Columbia River through the
Cascade Locks was an enjoyable trip we took. We went on the
train to Portland and on the boat to Astoria to attend the
Centennial Exposition. We talked to two men on the boat. They
were going to the Fair, also, and when we arrived, they followed
us around. We were sorry we every spoke to them and wondered how
we could get ride of them. Then we came to a Booth at the fair
where there were two L.D.S. missionaries, Elders Gardner and
Yates. We told them who we were and they were very nice to us.
They found us a room where we spent the night. Next day we went
on the train to seaside and they went with us. We enjoyed today
on the beach watching the waves and picked some star fish. It
was Charlotte's first trip to the Ocean.
Later we went to Portland and stayed at Small's. We took in all
the sights in Portland, the rose city. In the fall Charlotte
went home.
Paymaster
In 1911 I started to work in Meier and Frank's department store
in Portland in the payroll department. Mr. Eckhart was the head
paymaster. Kate Jones was assistant. I helped her and we were
by ourselves in a "cage" enclosed by wire. Mr. Eckhart had two
assistants in his "cage", Ernest and Miss Blanchard. Mr Cannon
was head book-keeper. There were a lot of others in the offices,
Jane Gray and Evelyn Goodwin were Cashiers. Evelyn was from Los
Angeles, but she latter married Newton Johnson and lives in
Portland. Two nights each month the five of us had to work late
to get out the payrolls. Two of us ran off the salaries of the
employees on the adding machines and the other two corrected
them. One time few months after I had started to work there, my
payroll was all correct, no errors. Mr. Eckhart said he had been
paymaster there twenty - five years and I was the first employee
who ever had a sheet without an error. He was so pleased he gave
me a twenty dollar per month rise in salary.
I boarded at Small's, 349 7th Street until mother came to
Portland. There I met Laura Scholl, who was a clerk in Meier and
Frank's. When mother came we moved to a small house owned by
Temple Short. They were very nice people and I later met them
again in St. George. Mabel Short had married Charles Sullivan in
St. George later.
It was a long ride to work, so in December 1911, we moved to an
apartment at 431 East Taylor. I could walk to work and it was a
nice walk over the Willamette River Bridge. I often saw the
drawbridge open for boats to pass through. Portland is a
beautiful city. Every summer they had a rose festival with a
parade of floats made of the most beautiful roses I have ever
seen. Could see it well from the windows of Meier and Frank's
store upstairs.
I loved to stand on the bridge at night and watch the ships.
mother enjoyed being in Portland very much. We attended Church
every Sunday. I taught the First Intermediate class in sunday
School. Melvin Ballard was President of the Mission and lived in
Portland. His daughter, Lucille, was in my class. We surely
loved to hear him speak and sing.
Margaret Sloan's son, Loyd, was also in my class, and she invited
me to her house to dinner about the first time I met her. I
later met her in Glendale, California and she was one of my
dearest friends and an inspiration to me. She had eleven
children. William Sloan, her son, was later president of the
Northwestern States Mission and took caravans of missionaries to
Cardston to the temple every summer. Her daughter Ruth married
Richard West, one of our Sunday School Superintendency and her
daughter Agnes, who married Alexander Nibley, later became a very
dear friend.
Silver Thaw
In January, 1912, we had a silver thaw. It rained for a month or
two and when it turned cold the rain water froze on all the
sidewalks, trees and ground. It was a beautiful sight, but slick
walking as I found on my way to Sunday School. Many electric
wires broke and some people were killed by them. In June 1912 I
spent my vacation at Newport Beach at the home of Robert and
Sarah Eccles Baird. He was a Chiropractor. She was our neighbor
in Eden before I was born, I think. Her brother David Eccles,
owner of Oregon Lumber Company, where Will Ingles worked, died in
Utah and left estate, etc, valued at thirty millions. Royal and
Bertha Eccles went to Ogden High School when I was there. Hyrum
Baird was home and he and I spent a lot of time on the beach. It
was a beautiful beach with many shells. It was also surrounded
on one side by hills, which added to the beauty of the scenery.
Hyrum had been married and was divorced.
In October 1912, I caught a cough which developed into pleurisy
and I was in bed ten days. Richard West of the S. T.
Superintendency and his girl Ruth Sloan, came and brought
flowers. The cough hung on a long time and I was discouraged. I
had worked in Meier and Frank's a year and a half and had a good
job. One of the girls, Miss Bicknase, had gone to Los Angeles
and she wrote for me to come there.
I Move To Los Angeles
In January, 1913, I left for Los Angeles and mother went to
Annie's at Mayger. I went on a boat and it was very stormy.
Once they had to put a break-water on the boat. I had a birth to
sleep in and it was like "rocking in the cradle of the deep".
All the cabin windows had to be closed, as the water dashed all
over the boat. The meals were free but few people ate. Most of
them were sick and in their births or cabins all the way. I went
into dinner the first night but no more. The next morning when I
got up and started to comb my hair I was sea-sick. I ran out of
the cabin to the side of the boat to vomit. During the rest of
the trip I promenaded the deck or sat out on the deck until bed
time. I had no desire to go in the diner any more. Most of the
women on the boat spent the whole time in bed. There were a lot
of men and a number of them were young. They stayed out on deck,
also, so I had company. I promenaded the deck first with one and
then another. I met Mrs. Alexander on the boat. One of the men,
Mr.Anderson, seemed very nice. I saw him later in San Francisco
and he wished to take me to Golden Gate Park, so I went with him.
he later called to see me in Los Angeles. I stayed in a hotel in
San Francisco for a week. The weather was nice and I enjoyed
seeing the sights. One day I crossed the bay and saw Oakland and
Berkeley. Lucy Stein, an old chum I knew in Ogden High School,
lived in Frisco. I visited her and we went on trips together.
She was a jolly good pal and we enjoyed talking about our school
days. Her sister, blanch, married our High School Mathematics
teacher, Mr. Preeman.
I then took the boat to Los Angeles, and Emma Bicknase, a former
employee of Meier and Frank's met me, and I got a room at the
place where she stayed. We went on many trips to beaches, parks,
etc., and 2 March 1913, we went to Whittier to an orange grove.
A boy who roomed in same place took me for a ride on his
motorcycle.
Construction Paymaster
The first week in February, 1913, I went to an employment agency
to secure a job. They sent me to the office of Mulder and
Hurnish, building contractors on Temple Street, near first. John
Harnish told me his book-keeper was sick and asked me if I would
balance his books. He gave me the books and left the office and
did not return until late afternoon. He had a good system of
books and I had them balanced which seemed to please him. His
partner, John Mulder came in. He was an old man, Mr. Harnish was
young. He bossed the jobs and Mr. Harnish bought the materials
and ran the office. Mr. Harnish was not married. He was the
sporty type, but a good business man. I liked the job. In the
morning he dictated the letters to me, and when I had them
written and he had signed them he usually left the office for
several hours. One pay days when he was away, I had to go to the
Bank, get the money, make out the payroll, put the men's money in
the envelopes and take street cars and take the pay to the jobs
where the men were working. They did work on several schools at
one time had seventeen jobs running at one time. Sometimes the
jobs were at Torrence or one of the beaches. Mr. Harnish surely
trusted me. He did not like the office they rented, so they
build a nice brick office on 2nd and Rose streets in the
industrial section. There were Mexicans living around there and
some of the little ones ran around naked. It was quiet place and
I enjoyed it very much. I worked for them two years, then work
got scarce and they didn't have enough work to keep in business.
In March 1913, I sent for mother and we lived in the Bixel
Apartments on 6th and Bixel (616 Bisel Street) I slept on a cot
on a little out-door porch and mother slept in the wall bed.
There was a nice roof garden and mother liked it very much.
There was an elevator. We could push the button and it would
take us where we wished to go. Westlake park was within walking
distance and mother liked to go there.
All Southern California L.D.S. in one Room
We attended Church in a rented hall at 10th and Grand Avenue. It
held all the members in Southern California, not a large
congregation. Joseph E. Robinson was President of California
Mission. Later they build a nice brick chapel at 153 West Adams.
I met Alice Castleton and we became good friends. She worked in
a store. I also met Laura Hancock, who was a nurse. She later
married Arthur Wassell and we have always been friends.
Dating George
Laura Scholl, who was employed at Meier and Frank's asked me to
drop her a card when I got settled in Los Angeles. I never had
any idea that by doing so, I would meet my future husband. She
gave her brother George my address and soon after mother came to
L.A., he came on a trip and called on us. He and his friend,
Gust Obverst, later got a room not far from our apartment. He
kept calling and we went on trips to parks, beaches, etc. He
never returned to Portland. Mother was very friendly and she
liked him.
In June, 1914, I had a vacation. Evelyn Goodwin, one of her
friends and I took a trip to San diego on a boat. We stayed at
the U.S. Grant hotel. We also went on a boat to Mexico. I liked
San Diego. When I returned to the office, Mr. Harnish said he
was glad, as he couldn't even find a girl who had common sense,
far less knowledge. On Christmas he gave me a fountain pen.
Business became so slack that Mulder and Harnish had to quit, so
I went to San Diego to look for a job. Mr. Scholl went with me
and we stayed a week, but I did not find a job, so we came back
to L.A. After trying a couple of jobs, I finally found a good
one at Renshaw, Jones and Sutton paper. Box Factory on East San
Pedro Street. It was a very good job and Mr. Sutton soon gave me
an office and said he would continue to advance me. Perhaps I
might have become head book-keeper if I had stayed. But I had
been felling ill since October, 1914. In February, 1915, I went
to Dr. Edna F. Jerue, an Osteopath. She said I had a prolapsed
stomach and pelvic organs. She put me on a diet and gave me
treatments, also advised me to quit work and rest. I spent part
of the time in bed. The diet was fruit and milk for breakfast,
fruit and buttermilk for lunch, and one starch and two vegetables
for dinner.
Elizabeth Reeder was living in Los Angeles. She visited us. She
married Calvin Fagg and they moved to Reedley, California, where
he owns a fruit packing plant.
Marriage 1915
On 26th May, 1915, George Scholl and I were married at the West
Adams Chapel by _________. Few of the california missionaries
were present, also Elizabeth Reeder and Calvin Fagg. We left
that evening for San Diego where we lived for a year. We rented
a three room apartment on 30th and Ivy streets. We could see
the Fair Grounds across the Canyon. Mother came to San Diego and
rented a nice apartment for $9 a month. She liked it very much.
We attended church. They built a new Chapel. Samuel Daley, of
L.A., who built West adams Chapel was contractor and George
worked for him.
Living in San Diego
George's sister Laura and Nell Smith came to see us and go to the
Fair. Charlotte came at the same time. She stayed with us and
we rented a room downstairs for Laura and Nell. We went on trips
to Tia Juana, Mexico, Ramona's Home, Old Town, Ocean Beach, La
Jolla, Coronado and Mission Cliff Gardens. The climate was very
nice. Charlotte slept on a cot in the dining room. My health
was very poor, so she did most of the work, so I could go on
trips with them., Mary Jones, Josie Reno and her mother also came
to visit us. My brother William Stone and wife Lue visited
mother and us.
Living in a Tent
Brother Barnson was President of the Branch. He was a Real
Estate man and his signs were all over the City. George did not
have much work and wages were low. He had borrowed $250 from
Gust Oberst which he had to repay. In January 1916, he got a job
on a Radio station up in the hills above San Diego. We lived in
a tent. It rained six days and washed away bridges. Mother
kept her apartment in the city. My sister elizabeth Reeder and
her husband William and daughter Elizabeth Reeder came to see us.
Elizabeth and her father walked up to the tent to see us. We
went down to mother's apartment to see my sister. We lived in
the tent three months.
In April, 1916, I decided to go to Utah and get mother's
furniture out of storage, where we put it when we sold the house
in Ogden a couple of years before. I took a boat to L.A. and was
very sick for five hours. I took a train to Ogden and stayed at
my brother Joseph's. Lyle and Mark were little boys. Mark was
the baby and fat. I took the furniture out of storage. I spent
about three months in Eden at my sister Bertha's. Charlotte and
Luella made some baby clothes for me. In June 1916, I went to
Salt Lake, met Alice Castleton and had pictures taken with her on
temple grounds.
Move Back To Los Angeles
Since work was so scarce in San Diego, George came back to L.A.
Mother liked San Diego so well and did not want to leave her nice
little apartment but I wrote and coaxed her to come to L.A. So
she did. I was surely sorry she did as she could not find a nice
apartment like she had in San Diego. The climate wasn't as nice,
either, and she was never well any more as she was there. She
went to stay at Sister Miller's, a sister she knew in the church
and her health began to fail from then on.
I returned to Los Angeles in July 1916, and we rented a six room,
well furnished house at 842 west 49th street from Anna Manner, a
German lady who lived in a house in the rear. She went to work
most of the time. Our rent was $18 a month and she paid the
water. We also bought a tent and slept out in it.
Audrey Is Born!
On 15 October, 1916, Sunday morning, Audrey May was born in the
good Samaritan Hospital, Dr. Edna F. Jerrue, physician. I
disliked the hospital very much, got poor care, and had sad
experience with caked breasts and cracked nipples. As my organs
had been prolapsed before, the uterus came out after I began to
work. I nursed Audrey for nine months. She cried a lot and
didn't grow very fast. I was very nervous. Mother stayed with
us. I remember being in West adams chapel one afternoon when
Audrey was a baby. George was holding her. President Joseph
Robinson was conducting the meeting. A girl, Vera Clayton, was
singing a solo when we had an earthquake, quite a hard shake. I
think the center of it was at Hemet. The girl kept right on
singing. A lot of the people, including George, got up and were
going to leave the Chapel, but didn't.
In December, 1917, my sister Bertha and her husband, Arthur
Stallings came to visit us. Audrey loved Arthur, called him
"Oiho" and never cried when he was in the room. I left her with
him when I had shopping or other things to do. They went to San
Diego and liked it very much there. We were sad when they went
home.
Operation
Dr. Soren Sorenson was our Theology teacher in Sunday School at
church at Adams. He had been on a mission and had been a
physician in L.A. for eight years. He advised me to have an
operation for the prolapsed uterus. I made a mistake in doing
so. I went to Salt Lake in July, 1918, and he operated on me in
the L.D.S. Hospital, assisted by Dr. George Harding. He only
charged k$75 and gave Dr. Harding $35 of it. The hospital bill
was not high. I went to Annie Castleton's for six weeks after I
got out of the hospital. I never had any greater kindness shown
to me in my life than she and her husband bestowed upon me. I
slept out on the porch in a swing made into a bed. All the
neighbors and their relatives came and brought nice fruits and
other things. The Castletons were surely Saints.
Nettie Drumllidler kept Audrey for two months. She and Elbert
were also very kind to us. I stayed there after I came from Salt
lake until I was able to take care of Audrey.
Then Audrey and I went to Eden and stayed at Bertha's until
November. Audrey was glad to see Arthur again and Art made a
great fuss over her. Charlotte made her a blue velvet coat.
It was the year of the bad influenza epidemic. My brother John
had it. He came to see us and gave me $5.
When we returned to L.A., we lived near Laura Wassell on Los
Palos Street for six months. I was very ill and vomited most of
the time. I got Mary Beuttner through an employment agency and
she came and did my washing, ironing and cleaning. She was one
of our best friends as long as she lived. She later loaned us
money to buy a lot. George attended her funeral.
Mother took Audrey for long walks. She loved her dearly. Her
health was not very well ever since she came from San Diego to
L.A. before Audrey was born.
In the spring of 1919 we moved to a small house at 634 West 47th
street. We paid $11 a month rent. George built a large sleeping
porch and we slept on it. Joyce Brown was the landlord's
daughter. I took Audrey to Sunday School at West Adams from the
time she was two and a half years old. Mother always went to
Church. She lived with us.
In fall of 1920 our rent was raised so on 14 September, 1920, we
bought a lot from Alice Johnson for $1850. Mother rented a room
on 10th and Maple, where she spent her last days on earth.
George built a three room house on the rear of the lot and we
moved there. The last time I remember mother coming to our house
at 624 Hobart was on Christmas day, 1920.
My Mother Dies
In January, 1921, mother took bronchial pneumonia. Annie and
Will Inglis came to see mother. They stayed with George and took
care of Audrey and I went up and stayed with mother. She was
very cheerful and happy. The missionaries from the California
mission came often and sang for her. She loved music and could
sing well herself. One day, she said to me, "Emma, do you know
the greatest regret I have?' I said, "No, mother." She said,
"It is because I haven't done the temple work for my dead." I
said, "Mother, I don't know anything about temple work, and I am
married out of the church and have a foot in the grave. But, If
you will help me, I will see what I can do." The last week in
January we took her in an ambulance to a small sanitarium on west
7th Street and hired a special nurse for her. I went to see her
every day. She never seemed to have any pain only the cough was
bad, as it had been ever since I could remember her, I didn't
notice much change in her. On the morning of February 1st I got
there very early and no one was in the room. I was alone with
her when she breathed her last breath. She called me by my name,
so I know she was conscious. During the three weeks I stayed
with her she was never unconscious. Her death was a great loss
to me and I felt very lonely. I continued to feel more lonely as
time went on.
I had W.A. Brown take care of her. He was very kind and though I
had never seen him before he told me I could send him a check
when I got to Utah or later. Her money was in an Ogden Bank.
Mr. Brown's charges were very reasonable. They held funeral
services at Adams Chapel, as Annie and Will were not going to
Utah. Mother told me to give all her things and money she had in
the bank to Audrey. But I used all the money she had left later
to secure the names of 4,000 of her dead ancestors, which Julius
Billeter got for $225 in 1922. Then I sent the record and
$422.77 to Emuel to hire the work done in the temple. Emuel was
an ordinance worker in Salt lake Temple from 1921 until about
June 1932. He knew Julius Billiter.
Audrey and I went on the train to Utah. Elijah Larkin, my niece
Rosella's husband, an undertaker on 24th Street in Ogden, met the
train and took care of mother's body. We stayed in Charlotte's
apartment above the mortuary. Bertha was living there with
charlotte, as Arthur had died May 30th, 1920. Charlotte was
Domestic science teacher at Weber College. Inez Stallings
boarded with them.
We held the funeral Sunday 6 february 1921 in Eden. It was 21
degrees below zero and hard to dig the grave. George Fuller was
bishop. John sat by me in the funeral. He had the small-pox.
Elijah coaxed me to be vaccinated and to have Audrey vaccinated.
I am sorry I did, as I do not believe in vaccination. I was very
ill afterwards. I think vaccination causes Polio and other bad
diseases. I am sorry I didn't keep a record of the funeral
services. We stayed at charlotte's for about two and half
months. They were very kind to us. We took lots of walks. April
5, 1921 it was snowing and we took kodak pictures of the Peery
mansion near where Charlotte lived. I went to Provo with Elijah
one day and saw Jacob who was in State Mental Hospital since
1901. He didn't live long after that, as he died June 9, 1921.
He looked well when we saw him and smiled at me, but I doubt if
he knew who I was after twenty years.
I felt sad when I left Charlotte and my sister. Charlotte has
done so much for me in the years since then, that I owe her a
great debt in the eternities. She is a wonderful person and so
is her mother, who has done much for me ever since I was born.
A Sense Of Loss
When I came back to L.A. I seemed to realize for the first time
what a great soul my mother was, and how great was my loss when
she left this world. In life I only seemed to see her faults,
but now I could see all her virtue and her faults seemed to
trivial. My sorrow was very great.
Golden Gate Begins
We sold the place at 624 No. Hobard and September 10, 1921,
bought a lot from Mr. Hartman at 1636 golden Gate Avenue for
$2,000. George started soon after to put up the framework of the
house which took him seven years to complete, and he has been
doing some work on it ever since, which did not improve it. He
took away the lovely sun patio, the distinguishing feature of the
house, enclosed and roofed a porch, which made the dining room
dark and gloomy.
Morkins
Audrey and I stayed at William and Bess Morkins while he was
building the house. Their house was at 1633 Michelorena. They
were the best neighbors I ever had in California. Audrey went to
Kindergarten and got whooping cough and was sick, vomiting and
coughing all winter. George went to Portland on account of the
sickness of his sister. Morkins were very kind to me and helped
with Audrey. We lived in the two back rooms, had a gas range in
one bedroom. We just had the rough lumber wide board floors,
which we covered with building paper and had to recover it when
it got dirty.
I called the elders who were presiding in the Hollywood district
of the California mission to come to dinner one Sunday. I think
it was first sunday in February, 1922. Elders Melvin Freebairn
and Keith Murdock came. I had them administer to Audrey. The
Hollywood branch had been started in 1921. They asked me to
teach in Sunday School. I taught the first time on Lincoln's
birthday, February 12, 1922 in the first Intermediate class.
Angus Elmer Petterson and Catherine Hanni, a Swiss lady, were
sent in the same class. Brother Peterson asked me to teach and I
did. I taught that class from then until 1925, two or three
months before Elaine's birth. I had Leo Weeks, Wesley Johnson,
Dece Andelin, Ruia Olson's girls and many others in my class
those three years. I enjoyed it very much. We held our services
in a hall at Echo Park and Sunset Blvd. I met Ruby Lund there
and we have been close friends ever since.
In June 1922, the first Relief Society was held and I saw set
apart as Secretary and Treasurer. We met in Clair Stewart's
mother's house, Mabel Roberts and Frances Conover's in Griffith
park, the latter being the First president. I was still
Secretary when Ida Nalson was President, was released shortly
before Elaine's birth. The Relief Society came to our house in
February 1925 and made the baby clothes for me. They moved our
gas heater, tipped it over and burned a place in our new rug.
"Mr. Scholl" Unfavorable
When our first Stake was organized, Katherine. Stewart was put in
as Stake Relief Society President. She asked me to be her Stake
Secretary. I was afraid to try it on account of Mr. Scholl not
being a member and not being very favorable to the Church. But I
offered to teach Martha Lillywhite the work. So she came over
many times with her books. Before Elaine was born sister Stewart
and her Stake board came and pres.ted me with a bassinet, which I
used for Elaine and which Elaine has used for 7 of her babies.
I put on a play, "The Nativity", before Christmas for three years
including the Christmas before Elaine was born in April. The
Superintendent took Audrey and me home that night.
Angus Elmer Peterson and wife Ethel were good friends. He came
and took us to get Audrey baptized April 5th, 1925. Audrey had
lots of sick spells, vomiting and colds. She was out of school a
great deal. She attended the Micheltorena school.
Elaine Is Born
Elaine Mary was born Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., April 28th, 1925 in a
large sleeping porch with twelve windows on the southeast end of
our house. The day before, Brother Peterson his wife Ethel came.
I did not send for them. He came to administer to me and as he
did so, tears ran down his cheeks. He said he felt impressed
that I would be a recorder in the next life. I had lots of
experience in it here. Annie D. Snow, a counsellor in the Relief
Society came on Tuesday before meeting. I told her to go to
meeting and pray for me. I was alone all afternoon. As I was
having pains quite regularly, I asked Mrs. Lewis at 4:00 to phone
for Dr. Abbott. He came at 5:00 p.m. I got supper for him and
George who came soon after. While they ate I took a hot bath
about 6:30 p.m. Elaine was born at 7:30 p.m. The nurse had not
yet arrived. When the nurse, Adelle Bailey, came they took the
babe to the kitchen to oil and fix her. I was a long way from
the kitchen, but I had the impression that the gas oven was on
but not lighted, but just escaping gas. I called them and they
found it was. I could not have known it except through
inspiration. The nurse soon brought the baby. She had lots of
dark hair and held her own head right up. She was plump and cute
and weighed eight pounds. She was a good baby, only she got in
the habit of sucking her thumb. I tied up her hands, but failed
to break her until she was about eight years old I found some
little aluminum rings to slip on her thumbs.
Blessing
She was blessed in the Hollywood Ward, July 5, 1925 by Angus
Elmer Peterson. I nursed Elaine eight months and she was a very
good baby. I should have nursed her longer, as I had so much
milk I had a hard time drying it up. I quit eating and lost 25
pounds in a few months. Elaine didn't do well on the certified
milk until I gave her orange juice with each bottle. Then she
did well and was a nice plump baby. Certified milk was 30 cents
a quart (15 cents when Audrey was a baby).
In June, 1926, Audrey, Elaine and I spent two months in Hermosa
Beach in a rented house. It was a nice quiet beach then. Elaine
could walk fast now and we had to watch her all the time.
Comfort Bachman came to see us. Elaine was playing in the sand
and she screamed. We didn't know why until the next day when we
found she had swallowed a large flat rock.
While we were still at the beach, August 14, 1926, my sister
Annie died in Oregon. Will took her body to Utah to bury her. I
did not go to the funeral. I should have gone to Oregon as he
gave away all her clothes, furniture, etc. besides hundreds of
quarts of fruit. She died on the operating table, her second
operation, cost Will over a thousand dollars each time. I
dislike doctors, drugs, surgery, poison serums and "shots" and
wish I had never had a doctor who uses any of them or who uses
the surgeon's knife. The only doctors I have any use for now are
those who use natural methods, as Dr. henry Lindlahr (whose books
I possess) and Dr. Henry Gross, who practiced 50 years in L.A.
and who joined the L.D.S. church.
Elaine's first playmate was Bill Morkin Jr. who was six months
older than she. He didn't talk but he could run fast and she
followed.
Gonorrhea?
In September 1926, Audrey had a sore throat. We took her to a
Chiropractor. He gave her a treatment and told me to give her
hot Epsom salts baths and put a compress of epsom salts on her
throat and wrap a dry towel around it. She was doing alright but
the Relief Society President urged me to take her to the
Children's Hospital. I did so and all the doctors examined her.
The Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Specialists tore the diphtheria
membrane out of her throat with his forceps. They did not
diagnose her case, but told me to bring her back a week later and
the greatest child specialists in L.A., Dr Cecil, would be there.
I did and he pronounced it gonorrhea. I had been losing my faith
in doctors for several years, as I had a good deal of experience
with them. Previous to this time five eye, ear and nose and
throat specialists had told me if I didn't have my tonsils
removed and a bone taken out of my nose, I would go deaf. I am
glad I never had either done. I knew Dr. Cecil didn't know any
more than the rest. The Board of Health said the culture was
neutral. In October I got a bad sore throat. It fasted two or
three days but kept on working.
Diphtheria
About November 1, Elaine began to breathe like a man snoring. It
was in the night. In the morning I phoned from Butlers phone for
Chas B. Stewart to come and administer to her. He came at 8:00am
and administered to her. His wife was with him. They said every
one had sore throats. If I had only been wise after all my
experience with doctors and had no more I would have saved myself
lots of work and money. But the Relief Society President now
urged me to have her doctor. He said Elaine was a lovely baby
and only had Tonsillitis, but he took a culture and the next day
they quarantined us and that is a fake like the doctor. They put
George out of the house, but he came back after dark and left
after daylight, so I had his meals to cook. I almost died with
all the work of sterilizing with Lysol. They sent another doctor
and forced us to pay his bill but I had enough of doctors. I
refused the antitoxin, drugs, etc. which he recommended. I have
never given my girls any drugs or "shots," except Audrey
vaccination for small pox. I used soda water to gargle, gave
Epsom Salts baths. Even though I had the diphtheria, I took care
of the girls and even fixed George's food, though he was supposed
to be staying elsewhere, he came home for his food and slept
there, also. Elaine got over the diphtheria first, though she
got it last. Audrey still had the white membrane in her nose six
months later. I refused to send her back to school, so she
missed a year of school and had not attended very regular before
then. But the diphtheria treated by natural methods acted as a
purifier, which Dr. Henry Lindlahr M. D. says in his books, all
contagious diseases do when treated right. Colds and vomiting
have a similar effect when treated by enemas, fasting and rest,
then the mucus and poisons pass out of the body through all the
organs of elimination, including the skin when cleansed by Epsom
salt baths and massage.
Soon after Elaine got over the diphtheria I was bathing her in a
little tub in the kitchen sink. I took a kettle of beets off the
stove and poured the hot water in the sink. She jumped up and
stood on one foot and it was badly burned on the bottom.
1926-27 was a bad winter for us. One day in February I took
Elaine to the store in her cart. A child came up and kissed her,
and she soon came down with chicken-pox.
Wandering on Sunset
January 28, 1927 Will Inglis and my sister Bertha came to visit
us. They stayed until May 17. One day while they were here and
no one was watching Elaine, she ran down to Sunset Blvd., a very
busy corner where several people have been killed. The corner
druggist saw her in the street and brought her in the drug store.
He kept her there until we went to find her.
My organs were prolapsed, so Will Inglis bought the Viave and I
used it, four forms, all made of natural foods, no drugs. Bertha
massaged me and I took abdominal exercises every day, also. I
was greatly benefited by the treatments.
Will was very generous. He bought me a large vase (now on our
piano) and a set of natural colored linens, with lace and
embroidery, bedspread and pillow scarfs, table and dresser
scarfs. We had a small wood heater in the front room fire place
and kept a fire in it, but Bertha and will said they were never
so cold in their lives. Will wore heavy woolen garments. He
gave me my sister Annie's diamond ear-rings and two enlarged
pictures, one of George and me and one of Audrey. Later he gave
me one of mother and father. He gave Bertha Annie's watch and a
ring. We were very sad when they went home.
Going Back Home
June 12th, 1927 we took the train to Utah. It was very hot, no
air conditioning then. I had a bad case of inflammation of the
bladder and sat in the rest room in a wash basin of hot water
part of the time. The train was very crowded. We had a sleeper
and went to bed at night, all in one bed. We stayed in my
brother Joseph's beautiful brick house, 666 21st Street. He had
a half acre of garden, berries and fruit. He also owned a 90
acre farm in Eden and he and Maggie and Mark and Lyle were up
there all week, came down Saturday and went back Monday. We went
up and stayed on the farm a while. Velva lived in the house in
Ogden and Comfort came sometimes. Maggie brought down butter and
they bought lots of groceries on Saturday. We bought rich Jersey
milk from Fackrell's Dairy (good raw milk). I toasted a loaf of
whole wheat bread every day, made melba toast. Velva liked it,
also. On such right food Elaine got her first cough later in the
summer. When we got there, Audrey slept with Velva, and she soon
came down with the diphtheria. I told Maggie what it was and she
said not to call any doctor, for which I was thankful. I took
care of Velva, gave her enemas, Epsom salt baths, etc. I even
got Mark to take enemas. I had Dr. Hollie's book with a picture
and instructions for taking high enemas. I sat my enema can on
the dresser and we took enemas on the floor in a knee - chest
position, lying down afterward on our back, them on right and
last on left side. Almost across the street was a nice park with
a playground where Audrey and Elaine spend a great deal of time.
The Cemetery was nearby and we went there often. I weighed 90
pounds when I got there. Maggie worried over my weak body. She
and Joseph were very kind to us. They wouldn't take a cent of
pay, even for lights and gas.
We stayed a week at Charlotte's in Farmington. She was renting
Clifton Wood's house across from Ezra Richard's rock house,built
by Willard or Franklin D. Richards. Natell was a year older then
Elaine and La Dene a year younger. Charlotte had a hard time
getting La Dene to eat. She surely wished she would eat like
Elaine did. My sister Bertha lived with Charlotte. She had bad
legs and she hit one on a sharp stick and broke a small blood-vessel.
She has varicose veins.
Joseph took us out on 12th Street and we picked peaches and
bought them very cheap and I made peach preserves and put it in
lard buckets Aunt Maggie gave me. Joseph also brought down a lot
of choke-cherries and I made ten gallons buckets of choke- cherry
jelly for George. I had mother's large trunk, so I took it back
to L.A. One bucket of jelly opened and covered all our clothes
with jelly, but cold water soaked it out.
Maggie had been recording dates in mother's temple record which I
got in 1922 from SwitZerland. She told me to take it home and
keep it from then on. I put it in the trunk, but was thankful no
jelly got on it. We didn't like to leave Joseph's nice place,
but we had to go back in September, so Audrey could go back to
school, now she was well.
George Buys a Model T, Finishes Golden Gate
George bought a used Model T. Ford for $110. After seven years
working on them, he at last finished the house and garage. So in
June 1928, I urged him to let me put an ad in the paper to rent
it, so we could go to Oregon to see his father who was 79years
old. We leased it to Mr. Ginsberg, owner of Bell Potato Chip
Company for $75 a month. He paid $150 for first and last month's
rent. We leased it for a year, but they stayed in it ten years
until they built a home of their own, and were very good tenants.
During the depression of 1930's we had to lower the rent.
Special Vacation to Oregon
We packed our clothes, after storing what little furniture we had
in the attic of the garage, and on June 22nd, 1928, we started
for oregon. We had an army cot and some blankets. The first
night we camped in a kind of a camping grounds in Santa Barbara.
We stayed with our old neighbor's, Morkins, in Berkeley for a
night or so. We next went to Sacramento and stayed at Alta
Cooley Root's, 3116 C. Street, a night or two. We had our
pictures taken with her two boys George and John. We stayed in
auto camps and rented a cabin the rest of the way. They were
cheap and very nice. One place in Oregon George got too close to
the edge of the road and we tipped over in a ditch. He had to
get a farmer with a team of horses to pull the car out of the
ditch. We stayed a week at George's sister's in Salem. Her
husband Emil was very religious. I tried to talk to her about
Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, but she was very prejudiced
against it. she had three children, Willard, Naomi and Erma.
They had a farm on which they raised onions. They also had fruit
trees and we stopped on our way back to California and ate
delicious prunes. Emma died with Tuberculosis march 22, 1944. I
never saw her again after 1928, but Audrey visited them about ten
years later.
Naomi, also died with the same disease later. Brooks was the
name of the town where they lived. It was near Salem. We spent
most of the summer at George's father's house, 679 Locust Street,
Portland. He is the only grand-parent Elaine ever saw, the
others being dead before she was born. She had her picture taken
with him. His grand-daughter, Leona Bingaman, kept house for
him. Fred was the only one not married. He was still at home.
He had a cabin up near Mt. Hood and spent a week there. It was
in the midst of very tall evergreen trees and ferns were all over
the ground. Wild berries grew all around there. We stayed with
Gus and Emma few days. We visited Laura and John Zinser. We
went out in the country and picked berries and they were very
cheap. I canned 125 quarts of berries and fruit and shipped it
to L.A. on a boat. George's father's house had a basement where
I canned it. It was an 8-room two story house. George's father
was well and not at all nervous. He went on lots of trips with
us. Once our Church had a picnic in a park and he went with us.
We went to our Church some Sundays. Once President of Mission,
William Sloan, was holding a Conference. We had just returned
from Cardston where he took a caravan of missionaries to the
temple every summer. He called on several of the missionaries to
speak. They bore wonderful testimonies. Edward Wood was
President of alberta Temple. He held a meeting (several hours
long) with the missionaries. He had wonderful spiritual gifts.
When he was on a mission as a young man with Reed Smoot's brother
in the islands of the Pacific, elder Smoot was drowned and Elder
Wood put his garments on him and raised him from the dead. Elder
wood was bitten on the arm by a centipede and it swelled so fast,
the natives expected him to died. One old native sister came up
to him and told him to administer to his own arm. He did so and
the swelling went down just like drawing off a glove, it went
down that fast. Among the missionaries in the temple was an
Elder who had a wife at home who was very ill. President Wood
stood up in the meeting and said each of them could have their
heart's desire and by inspiration he stepped up to the Elder (not
knowing anything about his wife's illness) and handed him a paper
and said, "Send this to your wife and she will be healed." I had
met William Sloan's mother Margaret, his brother Lloyd and his
sister Agnes, when I lived in Portland in 1912, so I was glad to
meet him.
Prunes and Peaches
We started home in September, stopped at Emma's and enjoyed the
prunes and peaches. We attended Laura's funeral in the
Evangelical Church in Portland just before we left. She died
August 27th, 1928, giving birth to her second baby, Lawrence
Zinser. He first baby had died at birth. Emma Hornschuch raised
lawrence. Leona Bingaman also married soon afterward and she
died giving birth to her first child. Her sister Laura Roby
lived in Portland. We also visited Edward and Fred Voegelein,
Aunt Minnie's sons, and her daughter Kate Daugherty in Lebanon
and Brooks.
We had a nice trip on the way back. The auto camp cabins in
Oregon had little wood heaters and plenty of wood to burn in
them. Nights were a little chilly already.
Glendale
We arrived in Glendale, California, September 17th, 1928 and
rented a nice house from Mr. Sands at 345 Burchette. We saw
grapes on the way, so be bought a lot.We all had bad vomiting and
colds soon after arriving in Glendale, except Elaine. She ate
spinach and lots of fruits and milk as well as her toast and she
didn't get sick. We were so sick she was the only one up and
eating for two or three days. Burchette was such a noisy street
in the 3000 block, so we only stayed there three months or so.
In January, 1929 we moved to 3321 Drew Street, L.A., and rented
the house from Mina Everett, a lady of 76 who was getting a
minister's pension from the Baptist Church. She lived in a little
house in rear. She was a very interesting and well educated lady.
She loved our girls. She gave Audrey a dress when she graduated
from the 8th grade at the Fletcher Street School near her house.
Early California Church History
We attended the Glendale Ward at 220 west Broadway. I was asked
to be Secretary of the Relief Society and Sunday School Teacher
by William Vorkink, Bishop of Glendale Ward. I held the position
as Sunday School teacher until 1934 and was Secretary of Relief
society until 1936, under President Hazel Vorkink, Agnes Nibley,
Nellie Myers and Sadie Williams. Sadie also gave me the job of
Theology class Leader in 1932, later she changed me to Teacher
Training class Leader, and we held the Teacher Training meeting
an hour while I was Class Leader. William Martin also asked me
to be a home teacher in Genealogy, which position I held until I
left Glendale. I did home teaching in Genealogy in St. George,
Farmington and in Hollywood Ward. In 1935 I was asked to be
Genealogical Class Leader, which I did for about a year. Lyman
H. Robinson and George bowels were Genealogical Chairman. Later
Brother Boweles was Stake patriarch. Sunday School
Superintendents were William Le Cheminant and Basil Gough.
Robert Gordon was Stake Superintendent. Audrey and Ve Lora Gough
were Sunday School Secretaries. Two of the Bishops after Brother
Vorkink were Le Grand Richards and Joseph Olson. They built a
chapel on Chevy Chase and Carlton Place while we lived in
Glendale.
Mina Everett took care of Elaine on Tuesday while I went to
Relief society. One Tuesday before I left she fell and broke her
hip, so I took Elaine to school to stay with Audrey. Miss
Everett always said Elaine was a choice spirit and had a great
work on earth. Elaine was baptized for her in St. George
Temple.after her death, and I did her endowments and acted as
proxy in sealing her to her parents. I told her about Joseph
Smith and the Book of Mormon. She had been a missionary in So.
America and Mexico and had seen the ruins, so she could believe
it. She also loved the Indians. But she was an invalid after
she broke her hip. I always visited her after we moved to
Glendale. I happened to visit her the day she died and she asked
me to tell the nurse about Joseph Smith land the plates, which I
did. I got the dates of her parents and their family and asked
her if I should do temple work for them. She said, "Yes". I
attended her funeral. A Mexican man spoke.
Elaine and Audrey Visit Lagoon
In June 1930 we went to Utah on the bus. We went to Farmington.
Charlotte was renting Marion Hess's house. After staying few
days at KCharlotte's we rented the middle room and sleeping porch
of luella Hyde Hess, Orson Orson Hyde's daughter. She said she
saw me in a dream several years before she ever saw me. At the
time of her dream she said I had long hair and I was talking to
her mother who was then dead. I could see why she had the dream
as her mother, Elizabeth Galli, was Swiss and no one had secured
her record from Switzerland for temple work. I worked on my
temple records at Luella's home. Audrey and Elaine often went to
Lagoon and to Charlotte's to play with Natell and La Deane. We
came back to California in September and moved to 822 Fischer
Street, so Audrey could walk to Glendale High School.
Elaine started to John Muir School, a block from our house in
February 1931. She caught the whooping cough in the spring and
was administered to by William Gough and Frank Oliver. I took
her to a chiropractor for treatments. Daddy, Elaine and I slept
in the back yard. We had our beds fixed so we could pull them
out under the stars or push them in a sort of shed, if it rained.
She had a very light case of whooping cough. Elaine played with
Ernest and Evelyn Seth. We had persimnom and apricot trees in our
yard. Elaine's second grade teacher was Miss Townsend. She let
Elaine sing a solo for the P.T.A.
Audrey gave a talk on "Salvation for the Dead" in Sacrament
Meeting when she was 15 years old. She wore a woolen dress she
made in school. I still have the dress and I often wear it, as I
do several of her discarded coats, black ones, tan one and blue
one, also a reddish colored one, I don't like the color as well
as the others.
In June, 1932, I ground a nice ride to Utah for Audrey with a
young couple who were L.D.S. for $5 . She stayed at Emuel's in
Salt Lake, 611 - Park Street until Elaine and I came. We had to
take the bus and it was eleven hours late, as it had so many
break downs. We got to Salt Lake very early in the morning. We
took a Taxi cab to Emuel's and the driver drove us all around
Salt Lake to show us the town and charged only a quarter. We
stayed at Emuel's few days. He had suffered a stroke and was
ill. I asked him if he knew the had been a Bishop, High
Councilman, been on two missions, ordinance worker in S. L.Temple
eleven years and didn't know the date or place of his own
mother's birth. He said, "You will get it, sister." So I sent
to Julius Billter for his mother's record right away. We then
went to Farmington and rented Luella Hell's rooms. She charged
us $8 a month and everything was furnished. Audrey liked Esther
Clark's girls, Elna and Elizabeth. We got lots of fruit from
their orchard land east of Luella's place.
I Go Through The Temple 1932
Emuel died 12 September 1932. I attended his funeral. It was a
wonderful funeral. Audrey went home to Glendale to go to school
in September. I went to Salt Lake Temple 21 September 1932 for
first time and got my own endowments. I wore Julia Walker's
clothes. My sister went with me. Elaine went to Farmington
school. I stayed for October Conference. A week before
Conference I got a letter from Julius Billetger saying he had my
brother's mother's record four lines, Sutter, Mueller, Siegrist
and Stoeckli and my father's mother's record, also Aerny line.
He told me to pay his son Julius in Salt Lake for the record. It
was $179. I asked Joseph to come and bring me to Ogden so I
could get the family to donate money for the record. I visited
my brother William Stone and his wife Ida, whom I met for the
first time. She is a lovely soul. I found my brother had become
active in the Church and had been to the Temple. They gave me a
large donation since then have donated more than all the rest of
the family combined. I have it all recorded in the record I
then secured. I got the $179 and went to Salt Lake Temple one
evening with it. I told the recorder Orson Riga Card I had it
for Julius Billeter. He knew him and he phoned for him to come
to the Temple. I met him and gave him the money and soon after
that I received the record. I attended October Conference and got
a ride to Los Angeles for Elaine and myself with brother De
Lamar. My health was better that winter than in past. I worked
on the record as well as my three (really four) church jobs.
The Big Rain
January 1st, 1933, we had a cloud - burst, 13 inches of rain in
one night and day. It washed out all the bridges and many homes
in the hills above Glendale. We went to Church in the old Ford.
Most of the people's cars wouldn't run in such deep water, so we
took some of the people home. That night we slept outside in our
inside place and we were dry. But the roof of our house leaked
badly. In February Elaine had the measles. We moved her in the
front bed-room. Had Frank Dewsnup administer to her. Gave her
potassium broth and tomato juice. She was not sick long.
May 6, 1933, Elaine was baptized and confirmed May 7th by Joseph
E. Olson. On Mother's Day she gave a poem and Audrey gave a talk
on the mother's day program in Sunday School. The summer of 1933
we made ice-cream for Nona and Alden Richards in our six quart
freezer. We also loaned it to the Relief Society and Sunday
School. Elaine went to Primary and donated to the new chapel.
August 1933, Audrey went to stay and work for George and Orthello
Hughes. She had to change to Hoover High school.
I had a wonderful experience while living at 822 Fischer street.
Minnie Dolr Davis, a German lady 68 years old lived at 833
Fischer. I held a cottage meeting at our house and invited her
to come to it. Our Stake President, Le Grand Richards was the
speaker. She sent flowers, saying she had to take care of
children that night. Later I took her to a cottage meeting at
James's house. President Richards spoke on the pre-existence. I
also got Fred and Carrie Zimmerman and daughter Ruth to come to
the same meeting. Minnie Davis said she liked it. So I took her
to Church and gave her books to read, "Life of Joseph Smith,"
Book of Mormon, pioneer stories etc. She went to Church and
Stake Conference, cottage meetings etc. for eight months. She
attended a meeting where George Albert Smith was speaker. A
German brother took her up to meet Brother Smith after the
meeting. She told Brother Smith she was not a member. He said,
"God bless you, sister, you will be." She had a dream in which
she dreamed she had to climb up a hill. It was rough road and
hard to climb. When she got on top she saw her husband, Lanis
Davis (deceased) talking to our Bishop Joseph Olson. Dr. William
walker was her Dentist. He was a member of Glendale Ward. She
liked him. So she was baptized in 1934. Later I took her to
George Bowles to get a patriarchal blessing.
Foreclosure!
Ralph Cooley owned the house on 822 Fischer in 1930 when we
rented it. It was furnished and we paid $35 rent a month. He
lost the place and the Pacific States Loan company acquired it.
One day when I was lying out on my out - door bed, a man came in
the back yard and said he represented the Loan Company and he
wished to see the house. I took him in the back door and all
through the house. He sat down and asked what rent we paid
Mr.Cooley. When I told him, he said, "This is the cleanest house
I ever saw, nd we will reduce your rent to $20 a month." In the
summer of 1934 we went to Utah and they let George have the house
without any rent for helping him paint it, etc. They redecorated
it, then sold it. George had the first chance to buy it cheap,
but he wait to write to me instead of sending a telegram. I was
sorry, as I liked it there very much and it was near the Chapel
Morkins stayed with him that summer.
Le Grand Richards Gives Me A Desk
In June, 1934, Elaine and I went to Utah. I forgot to state that
President Le Grand Richards and his family went to the Southern
States to preside over that mission and when they left they gave
me a writing desk, some dishes, books etc. They had lived in an
apartment not far from our place.
We stayed at Luella Hess's. Had her north rooms this time.
Audrey was not with us she was still at Hughes. She had
graduated from Hoover High School and had made her own graduation
dress. She was a very good student and a fine dress-maker.
Beach Pajamas
Elaine played with Mary Stelter and Carol Mayfield, also Nallie
and La Dene. They had beach pajamas alike.
George moved to 605 Lincoln while we were gone. Morkins went
there with him. We got a ride to L.A. with Petger Clayton's son
Paul in september 1934. Elaine still went to John Muir school,
six block away and had to take lunch. She played with the Bishop
girl next door. Lexie Hanson lived near and we became good
friends. I went to her house and took sun baths on her garage
roof. She had two children Robert and Julia.
George and Orthello Hughes moved back to Berkeley in winter of
1934, so Audrey came home. She attended Glendale Junior College,
took a business course. I wanted her to the B.Y.U. in Provo and
get a degree and teach, but she would not do it.
In June 1935, George gave up the Lincoln house and rented a small
apartment, which was very nice and he like it.
An Adobe House
Audrey, Elaine and I went to Utah. Audrey got off the bus at
Cove Fort and went to Monroe to visit Velora Gough, as they had
moved from Glendale to Monroe. She came to Farmington later in
the summer. When Elaine and I got to Charlotte's, she was going
with us up to Luella Hess's when we met Heber Van Fleet. His
mother was Willard Richard's daughter and she lived with Heber
and Ella Van Fleet. Franklin and Willard Richards had built
several houses in Farmington many years ago. Heber still owned
one. It was an adobe house next to the one on the corner where
Le Grand Richards and his father were born. Charlotte asked
Heber if his house was still for rent. He said, "Yes." She
said, "Would you rent it to my Aunt?" He said, "Yes", I said, "I
wont be staying long." He said, "I don't care. You never know
how long any one will stay." I said, "What rent do you charge?
He said, "Eight dollars a month." So we rented it. It was not
furnished, so I rented a stove (wood) from Frances Hess for $1.50
a month. It was a poor thing. I borrowed beds, chairs etc. I
received the Hug record from Switzerland and was busy working on
it. Karolina Kleiner had paid for it, but she wished it to be
sent to me. Brother Julius Billeter had secured it. It cost 40
cents postage to sent it. It was my mother's record. Elaine
played with Betty Steed, who lived in house where Le Grand
Richards was born. Audrey had to go back in september to attend
Junior College. She stayed with Anna Howe until we returned.
Elaine went to school in Farmington few weeks. We stayed to
October Conference. We got a ride back to L.A. with W. D. Le
Cheminant an undertaker. We sat in front with him. Brigham
Young's grand-daughter, John A. Widtsoe's wife, Leah Widtsoe and
her sister sat in the back seat. They had lots of nuts and other
good things which they shared with us. Brother Le Cheminant only
charges $6 for Elaine and me (for both of us). When we went
through Santa Clara Sister Widtsoe said, "Sister Scholl, this is
where you should come." I never realized my next trip to Utah
would take me there.
Glendale Again
When we got to Glendale, we rented a house at 521 Milford.
Elaine went to the Columbus school. We often went to Pioneer
park near our place. On Saturdays Elaine went with Audrey to
Junior College to play tennis with Miriam and Esther, Audrey's
friends.
Dental Work
Before I left Utah Dr. Clanence Robinson filled a back tooth. It
must have been filled too close to the nerve, as it ached very
badly. I made a sad mistake by going to a Dentist who didn't
have sense enough to drill a hole in the filling and treat the
nerve. So he pulled it and I was surely sorry as it was my
largest tooth on the left side and a bottom tooth, the only
bottom tooth I have lost up to the present time (I am now 65
years old, 1953) I had my teeth filled when I was about 15 years
old, both top and bottom, but the top ones were so badly decayed
he had to kill most of the nerves and screw two artificial teeth
in the front, cap with gold crowns 4 or 5 others (including one
artificial one fastened on a cap. This was done in Ogden. I went
to the dentist all summer long. He was a transient dentist who
dropped into Ogden. He was surely a good one, never have known a
better one. He went to Salt Lake to get two front teeth to match
to screw in my roots after grinding my decayed ones off. All
this work had been in my mouth 35 years, and was still alright.
But I was in the change now and very nervous and some one told me
my health would be better, if iI had my teeth pulled. I am
thankful I did not have the bottom ones pulled. I went to Dr.
Hales hale in Glendale. He wanted $76 to pull my top teeth. Dr.
Denhart sent me to him. But Audrey said he drank. He belonged to
the church but I never saw him there. I went back to Dr. Denhart
nd told him I wouldn't let Dr. Hale pull my teeth. He asked why.
I said be belonged to my church, held the Priesthood or should
hold it and didn't live as men who profess membership in Christ's
Church should live. Dr. Denhart was not L.D.S. but Dr. Hales was
his friend. So he sent me Dr Roland Grubb, a young man, also a
specialists. This was in spring of 1936. Dr. Grubb said he
would only pull two or three at one time and I must stay in bed
while he extracted them and eat nothing, only drink a glass of
some liquid every hour. He feared blood poison. I stayed at
Mennie Davis's three weeks, in bed and took a glass of milk,
fruit juice etc. every hour. My toe began to swell one day. Dr.
Grubb said to put my foot and leg in Epsom salts until the
swelling went down. Dr. Grubb only charged me $26 for pulling 13
teeth. Dr. Denhart made the plate, but he thought I shouldn't
wear them for six months, so I went without teeth six months and
taught classes without them. The poison apparently made my
health worse. I could not sleep. In summer 1936 I borrowed a
tent and slept in it out under the fig trees.
Audrey Graduates from Junior College
Audrey graduated from two year course at Junior College in June
1936 and soon got a job in security First National bank, 6th and
Spring, L.A., where she worked the next six years. I tried to
get her to go on a mission that summer, but she was only 19 years
old and when Bishop Olson asked George, he refused to give his
consent. Audrey was Gleaner Girl president in M.I.A. in 1936.
She was also Secretary of Y.W.M.I.A. later. å
Satan Will Destroy You
My health was so poor that I went to the Stake Patriarch, George
Bowles and asked him to give me a blessing for my health. He did
so, then he told me to go away from California. He sent me to
Dr. Lyman H. Robinson. I didn't wish to go to a doctor as I had
lost my faith in doctors, but he urged me to go. So I went and
without knowing that the Patriarch had told me to leave
California, he told me the same thing. But I didn't go. I got
lots of figs that summer (1936) and made George a lot of jam.
One night, probably six months or more after I visited him and
got the blessing, the Patriarch came to visit Glendale Ward. He
had piercing black eyes. When I met him in the chapel, he gave me
a look with those piercing eyes and said, "Sister Scholl," I told
you to leave here. You had better go or Satan will destroy you."
I said, "I am going to try to go." I had a dream while I was
sleeping in the tent. I saw the St. George Temple and I looked
to see where I was, and I saw a little place like our granary on
the farm, only it had a little porch and steps to it. I never was
in St. George.
St. George
My health continued to get worse and I had a nervous collapse. I
finally packed all our clothes, rolled up all our blankets and on
November 18th 1936, Elaine and I got round trip tickets on the
bus to Salt lake good for six months. I wished to stop in St.
George to see if I could find the place I saw in my dream. We
went in the Liberty Hotel until daylight, then walked around the
town. Saw the temple but not the granary I saw in my dream.
There were many granaries, so we rented a cabin in Mr. schultz's
auto court near the post office. Went to church on Sunday in the
west Ward. met Lenora Worthen and told her my dream. She invited
us to her home, said her husband was stake patriarch. I told him
my dream. He advised us to stay in St. George, said that had two
room we could rent for $12 a month. They lived in an old two
story adobe house across from the Tabernacle. Elaine went to
school at Woodard School. Newell R. Frei was Principal. She was
in the 6th grade. She liked it very much. She had Miss Nelson,
Miss Mc Arthur, Mr. Miles and Harold Snow for teacher. Miss
McArthur was a wonderful gum teacher and gave Elaine special
attention. All schools were around the Tabernacle, Dixie College
included and all used the college recreation hall, etc. Dancing
was stressed. It seemed to me Elaine developed mentally and
spiritually more the two years she spent in St. George than in
all her previous school years. She had some of the college
teachers for Art, music, etc. The library was nearby and I read
many books to her besides the Doctrine and Covenants. I read to
her while she ate her meals and other times. I had met Enoch
Branwell and wife from Salt Lake in the auto court. They hired
me to do some endowments for them in the temple. å
January 1, 1937, I went to the temple. There was snow on the
ground. It was 60 years since that temple was completed. It was
a grand experience to attend the meeting and hear about it. Many
inspiring testimonies were borne in the morning meetings. We
could go upstairs in the temple and see all the upper rooms, not
now in use. It was in some of these rooms where Wilford Woodruff
lived when he was President of the temple. I met Jane Bleak who
cooked for him when he lived in those rooms. The Presidents of
the United States and the signers of the constitution and other
American patriots appeared to him in August 1877 and asked him to
do their temple work. In 1894 Benjamin Franklin appeared to him
again and thanked him for the work he had done and asked him to
do the higher ordinances, which he did. The pictures on walls of
the rooms were very wonderful before the temple was remodeled.
The tree of life had many kinds of fruit on it.
St. George's Most Difficult Winter
The winter of 1936-37 was the hardest winter in St.George's
history, 13 degrees below zero one night, froze our water pipes.
I was very ill during January and February. Elaine kept quite
well. She got a cold once and Brother Worthen administered to
her. She came home at noon for lunch. St. George had the
freshest, best meat she ever tasted. We often got fresh ground
round steak. Carolyn Cottam brought us good milk and butter on
her way to school. We got pears from George Tobler raised in
Santa Clara, the best apples we ever ate, Missouri pippins,
Brother Crawford who worked in the temple, brought from the high
mountains, Brother Worthen raised good carrots, turnips and
asparagus and all kinds of vegetables early in the spring, also
had pomegranates. Rosena Blake gave us buttermilk and canned
fruit. Helen Palmer gave us canned fruit. We sent to Loma Linda
for fruit crackers, large boxes of them and other Loma Linda
foods, soy butter etc. I never met so many kind generous people
before in my life as I met in St. George. I went to the temple
when I was well. Elaine encouraged me to go. We went on
Saturdays and she did baptisms. One day she did 106 all at one
time. Harold S. Snow, her history teacher, confirmed her. He
later became President of Temple after George Whitehead. Martin
Mc Allister was recorder. I told him about Julius Billeter and
he sent for his Lensi and Herzog records from Switzerland. I met
Rosena Blake at the temple, visited her often and saw her Swiss
records. One day I told her my dream. She said she had a
granary on back of her house, had it made into a room and rented
it. I went back to see it and it was the place I saw in my
dream. I wondered why I saw it. I asked her to let me make
pedigree charts from her Swiss records. I soon found out why I
saw her room in the dream. She had a Sidler and Hegetschweiler
line from Ottenbach on her father's side and I found her father
and my mother were cousins, which makes her the only relative of
mother's we have ever known on earth. Three nephews went on
missions to switzerland, found father's relatives, but not
mother's.
One day Jakob Frei came from Santa Clara to meet me. We found
his father's mother and my father's mother were sisters, and his
father had done the temple work in St. George for our great-grandfather
Heinrich Aerny in 1891. I met Jakob's sister, Mary
Frei Reuber, of Santa Clara, and she did my grandmother,
Elizabeth Aerni's work in St. George temple when she was only 15
years old. They were glad I had the Aerny record.
Sisters in the temple told me about herbs and I have used them
ever since. They brought sage and wild grape root from Alton.
Marie Steinacher, a natures path doctor came and gave me
treatments for a dollar each. She was very kind to us. She told
us about Dr. Gould's compounds and we sent for them for Elaine
and myself, and later for Audrey when we went back to California.
While we were in St. George, George and Audrey moved from 521
Milford March 27, 1937, to 1137 1/2 Orange Grove Avenues.
Elaine Is A Great Comfort
I was very sick in winter of 1937, but Elaine urged me to go to
the temple. She was a great comfort and joy to me then and
during the 21 years she lived with me. We went to the Library
and got books all the time we were in St. George. I was in the
temple in May at a testimony meeting and bore my testimony. One
thing I expressed gratitude for was that I had been able to pay
tithing.
When school closed 18 May 1937, we went to Farmington and rented
Luella Hess's rooms and porches. She had no other renters this
time, so we had 2 rooms and 2 sleeping porches. Brother Jos.
Pratt lost his brick house on corner across from Hedgepeth's and
had to move in Marvel Mayfield's old home, so he put his organ in
one of our rooms. Elaine enjoyed playing it. A yellow jacket
stung me as he was moving the organ in our door and it swelled my
eyes almost shut.
In September, 1937, we took the bus to St. George. The temple
was closed, as they were remodeling it. I didn't know whether to
stay in St. George or go back to California. So we went to
Brother George Worthen, the Patriarch where we had rented rooms
the previous winter. I asked him what I should do. He said,
"Since you are better perhaps you should go back to your family
in California." He said "I think we should ask the Lord." He
told me to sit in a chair and he placed his hands upon my head to
give me a blessing. He said , "The Lord commands you to stay in
St. George. He has a work for you and he will bless you with
peace and joy if you do it. He also said many more things,
similar to my patriarchal blessing, received in L.A. in 1924 from
James Thomas. After he finished, he said, "Brother Worthen told
you to go to California, but the Lord told you to stay here, so
obey the Lord." I asked him what the work was the Lord wished me
to do. He said he knew nothing about it. He was speaking for
the Lord and I would have to ask the Lord what work he meant. So
we stayed and rented the room I saw in my dream from Rosena Blake
for $5 a month, and we bought a tent to sleep in. Sister Blake
had three cows. Elaine liked fresh milk, so Sister Blake milked
before breakfast, so she could have warm milk. She drank a pint
for breakfast. She also gave no butter, buttermilk and many
other things. Every day, after Elaine went to school, I knelt
and asked the Lord what work he had for me. Then I went on the
street, and following the inspiration of the Lord, I visited many
homes. A partial list of people visited is in my book of
records. I also helped two prominent families to form a family
organization and acted as chairman in the election of officers,
besides speaking to them for an hour or more, encouraging them to
get their Genealogy. One was the Gubler of Sant Clara. Rosena
Blake's husband was a Gubler. Meeting was held in the Relief
Society room, about 75 were present.
A Kind Soul Helps Me
The other was the Peter Nielsen family of Washington. John
Nielsen lived next door to Sister Blake. Peter Nielsen organized
the United Order in his home in early days. Two of his oldest
sons were present, one 90 and one 82. They both spoke. Bishop
Wallace Iverson of Washington was present. Israel Nielsen, a
High Councilman were there. A Nielsen girl had married dr.
Winsor, professor Of Psychology in Cornell university. They were
inactive in the Church and were present. A sketch of Peter
Nielsen's life was given by a grand-daughter. I acted as
Chairman, also spoke. The officers were all voted in. Then I
asked for a motion on how to secure funds for temple work. I
forgot to get a second to the motion. Dr. Winsor raised his hand
and said, "Madam Chairman, you have broken the parliamentary
rules. You passed a motion without a second." I was very
embarrassed and started to apologize when his wife jumped up and
said, "I second the motion and also make the first contribution."
Then she stepped up and laid some money on the table. After the
meeting I thanked her for relieving me of an embarrassing
situation.
Many names were secured by people I visited and encouraged,
Martin Mc Allister, Theodore Graf, Jakob Frei, Rosena Blake and
perhaps some i never heard about, as I soon left St. George.
Queer Accident
During the winter of 1937-38 Elaine had a queer accident. Coming
home from school, she passed the hospital. As she was going past
it, she felt something sharp run into her flesh above the knee.
She was wearing a coat of La Dene's and there must have been a
pencil in the coat between the lining and outer cloth. It broke
off and quite a large piece (point first) was imbedded in her
flesh. We went to get the Patriarch to administer to her but he
was ill. So we went to Henry Baker's house. He was one of the
temple ordinance workers. He took us to Moroni Langford's house
to get him to assist. He was also an ordinance worker, later
recorder. Brother Baker was mouth in the administration and it
was very striking. He said " Elaine, we rebuke Satan and command
him to depart. He is trying to destroy you. We also advise you
to obey your mother. We say unto you, Elaine, remember this
administration as long as you live." There were some more words
I cannot remember. I felt very weak after hearing such a
blessing. I said, "Will you administer to me?" Brother Baker
said, "Which one of us do you wish to be mouth." I said,
"Whichever one the Lord wishes." Brother Langford was mouth. I
did not know either of the brethren well. Brother Langford said
almost the same words Brother Worthen said when he commanded me
to stay in St. George, also repeating parts of my patriarchal
blessing. He knew nothing about Brother Worthen's blessing and
he only knew me as one who came to the temple the previous
winter. His administration was such a surprise I was not able to
speak except to say thanks. These were great faith promoting
experiences to me and hope they will be to Elaine. We got Dr.
Reichman to remove the pencil. If our faith had been greater
that would not have been necessary.
Elaine had Margaret Little and Mary Jarvis for Bee Hive teachers.
She played with Rolane Prince. She enjoyed school more this year
than last.
I always wondered if I did all the work the Lord wished me to do
that winter as I was quite ill and it was so unusual to be called
to work in such a way without any work being mentioned.
Luella Waits Too Long
May 18, 1938, we went to Farmington and stayed with Luella Hess.
She was more pleased to see us than ever, as she had at last
decided to have me send to Julius Billeter for her mother,
Elizabeth Galli's record, which I did. But she had waited too
long. She was so anxious now to get it and could hardly wait for
it to come. I promised to write the names on temple sheets. But
she died the following winter and I tried my best to get her
brother Orson Hyde and her son Adrian Hess to pay Brother
Billeter for the record. But they both refused, so I had to
write and tell Brother Billeter not to continue with it. I don't
know how much he had done on it.
George Moves Back To Golden Gate
While we were in Utah, George and Audrey had moved back to our
house at 1636 Golden Gate Avenue., L.A., which we had rented to
Ginsbergs for ten years. In September, 1938, Elaine and I went
back to L.A., after being in Utah twenty-two months. We were
again in Hollywood Ward, which we left in June, 1928, when we
went to Oregon. I liked Glendale Ward much better and it was
still our Stake House. Raymond Kirkham was Bishop of Hollywood
and they had purchased a Chapel at 1552 No. Normandie from the
Methodist Church. I was sorry to leave the knew Glendale Chapel
at 1200 Carlton Place. Bishop Kirkham asked me to teach the
Senior Genealogy Class on Monday nights. "Teaching One Another"
and "Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith" were the text books.
Klis Hale taught the Juniors. When the senior class went out
home teaching, I taught the Junior class. Carlos Stewart was
Ward Chairman. Merlin Steed was Stake Chairman. We were in san
Fernando Stake then. David H. Cannon was Stake President. When
we lived in Hollywood before it was in L.A. stake, also once
called Hollywood Stake.
Glen Meets Audrey At Fireside
Elaine went to Thomas Starr King School. Audrey was still in the
bank where she went to work in 1936. She was surely a steady,
good worker to hold a job for six years and Mr. Jones appreciated
her fine work very much, as he told me when I talked to him on
the phone when she was home sick. But when I first came back, I
noticed she wasn't attending Sacrament Meeting, which worried me.
One Sunday morning, after Sunday School, a young man stepped up
to her and asked her if she would come to Fireside class after
meeting that Sunday night. So she went to Sacrament meeting and
stayed to fireside and he brought her home. His name was Glen
Kroksh and his pal was Albert Herring. They came quite often to
take Audrey out after that. One night Abel John Peterson asked
her to go to a musical, I believe, with his cousin. Petersons
lived near Marshall high School and I often visited them. Ethel
was in bed most of the time. She told me Abel John said Audrey
was the best looking girl in the Ward. She was older then Abel
John. Glen Kroksh came to see her the night she was gone with
Brother Philips (Abel John's cousin). He seemed to feel hurt
over it. She went with Glen most of the time. I wanted her to
go on a mission. She received the call from the Stake President.
We attended Stake Conference in Glendale and John A. Widtsoe was
the visitor. He interviewed her for a mission . I will never
forget that Conference. I asked John Russon to take me home. I
lived near his house and we stopped at his home first and had
prayer. She wasn't called on the mission. Brother Widtsoe asked
her if she wanted to go on a mission. She said she didn't know.
Since she was 22 years old, he thought she might prefer to marry.
I felt very sad because she wasn't called. I took long walks
every day up over the hills carrying my books and studying my
lesson for Monday night. I gave talks on extra night, also to
encourage people.
Off to Utah
In June 1939, Elaine and I went to Utah. We rode with Glen
Kroksh, Herman Andelin went with him, also. We stopped at night
or two at Rosena Blake's and went to the temple. They had a
testimony meeting at morning meeting. We went through Zion's
Canyon, a new way for me. Luella Hess was dead, so we went to
Ogden to Joseph's house on 20th. It wasn't nice like his house
and lovely orchard of 17 acres in Clearfield where we visited him
in the past. He had a stroke and he couldn't talk very well any
more. That was the last time we ever say him, as he died May
9th, 1940. Elaine bought a new bicycle, so she could ride around
town. I rode to Logan with Glen and stayed six weeks with Esther
Clark and went to the Logan Temple, some days three sessions. I
got carrot juice in a health store in Logan. Nathan sent Esther
cherries and I ate them. I met Jakob Zollinger and saw the
36,000 names Julius Billeter had secured for him. He was almost
100 years old.
I met John A. Widtsoe up at the A.C. I talked to him about Audrey
and Glen. I also heard him speak in the Logan Temple.
Bertha was staying at Dr. Conrad Janson's in Ogden while they
were away. So Elaine went up and stayed there part of the time I
was in Logan. I ordered carrot juice at the health store in
Ogden to be delivered to her.
In August we went to Farmington and rented two rooms from Jane
Steed. Elaine slept on her side porch. I had done 64 endowments
in Logan temple and 25 baptisms and 25 sealings. In August I did
20 endowments in Salt Lake Temple. In Summer of 1938 I did 35
endowments and 49 sealings. I did not keep a record of work I
did in Temples prior to 1938, St George 1936-37 etc.
Stake Missionary
In September 1939, we returned to Los Angeles, rode with Elviras
Sessions. October 1st 1939, I received a call to be a Stake
Missionary from President David H. Cannon. I was set apart by
Stake Counsellor Rulon Cheney, October 1, 1939, in the Glendale
Chapel, then our Stake House. Leland Gillans was Hollywood Ward
Mission President. My first partner was Susanna Parkinson
Nielsen. She had great faith and has since been one of my
dearest friends. Mary Birnie was another of my companions. I
also went with Henrietta Reed, Mada Peery, Alfred Price and his
wife and Mittie Green of Elysian park Ward. The two summers I
spent in Utah, my sister, Bertha Stallings and I visited people
in Farmington. I held 16 cottage meetings in the two years, one
in Farmington and one in my own home in May 1941, at which
Charles Norberg spoke. Mathias F. Cowley was the speaker at one
cottage meeting held at the home of his daughter, Elna Austin.
He gave me a blessing before the meeting and told me I was not
only called to teach the people of the world, but to teach my
fellow missionaries. President Leland Gillans often asked me to
teach the missionary class on Sunday mornings. Joseph Townsend,
who wrote so many of our songs, was also a Stake Missionary, and
we often went to his son Bertram's house to cottage meetings,
which they held every week. I kept a record of my mission, all
the calls I made etc. The only week I missed going tracting two
part days each week was a week I spent in Logan Temple in July
1940. I was released from the Stake Mission November 2, 1941, at
the Los Angeles Stake House.
Arizona
I forgot to say that I went to Mesa Temple in November 1938.
Merlin Steed was Stake Chairman of Genealogy. Went on a train to
take Minnie Doerr Davis. She was 72 years old. Brother Steed
was very kind to her. William Spangenberg acted as proxy for her
husband. She went home with the excursion. I rented a room and
stayed then days and went back on the train. I did 11 endowments
and 4 sealings. Mesa is a lovely place. I got milk for 35 cents
a gallon. I met James Le Suerer at the temple. He took us to
see the ruins, also to citrus fruit orchards to get fruit. They
had fresh dates in the temple for us. They served soup at noon.
We could take a shower before we left the temple.
In 1939 I received the Hochuli record of 1800 names from Julius
Billeter in Switzerland. It cost $115.50.
March 28th, 1940, I received Service Awards from the Genealogical
Society signed by President Joseph Fielding Smith for record
keeping, Genealogical Research, Temple Activity and Home
Teaching. I received my first Award 30 April 1934 for completing
lesson course "Our Lineage," signed by Anthony W. Ivins,
president Genealogical Society.
The books I kept of my stake Mission are in a box in the large
trunk with my lesson and testimony books. I spent much time
compiling the latter books and I hope my children and grand -
children will benefit from the, also from the Church books and
Health books I have purchased and kept for them.
Potassium Broth
Dr. Henry Gross, 111 So. Alvorado, was also a stake Missionary.
He was convert to the Church. He was 76 years old when I met him
and had practiced as a doctor 50 years in Los Angeles. He was
kind to me when I was a missionary. He had quit surgery and
drugs and used natural methods of healing in his sanitarium. He
had a laboratory and he made the first powdered vegetables when
Dr. Benjamin Gaylord Hauser was a boy of 22 years and attending
college. Later Dr. Hauser made a fortune selling Potassium Broth
and other health products. Dr. Gross gave me some mineral
tablets and some naturopath treatments.
The Girls Help Out
Audrey and elaine helped me a great deal the two years I was a
missionary. Audrey gave me $20 a month and presents of money on
birthdays Christmas and Mothers Day. Elaine did a great deal of
the house - work, on Saturdays and before and after school. In
summers I dried yarrow, wild sage, peppermint, spearmint, tansy,
catnip, camomile, peach, raspberry and strawberry leaves and made
herb tea in the winter.
In June 1940, Elaine graduated from Thomas Star King Junior High
School. We went to Utah. We rented Jane Steed's kitchen with an
electric range in it, two bed - rooms and used her bath room. We
had a big porch and could go in her front room if we wished. I
was working on the Hochuli record, also doing my missionary work.
We paid $18 a month rent. We had only paid $8 a month in the
past summers, 1930 to 1939.
We spent the last week in July at Esther Clark's in Logan and
went to Logan Temple. I did 8 endowments and 24 baptisms.
Elaine did 139 baptisms. I also did 23 endowments and 20
sealings in Salt Lake.
Elaine Starts High School
In September 1940, we returned to Los Angeles and Elaine started
to John Marshall High School. The missionary work took a great
deal of my time, but I am very grateful for having filled a Stake
Mission. We were now in L.A. Stake and held our Union meetings,
at 1209 So. Manhattan Place, our Stake House. I attended all the
Union meetings. In 1932 in Glendale I was attending three Union
meetings, Sunday School, Relief society and genealogy.
During my two years mission from October 1939 to November 1941, I
went out doing tracting 230 times, put in 795 hours, entered 283
homes for first time, made 233 revisits, had 496 invitations to
return, held 1108 conversations (five minutes or more, I believe)
gave our 2666 tracts and held 16 cottage meetings. In cottage
meetings at our home, Angus Elmer Peterson offered prayer.
William and Ruby Lund were there. Charles Norberg spoke on
Joseph Smith. The only other people I remember who were there
were Mamie Hunt and Elda Dutcher. Brother Norberg was a very
inspiring speaker.
Lost Money
I had an experience just prior to the time of the meeting, a day
or so before I think. Elaine and I went shopping in Glendale.
George had given me $6 and Audrey gave a signed check. I had the
money and check in an old shopping bag. I bought a tablet in
Kress's, paid for it, then went to the dish counter and bought a
dish. When I went to pay for it, my purse was gone with the $6
and the signed blank check. I went back to the tablet counter,
then upstairs and notified the office, but never found money or
check. The Bank had Audrey change her signature, so if any one
filled out the check and tried to cash it, but no one did. I
decided to forget it, which I did.
In June 1941, I went to Utah alone, as Elaine stayed with her
father and Audrey. Joseph Pratt and family lived in Luella Hess's
house. I rented a room and sleeping porch from then for $6 a
month. Sister Pratt and her girls papered the room and cleaned
everything. They are a grand family, Twila, Ruth, Gladys and
Hazel were home. Bernice and family, Leurs, Luella and family,
Lee and wife came and stayed nights several times. Viola was in
Washington D.C. Gladys twin, Glen was a prisoner of war in Japan.
Sister Pratt felt he was safe as his blessing promised him
protection. He came home when war was over, alright and with a
strong testimony. Brother Pratt had an acre down below lagoon.
He gave me berries, fruit and vegetables and was very kind. My
sister went with me to do my missionary work. I also did 34
endowments and 58 sealings in Salt Lake temple. I stayed until
October Conference and got a ride back to L.A. with William
Vorkink's sister.
I was released from the Stake Mission November 2, 1941. I then
became Teacher Training class leader in Relief Society and
supervisor of visiting Teaching. I also did a great deal of the
visiting teaching and I kept these two jobs until I left Los
angeles, May 1946. I also did Genealogical teaching in the homes
during those years.
Glen Marries Audrey 1941
December 18th, 1941, Audrey married Glen Arthur Kroksh in Mesa
Temple. Glen took his mother, Audrey and me to Mesa in his car.
We left L.A. December 17th about 6:00 a.m. We stayed in Mesa
that night. The temple found us rooms. Glen stayed at Sister
Brown's. Audrey, Vera Kroksh and I stayed at Petersons's lovely
home. They were away and told us to make ourselves at home, even
told us to help ourselves to food we could find. Vera did up the
house work, washed dishes etc. She slept down-stairs. Audrey
and I slept in a sleeping porch upstairs. Audrey and I went to
the temple fasting. She was the only bride, but the matron gave
the talk and treated her same as if there were others. I shed
tears most of the time she was giving the talk. Glen's mother
couldn't go to the temple with us. On the way home we filled the
car with delicious Arizona oranges, grapefruits and dates, much
better than california fruit and cheaper. We got to our house
late. Audrey and Glen had rented a small house, in the southwest
and they took Glen's mother home and then went to their own
house. I had an awful lonely feeling as I knelt by Audrey's bed
in the front bed - room and realized she wouldn't be there in the
morning. I wept many times later by her empty bed. Glen worked
on Sundays, so she came over every sunday and went to Church with
Elaine and me and went back home after Church. She kept her job
in the bank for 6 or 8 months. Then they moved. She moved to a
nicer house 10810 Grand Avenue (near 102nd St) in Manchester
Ward. I went there and went with her to Relief Society in that
Ward after she quit work and she was called to be a visiting
teacher.
Elaine Graduates From John Marshall 1942
In June 1942, Elaine graduated from John Marshall High School. I
went to Utah alone again and rented the room and porch I had the
summer before in Pratt's house and had a nice summer. I forgot
to state that the previous summer September 21, 1941, Sunday
night an east wind began to blow. It was the first one I ever
saw. It blew off all the fruit, all the leaves, blew down many
trees, took out the Bank window and Eva Van Fleet's east window,
next door to Charlotte. I went where people had fruit, picked it
up. St. Georgana Young had white cling peaches. She invited me
to can them at her house. I got jars from Marie Walker. I did 28
endowments in Salt Lake and 116 sealings. I stayed to October
Conference.
Elaine, Single During The War
I returned to Los Angeles. Elaine started to City college near
Vermont. She didn't like college. She had liked school
heretofore. The war that was now going on made the girls fear
they would not find husbands, if it lasted long, as some thought
it might. So she was restless. We went to church every Sunday.
She also attended M.I.A. on Tuesdays. She and Audrey both drove
their father's car, as we could go to church in it now. Elaine
did outstanding work in the Bee Hive class in M.I.A., having a
wonderful scrap book and being an Honor Bee. She had also made a
very fine book of Remembrance in the Junior genealogical class,
having a cover with the temples on it which she made. She had
special talent in making scrap books, also in dress making which
she took in grade school and in High School. Audrey was also a
good dress maker. As I cannot sew, I surely appreciate my girls
sewing.
June Meets Elaine
One Sunday night at close of sacrament meeting two boys stepped
up to Elaine and asked her to stay to fireside. They were
Raphael Olson and June H. Gardiner. She stayed and they brought
her home. One Sunday I asked June H. Gardiner to bring his Book
of Remembrance to Sunday School. He brought it the next Sunday
and came to our house for dinner. Audrey drove us home. Elaine
had a rash, so she didn't go to Sunday School. We thought it
might be three-day measles. June and Elaine looked at each
other's Books of Remembrance and read each others Patriarchal
Blessings, both given by George Wilde. June came to our house
often from that time. Elaine went to the leap year-dance with
Raphael Olson. June worked swing shift at Lockheed's Airplane
Factory and often came in the daytime. When Elaine was
eighteen years old, April 28, 1943, she quit college.
Elaine is Married
Sunday, May 16, 1943, at 11:30 p.m., June, Elaine and I took the
bus to Utah. We went to Rosena Blake's in St. George, stayed all
night Monday night. Tuesday morning May 18th, we went to the St.
George Temple. June and Elaine got their own endowments and I
did an endowment for the dead. After the session closed, we went
on the bus to Salt Lake. They had to get a blood test to secure
a marriage license. They were married in Salt Lake Temple May
19, 1943 by Brother David Broadbent, counsellor to the temple
president. Bertha went to the temple with us. They went to
Idaho to see June's folks and then returned to Los Angeles. They
stayed in the house with George that summer. June was drafted in
the Navy and left in September for San Diego for training.
Buying the Farmington Orchard
I stayed in Utah all summer. June had told me he would like to
buy a place in Utah if I could find one for the money he had
saved. I prayed about it and later asked Harold and Marvel
Mayfield if they would sell us the acre and adobe house where
Marvel's father Albert hess and his wife and 15 children had
lived. They sold it to us for $1600, and as soon as the tenants
moved, I went there to live. I had a wonderful feeling of peace,
as if Marvel's dead (the Hess family from Switzerland) and my
dead had prayed for Harold and Marvel to let me live in that
sacred place. Edward Clark,Stake Patriarch, came up and my
sister and I asked him to dedicate it. He dedicated it as a
place of prayer, a place of learning and a place of refuge. He
also blessed the land that the water would always flow freely. I
only got an hour water turn but I have always got it watered
except late in summer when water is low, it didn't go to end of
rows.
When I left St. George, may 18th, I brought Rosena Blake's
Schneebeli record she had just received from Julius Billiter. It
had 4500 names and went back to the year 1200. All our other
records went only to 1530. I thought my great-grandmother
Veronica Schneebeli would be in it, but I didn't find her. I
wrote 500 families from it on family group sheets for Sister
Blake to do temple work.
Pleasant Summer
I had a pleasant summer with much fruit, delicious cherries,
plums and peaches on this acre, besides all the fruit kind
neighbors gave me. I canned a great deal and put it in the
cellar. My brother, William Stone, came and fixed the cellar
door, kitchen door and windows. He made me a saw-horse to saw up
dead trees for wood. Charlotte and my sister helped me an gave
me furniture, etc. sister Boylin moved away and gave me dished,
kettles, blankets, etc. Brother Joseph Pratt helped me a great
deal. Bill Statis sold 25 lugs of plums for me at 80 cents a
lug, first and last plums I ever sold.
I did 30 endowments in Salt Lake Temple and sealings of two
couples for Christian Bertlesen, a new convert in Hollywood Ward.
I forgot to say that two sealing excursions when our family was
permitted to do sealings in evenings in salt Lake Temple were
August 19th, 1938 when Joseph and Margaret Bachman, William and
Ida Stone, Rosella and Elijah Larkin, Lyle Bachman, Charlotte
Nichols, Bertha and I, also Lorenzo Young and Wister Wallace of
Farmington acted as proxies, Edward Clark officiating. I wrote
the names of the proxies on the sealing sheets. The other night
was September 11th, 1942, when William and Ida Stone, Blane and
Margaret Bachman, Laurence and Annie Hill, henry and Mary alice
Hill, Vernon and Vallecita Hill, Elijah and Rosella Larkin,
Charlotte Nichols, Bertha and I acted as proxies.
Elaine Miscarriage
On October 15, 1943, we had a snow storm. It broke limbs off
some trees, but none of mine. I was working on Sister Blake's
record. November 6th I got word form Elaine that she had
miscarriage. She was pregnant about six weeks. She had gone to
Audrey's the day she had it, so Audrey had her go to bed. I
hurried home as soon as possible. I had better health that winter
than usual, so after Elaine got strong we washed all the wood
work in our house, which was an all winter's job. June came
from San Diego on his way east. His train only stopped in L.A. a
couple of hours and he couldn't go far from the station, so we
took a taxi and went to the station.
Elaine could drive her father's car, so she took Audrey and me to
church, as Audrey still came over every Sunday. I has a very
pleasant Winter. It was the first winter Elaine was home all day.
Elaine Loves The Orchard
May 23, 1944, Elaine and I went on the bus to Utah. We stopped at
Rosena Blake's in St. George a couple of days and went to the
temple. Elaine had not seen the place she now owned. I doubt if
she would have liked to live in the house as it was in Winter.
She loved the orchard and in July she and I picked the cherries.
We sold the Royal Annes to Smith Cannery Co., 50 lugs at 10 cents
a lb. Brother Earl Spencer sold the dark cherries for us. July
19th, we had a three day east wind which put all our Lamberts on
the ground but we picked them up and Brother Spencer got 10 cents
a pound for them. Elaine could climb the trees and was surely a
good picker. We also picked strawberries and raspberries for Mr.
Engstrom. Elaine got $300 for the cherries and had no expenses
to pay out of it. She put screens on the windows, tar paper on
the kitchen roof and shingles on the other roof where it leaked.
But the greatest thing she did was to go to the temple. She
looked beautiful in her wedding dress and my robe which Rosena
Blake made. I wore Bertha's old robe. I did 25 endowments and
some sealings. This was the happiest summer of my life to have
Elaine to go to the temple with me. Bertha went with us.
Elaine Goes to San Francisco with June
Elaine went to Los Angeles on September 12. I stayed and canned
the plums. I went back October 12th to Los Angeles. My health
was poor that winter. Elaine was restless, so she got a job at an
office in L.A. She didn't seem to be very happy at her job.
June was at Treasure Island in San Francisco. He was a Radio
Technician. In May Elaine went there and they rented an
apartment.
I went to Utah May 4th and stopped in St. George at Rosena
Blake's few days and went to the temple. I did three endowments.
Then I went to Farmington. I was sick there in May. I had a
heavy crop of cherries. I hired Sister Garett and her girls Edna
and Nadine to help me pick. Paul helped after work. My sister
also picked and she was a very good picker. I paid her $30. She
said it was the first money she ever earned. Elaine came from
Frisco in August. I only did three endowments in Salt lake
Temple. Elaine didn't feel so well, being pregnant.
Elaine Is Back
We returned to L.A. in October. Elaine didn't feel well that
winter. She took lots of walks and we read several books.
Audrey came every Sunday. They both drove George's car. We went
to Church every Sunday. Elaine seemed so happy that winter. I
am sorry to say I never saw her happy any more as she was then.
June was June was released from the Navy and went to Logan and
started to the Agricultural College in January 1946. Where he had
gone a year before.
Kent Is Born 1946
Kent was born about 7:00 a.m. March 18 in the same room where
Elaine was born 21 years before. He weighed 7 lbs. 4 oz. She
had a very easy birth, no pains until about 5:00 a.m., when I had
her take a hot bath. I took care of her and the baby, had her
stay in bed a couple of weeks and not do any hard work for six
weeks. She nursed the baby. (His parents called him "bub".)
May 13th we took the bus to Utah and stayed a night or two at
Rosena Blake's . I went to the temple May 15th and did an
endowment. Then we went to Farmington. June came down on Friday
nights and went back on Sundays. He stayed in Providence.
May 23, 1946, Bertha and I visited Julius Billetger and his wife
in Salt Lake. They had come from Switzerland now the war was
over. He brought the Jenta record, only 65 names. It cost $6.
I gave him $50 deposit to secure another record.
June Buys House In Providence
June decided to buy a place in Providence. I asked him to sell
this place to me. Audrey had given me $300 to buy a lot several
years before. which I still had, also money I received for
cherries past two summers. Audrey gave me $400 more and I paid
June the same as he paid for the place. They bought the Fuhriman
home in Providence, a two - story stucco house. June helped pick
the cherries, Bertha helped , also. We got a buggy from Virginia
Young for Kent, so we could take him out.
Saddest Day
July 28, 1946, was the saddest day of my life up to that time,
although I have had sadder ones since then. On that day, June's
father Fred Gardiner, came from Malta, Idaho, in a little truck
and took Elaine and Kent to Providence,. I shall never forget
that day and the sorrow and loneliness I felt. But it was only
few days until Elaine found a ride down here. The ones who
brought her went on to Salt lake. She wanted me to go home with
her, so I did. I stayed two weeks. This was in August and we
still found fruit in Providence,, apricots and pie cherries. I
met some of the Providence people, mostly Swiss.
October 13, 1946 Bertha and I went to Ogden and stayed at Dr.
Conrad Jenson's house for two weeks. It was quite a mansion,
Janitrol gas furnace, electric dishwasher, garbage disposal,
Bendix automatic washer. I tried the garbage disposal thing, but
Bertha wouldn't let me try any of the others. The furnace had a
blower. We each had a bed - room. We could charge at the
grocery store where they trade. I walked to town and all around
the neighborhood. I found plums and grapes on lots around there.
Mary Nielsen, Hazel Hill and Arthur Stallings came to see us.
Conrad Jr. came home from college at week ends.
Elaine In Poverty
I had intended to go to St. George for the winter and I was sorry
afterward that I didn't. I went to Providence to Elaine's Oct.
31st. I am sorry I ever went there. I felt sad to see her
living in such poverty. I had some money, so I went to Logan and
bought springs and a mattress for the twin beds June had made. I
also bought food and coal. June got an old cook stove at Deseret
Industries. It was no good and we almost froze. There was a
heater in the front room but he wouldn't let us use it even if I
did buy coal. He has a very stubborn disposition. Elaine got an
awful cold. She was nursing Kent. It was below zero that
winter. Kent was 7 1/2 months old when I went up there. He was
a very strong baby. His crib was in the kitchen and he stood up
in it most of the day. He slept in the bassinet the Relief
Society gave me before Elaine was born at night in a crib sheet
we bought from Virginia Young. I had John Wallace send Elaine a
hundred pounds of carrots. She grated 8 to 12 ounces of carrot
juice for Kent a day, straining it through a thin sack. Elaine
seemed very unhappy. Bishop Maughan lived next door. He was
very kind to them. He gave them a lot of food and other things.
We did some washing at his house in his machine until Elaine sent
to Ward's for a washer. Many people in Providence were kind to
them. I doubt if they will ever live among such kind people
again. The Bishop gave June the job of President of the Elders
Quorum. But he was beginning to be affected by the college
teachings, especially by Dr. Bee who taught him Sociology, a
subject I would never wish to see any one study again. I suppose
he is only one of many whose faith was weakened, as I have since
read where Mark Peterson said that even returned missionaries
have their faith destroyed by college teachings. He seemed so
religious heretofore that it was a terrible shock to Elaine to
see him change. About a year later when I was in St. George, she
wrote and said she feared he wouldn't even be a member of the
Church when he finished college. He was very un tidy in his
habits and kept the place in a mess. So I didn't get along with
him at all. When I had been there about two months, he told
Elaine he wanted me to leave. I went to Farmington to Annie
Palmer's a day or two before Christmas and I never went to his
house any more. Annie was very nice but when I had been there
about two weeks, she had a slight stroke and lost her memory
temporarily. I got William Goldman to administer to her, but she
didn't remember it in few hours. She got better a year or so
later.
I went to Charlotte's the first part of January 1947 and stayed
in her basement three months. They were very kind to me. I was
ill when I went there. In February I had a very bad cold and
cough which lasted a long time. I bought a ton of coal up at my
place and dear brother William brought a heater (Estate). I paid
him $25 for it but it cost him more. He also put it up. But De
Lore said I shouldn't go up there until it got warmer. I went up
in April. I attended April Conference. It snowed in April
Elaine and Kent came down in may for a week. I got a Hotpoint
Electric range from Sister Sill and they bought it.
Special Vacation With Everybody
In June I was picking strawberries across the street from
Engstroms. Early one morning George came in a car he bought from
Fred Walker. He took it up to give to Elaine. He stayed about
three weeks. He brought Elaine and Kent down. Audrey and Glen
came about June 17. I was anxious for them to attend M.I.A.
Conference in Salt lake but they wouldn't. Glen's mother was
with them. Her mother lived in Tremounton so they went there.
Glen had three cousins in Providence. Glen and Audrey came down
again in few days. They were here June 21st and we had a wind
and it was really cold. It blew off lots of cherries. They went
to church here with me. Brother Stelter asked Glen to say few a
words.
Elaine and Kent Come Back
The cherries soon got ripe. I got Otilda De Vore to help Bertha
and me pick them Brother De Vore also helped After July 4th they
all went back to Los Angeles. Elaine and Kent came and stayed a
while. Elaine picked some cherries. We gave Kent Tartarian
juice. We got apricots from Hinnman's. We put Kent in the
bed-room on the floor while we picked the apricots. He was lying
on the bare floor asleep when we came back. We canned a bushel of
beets we bought from John Wallace. In September they let Kent
stay with me. He liked to walk bare footed , especially when I
irrigated. June had job in Providence working for the city.
Bishop Maugham got it for him. He put a Lennox coal furnace in
their basement, so Elaine was more comfortable than she had been
the previous winter. I did only six endowments and five sealings
in Salt Lake temple in 1947. This was my first winter in Utah
for many years except the two we spent in St. George 1936-1938.
The latter part of October 1947, I got a free ride to St. George
with Harold and Geneva Dunn. Rosena Blake had invited me to
stay in the room I saw in a dream in 1936. In November 1947
Julius Billeter sent the Burger record of 1200 names from
Switzerland to Farmington. I sent his son Julius in Salt Lake
$100 December 6, 1947 to pay for the record.
Sister Blake was very kind to me. I was sick a great deal that
winter. Frank and Verna Dewsnup were also kind. I stayed a week
in their apartment in January 1948 while they went to California.
Joseph and Carrie Olson were kind. they gave me $10 for
Christmas. He was our Bishop in Glendale and she was a counselor
in Relief Society. Joseph was stake patriarch and an ordinance
worker in the temple. He gave me a blessing and told me to stay
in St. George. I helped him with his Genealogy later. Marie Le
Baron gave me treatments when I was ill. Elsie Free Hafen sold
me milk. I did 38 endowments and some sealings in St. George that
winter. I heard many wonderful testimonies in the morning
meetings. Harold Snow was President of temple. I took long
walks. Verna Dewsnup asked me to give some Theology lesson in
relief Society. Brother Dewsnup was Genealogical Chairman. I did
home teaching for them. I got a free ride to Salt lake at April
Conference with ted peterson, of Bishopric.
Sandy Is Born
(1948) Elaine and Kent came down in May. I was so glad to see
them once more. Elaine was pregnant so she couldn't pick
cherries. I got Mr. Jacobson to help, but there wasn't good sale
for them after the war, so I decided Bertha and I would pick them
and we did. June was getting his masters degree in Sept. at the
Agricultural College, so they sold the place back to Fuhriman's
for $6000. He rented an apartment at the college. But Elaine
and Kent moved down to Farmington with me July 17th, 1948. We
went to Bountiful to see Dr. Stocks. He had delivered 3,800
babies. He came up the Sunday before the baby was born. Elaine
was at Sunday School. August 24th in the afternoon she had
slight pains. She took a bath in the tub. I wrapped towels
around her. The pains got hard. I called the Doctor and got her
to bed. Bertha was here. The baby was already arriving, when
the Doctor came. He was disturbed. Elaine was glad the baby was
a brown-eyed girl. She was born in the front room. Kent and I
slept in the bed-room. We put the babies to bed in the kitchen
at night. June came down when he got his masters degree at the
A.C. He was planning to go to Wisconsin to the University. It
was 54 degrees below zero there the previous winter. Elaine did
not feel able to go there with two babies, so June went to L.A.
in the car George gave Elaine. Audrey and Glen had been living
with George since June 1946. June stayed with them a while and
looked for jobs. He came back in Audrey's car with George's
trailer in October. I packed Elaine's things in the trailer,
also my clothes and some canned fruit. I stopped in St. George
and rented Charlotte Atkins basement for $10 a month. They went
to Los Angeles and lived with George, Audrey and Glen. June got a
job at Lockheeds, where be worked before the war.
Wayne Gardner Freezes To Death
Sister Atkins was very kind to me. Dolly Brown, from Clearfield,
rented a room in her house. She was nice. Ada Schmutz sold me
milk for 10 cents a quart. She lived across the street. I had
much fruit. I bought several lugs of Isabel grapes and two
bushels of pears from George Graf, a bushel of apples and a man
in Santa Clara let me pick the Satsuma plums he had left on his
trees free. He sold me a lug of prunes. I had brought canned
fruit but didn't use it, so in spring I sent it to Elaine by
Rocky Mt. Truck Company. Clement Gubler was one of the owners
and lived in Rosemead. I was only sick once that winter.
December 5th. Marie Le Baron came and gave me treatments. Helen
Palmer helped me. I was asked by the bishops of two Wards to do
home teaching in Genealogy. Lenzi Sullivan asked me to teach the
home teachers how to teach in his Ward. Byron Taylor was the
Bishop. So I visited many homes. I did 34 endowments and 34
sealings in temple. I had made out sheets on my new record
(Burger) in April, May and June The winter was a cold one.
Wayne Gardner went up to his sheep camp and froze to death. His
body was not found until the snow melted. He had a son on a
mission in South Africa. I attended Wayne's funeral in
Tabernacle. Abel John Peterson sang. He brought his wife's
mother, Wayne's sister, Anna Stewart to the funeral. I rode to
to the Cemetery with them. I got a free ride to Farmington in
march. The snow below my north window was still piled up about
two feet high. It came off the roof and froze. We had a cold
east wind in March. Charlotte came up and made my fire. Bertha
helped me. In April I planted six new trees. Harold Mayfield
helped me. Earl Spencer planted a dozen grape vines for me.
Brother Hedgepeth took me to Brother Earl's to buy them. Bertha
helped me pick the cherries. She had helped me six summers.
Brother Hedgepeth took them to Lee Jost's in Kaysville. I did
only five endowments in S.L. Temple.
In October 1949, Rose Chaffin asked me to stay with her. I
stayed five months. I got milk at Horace Wellings. I went to
town every day, to Charlotte's for long walks up Farmington
Canyon all winter. The first Sunday in November was Relief
Society Conference. Counsellor Elverda Hanson asked me to give a
25 minute talk which I did. I had a nice winter at Mrs. Chaffin's
and she gave me a check for $150 when I left. I went up to my
place in April. Trees were in bloom and very beautiful, when one
night we had a frost and in the morning blossoms were black, so
we had no cherries, apricots or plums in 1950. I did seven
endowments and 15 sealings in S.L. Temple. June 2 I rode to
Ogden with Mrs. Chaffin's daughter. I went to Mary J. Nielsen's
and June 3rd at 4:00 am went on a bus to Idaho Falls Temple with
her Ward. We did two endowments and I got back to Mary's at
mid-night. She went on to Canada, where her son was on a mission., I
went back to Farmington with Lucille next day.
Elaine Gives Birth To Mark
The letters I had received from Elaine in the past year were very
strange, didn't sound at all like her. She said things that made
me feel very sad. I think since few years have passed now, that
she must have had a sort of a nervous break-down, as she has been
so different from what she was the 23 years I knew her so
intimately. Audrey wrote that she was going to have a baby in
July. So July 19th, 1950, I locked up my place and took the bus
to L.A. Audrey met me and I went to her house. They had bought
a place in March at 2749 Lakewood. They had berries and fruit
trees. My health was the best I ever remember it being. i
weighed 125 pounds. I slept in our house that night in the room
where Kent, was born and he slept in there , also. Next day I
went to see Cecile Brazier. She was very ill I went back to our
house in the evening. At 4:00 a.m. July 22nd, Elaine went to a
hospital and Mark was born that morning. I didn't like to see
her go to a hospital, the first one she was ever in. In two days
she came home. Mark was a lovely baby. I took care of him. I
had Elaine stay in bed for 10 or 12 days. Sandra slept in
George's porch, Kent in my room and Mark in the dining room,
later in the middle bed-room. George had built a nice little
sunny house in the back yard and he slept there. Mark was a
little yellow. Elaine said he was white when he was born. I
gave him catnip tea. Elaine nursed him and he soon got white.
He was her largest baby and easiest to care for. I rubbed him
several times a day. Sandra had a skin eruption. I put her on
orange juice and certified milk, then the only raw milk we could
buy in L.A. After buying raw milk there since 1913, it was now
forbidden. June and George gave Sandra food I didn't approve of
feeding a two year old. Raising children around five grown ups
was...a sad mistake. Kent was suffering with catarrh from the
mucus clogging his organs. Elaine had grown very nervous in the
two years since she left Utah. She and June looked for houses a
great deal of the time. They made a deposit on one in East
Glendale Ward on Wing Street, but backed out. They later bought
one at 914 N. Isabel in Glendale West Ward.I don't know which was
best buy as I didn't see the one on Wing. I bought Kent a youth
bed, Mark a crib and some other things for Elaine with the $150
dollars Mrs. Chaffin gave me. They moved just before Christmas,
but Kent stayed with us for several weeks. He loved to have me
read to him. June told Elaine he didn't want me to ever darken
his doors. I went over once, the first Tuesday in February and
asked Elaine to go to Relief Society. She refused, so I went to
her Ward and I knew many of the sisters who lived in Glendale
when we did. Olive marshall was President. I subscribed for
Relief Society Magazine, Era and Children's Friend for Elaine
past three years (1953). I never went to their house any more.
But they came to dinner at our house many Sundays. Audrey came,
also and Glen worked . Sister Brazier was very ill. I visited
her often. She had given me $300 to get hers and brother
Brazier's Genealogy. I sent $80 (over a period of two years) to
Frederick Sunderland, East Yorkshire, England. He had secured
wonderful records for Edith Hatch, Emma Madsen and Lucy Graff of
St.George. But all he got for Braziers was a pedigree chart of
Brother Brazier's mother lines in England.
I Take A Fall
June 7th I got a ride Provo with Wayne and Elna Austin for $8 and
took the Bus to Salt lake. I found lots of weeds and cherries
starting to get ripe. Had a very heavy crop and sold them to
Smith Canning Co. I got Lola and Robert Kirkham, Sara Jo Cheney,
Brother Hunt's daughters and friends from Salt Lake to pick. The
S.L. girls were fine pickers also Kirkhams. Had several other
boys and girls from here, not so good. July 4th I was picking
alone and was on top step of a 6-foot ladder with a heavy kettle
and bucket tied around my waist, when the ladder folded up and I
fell under it and sprained my left wrist and right ankle. I went
to bed for the rest of the day, but got up next day and kept on
picking, also canned. Tartarians that week. Elaine and her
family came next week but went right on to Malta, Idaho. They
came back a week later and stayed two nights. I put Mark in
Kent's buggy, Kent on a cot in the front rooms, Sandra in the
play pen in front room and I slept by them on the day bed. June
and Elaine slept in the bed-room. Elaine went to the Dentist and
took Kent to Lagoon. I had her things that she left here in 1948
packed. June put them and one of the twin beds, spring and
mattress, and all the canned fruit he could get in the trailer.
It was raining the morning they left. I picked cherries and
apricots in the rain for them. I was lame all of July but I kept
moving. In August I brought up all the temple records and wrote
300 sheets or temple work. They were names that had no death
dates and could not be done until 100 years form birth date. I
only did seven endowments. In september I canned plums and sent
them to L.A. by Arrowhead Freight Lines. My dear brother William
tied the boxes for me. It was his last trip to see me and the
acre he loved. Dear Ida was with him.
June Works Swingshift
I got a ride to L.A. at October Conference with Wayne and Elna
Austin. I was called to be a Relief Society visiting teacher and
visited 25 to 30 families a month, all on foot. Harold Dunn wa
Bishop and Lola Tanner Relief Society President. I was also
called to teach the Genealogical Class in Sunday School. I soon
afterward learned that Elaine was pregnant four months, so I
asked to be released from the Sunday School teaching. Dr. Dean
Anderson had given a lesson for me on Sunday when I was taking
care of Elaine's children, so he was put in Genealogical Chairman
and he also taught the class in Sunday School. I was sustained
as a Genealogical home teacher. Elaine got along fine. June had
changed from Lockheed to N.B.C. Television station in Burbank.
He wasn't home until 1:00 p.m. most of the time. He was more
active in the church now than he had been since they came to L.A.
in 1948. He was sustained a counsellor in the Elders quorum and
he attended Sacrament meeting when he didn't have to work Sunday
afternoons.
Janice Is Born
Mar 15, 1952, June brought Mark over to stay a while. I had
secured a crib from Lola Tanner and bought a new mattress. I had
it in my sleeping room. Mark stayed until June 8th. We surely
enjoyed having him. June got me two gallons of carrot juice a
week. He bought Mark's raw milk and other food. I took Mark for
long walks every day. He was only 20 months and he could climb
all the steepest hills. People thought he was three, as he was
so large and strong. Janice was a born Mar. 31st in a hospital.
I offered to care for Elaine and the baby, but they refused, so
she had no care after she came to her home from the hospital. Her
health was not good any more as it had been the past 27 years.
She had the best health of any girl I ever knew intimately the
first 21 years of her life. June brought Kent and Sandra over
April 1st. Sandra's crib was in the front bed-room and I
borrowed a crib from Agnes Beitler and put it in the back bed
room and put Mark in it and Kent slept in the crib in my room. I
surely enjoyed Kent. I had purchased Emma Marr Peterson's Bible
Stories and Book of Mormon Stories I read them all to Kent and
some over several times. I was sad when Kent went home. He was
with us seven weeks, Sandra eight and Mark twelve weeks. My
brother william and Ida came to see us while I had them. They
stayed at by brother William and Ida came to see us while I had
them. They stayed at her nephews, Wilford Edling's in Glendale,
for a few weeks, in April. It was the last time I ever saw my
dear brother, as he went home last of April and was killed May
12th. He was riding his bicycle and hit a truck and was thrown
20 feet and died that night. My best friend in L.A., who phones
to me nearly every day, Cecile Brazier died May 26th. Elaine was
going to have Janice blessed first Sunday in June, so they took
Mark home Sat. night before fast day. But Elaine took sick that
night, so June brought Mark back Sunday morning and he stayed
that week. I went to Elaine's Sunday after Mark went home and he
was so happy to see me. I took care of him most of the time the
first seven months of his life and three months again before he
was two.
I went on Ned Redding's special train to Conference, June 13th at
1:00 P.m. It was a fine trip, all L.D.S. on train. Isabelle
Smith sat in front of me. We each had a whole seat. A woman 93
years old was on train. There were five cars, a diner and
lounge, fare 12.50 one way. We got in Salt Lake at 6:00am
Friday I irrigated as soon as I got to Farmington. There were
very few cherries. I picked them alone and Oscar Clark took them
to market in Salt Lake. Hinman's had lots of apricots so I took
them to market in Salt Lake. Hinman's had lots of apricots so I
bought 9 bushels for 50 cents bushel, picked them and canned and
dried them and sent them to Elaine. I had the Deseret Roofing
Company from Salt lake put roof and siding on the house, Irvin
Pearson stucco back chimney and Ed. Barnett make a new brick
chimney on front, Owen Ellis gave me the brick. I could probably
have got a better price on roof and siding. But the owner of
Deseret Roofing Co. was a non member of the Church, George Duncan
and he called many times and I taught him the Gospel. He said it
would not be my fault if he never joined. He said I had told him
more about it then his wife (a member) had in all the years he
knew her. His carpenter Earl Larson was an inactive member of
the church. He was here off and on for several weeks. I also
taught him the Gospel, so perhaps I was supposed to have them. I
only did five endowments in Temple. I had no plums. Audrey and
Glen came about September 17th and I rode back to L.A. with them.
We stopped in Kanarra to see Hazel Davis and in St. George to see
Rosena Blake. Glen's mother Vera Kroksh, was with them.
Loneliest Winter Ever
The next winter was the loneliest winter I ever spent in my life.
I missed Sister Brazier's phone calls, my brother William's
letters, and Charlotte and Bertha had so much trouble, they
seldom wrote. Glen had a serious operation, so Audrey was very
busy. Elaine didn't need me as she had the previous winter. I
was so upset mentally I had three sick spells. I made my Relief
Society and Genealogical visits and went to Ruby Land's often or
I would have had a mental collapse. Christmas was a very sad one
for me. Audrey phoned that Elaine had been ill the day before
and all night. If she had only told me the day before I could
have taken care of her and saved her much suffering. I didn't
get there until noon and found she had an inflamed ovary from
catching cold at her menstrual period. The woman next door had
given her sleeping pills Christmas eve. I called Bishop Reed
Callister to administer to her. He brought Dr. Hales, his
counsellor, the Dentist I refused to allow to pull my teeth in
1936, as he was inactive member of Church and drank, and smoked a
cigar. All they could think of was pain killing dope and advised
her to get a doctor. Dr Hale sent his son over soon with a
bottle of pain-killing dope. He also recommended a doctor. I
had to get dinner Christmas afternoon and take care of four
children, so I could do little for Elaine. I went early the next
morning and they said the doctor was coming. All he did when he
came was give a prescription for some more pain killing dope. In
all the 21 years Elaine lived with me she never had a drug of any
kind or (shot). Now to have everyone, neighbor, Bishop's
Counsellor and doctor give her pain - killing drugs! Satan had
things going his way. But I got her to take an enema (painful
task for me), got her in a tub of hot Epsom salts water, got her
to bed and put compresses on the abdomen over the ovary. I was
sad that she has lost the faith she had when Kent and sandra were
born and before then. I was over at her house seven days then.
I went over in January, February and March and tried to get them
to rest and keep warm first two days of her menstrual period. I
went in April, also but he had no period, so I went twice a week
from then on to clean her house and get her to rest. I did her
ironing at home. I didn't like to leave her without any help now
she was pregnant. But I was nervous and then, so on June 12th ,
I got a ride with Clovis Hill to Provo for $5 and took the Bus to
Salt lake. I got Brother McKay to clean out my ditches for $6 ,
so I could irrigate better. The frost had taken the apricots and
cherries. I only sold 125 lbs at 12 cents a pound and sent some
to Audrey and Elaine. The trees were covered with aphids, so I
was glad I didn't have many cherries to pick. The heat killed
them later. I had no fruit to can or dry, so I picked
raspberries for Charles Anderson and blackberries of Edward
Clifton Hedgepeth.
Family Reunion
We held our family reunion at Rosella Larkins August 6th . I had
to conduct the meeting, no officers being present. W.H. Reeder
was elected President, J. R. Bachman and Annie Hill, Vice
Presidents, Rosella Larkin Secretary and Treasurer, Comfort Bach
historian, Fred Hill Chairman of Temple Committee and I was
retained as Genealogists. Roland had pictures of father's old
home and other places he had taken in Switzerland. While he was
in the army. I spent the night and next day at Mary Nielsen's
read her patriarchal blessings and looked at her pedigree charts.
Comfort brought me home I did only 8 endowments in S. L. Temple.
Advice On Moving
I have made many mistakes in my life. One was moving so much.
Moving is one of the most nerve - wrecking experiences I have
ever known. I hope my children will not be so foolish as to keep
moving. I would buy a home and stay in it if I had my life to
live over again.
I went to general Conference in October 1953, and got a ride
through Bureau of Information on Ned Redding's train for $12.50.
Train left at 6:00pm. sunday had a nice trip, arrived in L.A.
Monday pm Mary Russon met President John Russon, who was on the
train, and they took me home.
Best Christmas 1953
Elaine was feeling fine. Mark and Janice l came to stay with us
on 9th December, 1953, Gayle was born 16 Dec, 1953, Kent and
Sandra came to our house, that day and stayed until after
Christmas holidays and stayed until School started after New
Years. We had a Christmas tree. June and Audrey decorated it.
Elaine sent over a lot of presents she had bought for the
children. Glen and Audrey came on Christmas day and brought a
very lovely electric train set and Glen ran it for the children
and they surely enjoyed it. It was the happiest Christmas I ever
remember.
Mark and Janice stayed with us until the last of February.
Sandra and Kent had chicken-pox in January and February. Elaine
nursed Gayle and she was her best baby, but Mark was a very good
baby. I went over several days a week to help Elaine after mark
and Janice went home.
Cherry Pickers
I got a ride to Utah in June with Clarence Wallace. His wife
Bernadine was president of east L.A. Stake, YWMIA, and had
already gone to June M.I.A. Conference. Brother Wallace had five
women passangers and we were very crowded. Left L.A. at 7:00
p.m. and arrived in Salt Lake Sat. noon. After he took the four
women to their destinations, he took me to Farmington and up to
my place. I cleaned house and stayed here. Cherries were not
ripe. Had a very heavy crop. Sold them to smith Canning
company. Started picking 24th June and cannery stopped talking
them 6th July. I still had several hundred pounds of cherries.
George Koroulis came with his pickers and got over 300 pounds,
paid his pickers, but never paid me a cent. He had Earl
Spencer's ladders and left them here a week or so. Joseph Santoro
from Salt lake came 15 July and I got some girls to pick for him.
He paid me $7 and owes me $5. I had Lawrence Ward to help me,
paid him 50 cents an hour, had girls and boys, also Mc Kays to
pick . If i had hurried the Cannery would have taken all of
them. But Elaine came while we were picking and I got beds ready
for them. There were still cherries when they came back from
Malta, also apricots. Karl Hinnman had lots of apricots, so I
canned and dried a lot of them and he did not charge me anything
for them. He is a kind man.
I went to Manti Temple 14th of July with Davis Stake and did one
endowment, did 12endowments in Salt Lake Temple. Mary J. Nielsen
came and stayed all night several times. We went to General
Conference in October. My dear sister Bertha went with us. I
rode back to L.A. with Clarence Wallace, left Monday and got
there after mid-night (Tuesday morning.)
Glen-The Sickest Person I Ever Saw
I spent the next eight months in L.A. Did Relief society
visiting and also home teaching in Genealogy. I helped Elaine
about three days a week and often went there on Sundays when June
had to work, so Elaine could go to Sunday School and Sacrament
meeting. I put Gayle, Janice and Mark to bed while Elaine, Kent
and Sandra went to Sacrament meeting. I got the 8:00 pm bus home.
Elaine had some sick spells, so I could help her then. After
Christmas George went to Nebraska for three weeks. Glen was sick
when he went but continued to work until he got pneumonia and was
taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank in January. They had
adopted a baby, 18 months old. They named him Gerald. Glen came
home from the hospital in February or March, but he was very ill.
Glen's mother and Audrey tried to take care of him. Finally Dr.
Crowley of West Glendale Ward offered to take his case. He had
him taken to the St. Vincent's hospital in L.A. They pumped out
his lungs and took abscesses off his kidneys, He was the sickest
person I ever saw in my life when he was brought home from the
hospital. I never saw Audrey look so terrible. His life was
spared for some purpose. Audrey finally went back to her good
job at Willardson plumbing Co., near their home at 2749 Lakewood,
L.A. Glen's feet were so painful, it was a long time before he
could walk or even stand anything to touch them. Poor Glen has
surely endured great suffering in his life and will have a high
place in the Lord's Kingdom. He was Asst. Supt. in Sunday School
in Elysian Park Ward when he became ill. He is also an Master M.
Man and had been a Counsellor in M.I.A. Audrey taught the bee
hive class in M.I. A. before they adopted Gerald and Ruby Land
said she was a wonderful teacher.
Emma: Kent had measles in May and the other four had them after I
left for Utah. I rode with Clarence and Bernadine Wallace, left
on Friday, at 8:00pm. They brought me to Farmington to my place
Sat. afternoon. I started to pick cherries 28 June. Mrs
Barkdull and Fay Sanders picked for me. We picked 28th and 29th
of June, 5th and 6th and 13th of July. Lawrence Ward hauled them
to Wm. Tingey in Centerville. Brother Joseph Pratt got 100
pounds to sent to viola in Washington D.C., paid me $10
I donated over $100 to Los Angeles Temple, $100 to Swiss Temple
and $100 to New Zealand Temple past three summers.
Vacation to Lagoon
Elaine came to Utah in July. They enjoyed swimming at Lagoon.
There were few cherries and apricots left for them when they
left. I had such a time making beds, I went to Bountiful after
they left and bought two cribs for next time they came. I had
lots of plums. They were not all ripe when I left, so Myrtle
Preece, Marvel Mayfield and Vie Hess canned them for me and I had
them for next winter. I only did six endowments in Salt Lake
Temple. This was the last summer I had the great happiness of
being with my sister, Bertha, I saw her last the Monday morning
I left for L.A. She and Charlotte came up. I rode back with
Clarence Wallace. He had two Mexican men and two other women. I
sat in back seat with them. They were L.D.S. and very religious.
Got to L.A. at 2:00am Tuesday. Bertha died 12 February 1956,
would be 91 years old 19 April.
Since the Los Angeles Temple was about completed, I gave up my
Relief Society teaching, so I could spend all my time making home
visits for teaching Genealogy. I visited 27 families some months.
But my health was very poor. I was nauseated for 3 1/2 months.
Then I had bad colds for two months and my hearing was bad.
Los Angeles Temple Dedication
The L.A. Temple opened for visitors in December and was open for
two months. I did not go until the dedication. L.A. Stake day was
Monday 12 march in the Afternoon. Wayne and Elna Astun took me
and I had a front seat. I had been hard of hearing for two
months,but I heard well that day and since. President McKay
offered the dedicatory prayer and it was wonderful. Tuesday
afternoon was Glendale Stake day. Elaine was pregnant two months
and had a cold, so could not go. President McKay offered the
dedicatory prayer and it was wonderful. Tuesday afternoon was the
Glendale Stake day. June and Kent and Glen and Audrey went. The
temple opened for ordinance work 16 April, 1956. I went 18
April, rode with Carlos and Pearl Stewart. Benjamin Bowring was
President. There were 11 women and 10 men in the morning
session, no new ones. I attended the 8:30 a.m. meeting. I went
home on the Bus. Besides Stewarts, Harold and Geneve Dunn, Morgan
and Elsie White, Henry Olson and Amy Detloff were ordinance
workers from Hollywood Ward. I went again May. Alonzo and
Isabel Smith took Jane Ellen Owen Jones and me. She went for her
own endowments. Dr and sister Chas Petty were also there. Glen
and Audrey went to the temple 24th April at 6:00 pm to have
Gerald sealed to them. June and Elaine went with them. They all
four went thru the 7:00 pm session. I stayed with Elaine's
children.
Tartarians
On mothers day in May, Elaine, Kent and Gayle took the mumps.
Glen took me to Elaine's Monday morning and I stayed three weeks,
as June was in New York at Television school. Mark got Mumps
later. I got Elaine's house cleaned some, as I got up before day
light. She stayed in bed two weeks, others four days. I took
Gayle to Dr. Handly, a chiropractor on E. Glenoaks, near Elaine's
on the fourth day at 5:00pm and he gave her treatment. She slept
better after that. I did not like to leave Elaine, but I needed
to take care of the orchard, so I came 8th June 1956 with
Clarence Wallace. He had three other women, one his wife
Bernadine and a small girl. I sat in front with them. We left
late and had to drive 35 miles an hour on account of his car
having new rings, so it was near mid-night Sat. when we got to
Charlotte's. She was up ironing. I slept in my sister's bed
that night. Sunday I came up to my house. I went to Sunday
School at 10:00 and Sacrament meeting at 5;00 p.m. in First Ward.
Monday I tried to irrigate but little water. I never go to the
bottom of some of my nine rows all the summer. It was driest I
ever saw in Utah. I heard President J. Reuben Clark say some
years ago if the people did not take better care of the land, the
place would go back to desert. I fear I am living to see it. I
was shocked to find a dozen of my trees dead and many more dying.
i had no apricots but Mrs. Chaffin gave me some and I dried 45
creates (38 pounds when dried.) I had no Tartarians. I canned
15 quarts of Nathan Clark's a kind friend who always invited me
to have his fruit and spring water. I had Grace Darley of
Rupert, Idaho and her son Tom, Tingey's son, Sherman, came and
got them. We picked them all in three days, 54 - 20 lb lugs. I
got a new set of teeth in bountiful from Dr. Reed Hardvixen for
$65. Charlotte took me to Eden on the 4th of July to the
Cemetery, to my old home where Gainer Bachman, nephew lives ,to
her brother's Arthur Stallings. his daughter Joan and husband
Herbert Sontag, daughter Heidi were there. Verna was in hospital
with pneumonia. We also called at Hazel Boyle's and Mary
Nielsen's and went to my old home at 1518 Jefferson Ave (Now
1520) in Ogden and called on Ida Stone and Lola and David scott.
My nephew Frank Stone, Mayor of Toelle, died Friday 10 August
1956, had heart attack. Charlotte took me to his funeral Tuesday
14 August 1956. Rexel and Dot, Lola and David an their two sons
and two daughters, Loyd an Jean Arch and Amy and Bud stone, wife
and children, with Frank's wife Ida and her daughter from Canada
were the relatives. A very large number of Tooele people were
there. My brother William's boys were not active church members.
Comfort Bock and Anne came and brought me a lot of peaches,
prunes and grapes. They live at 1634 22nd st. Ogden. Anne
teaches Hillside High school in Salt Lake and her mother teaches
High School in Ogden. Margaret teaches in Long Beach,
California.
I only did 8 endowments in Salt Lake Temple this summer. I rode
to los Angeles with Clarence Wallace and arrived 10 October 1956.
Jeffrey Is Born
12 October 1956 Elaine's sixth baby, Jeffrey Lynn was born. I
stayed at her home 914 No. Isabel in Glendale for three weeks and
slept in the play house, a nice quiet place on a new bed. Then I
went home and took Janice and Gayle and Mark came on Friday night
and stayed until he had to go home for school. We went to Sunday
School in Hollywood Ward.
13 December 1956 I rented a room from Louie Lambert, 350
Burchette Street in Glendale. I knew her when we lived in
Glendale from September 1928 to November 1936. She wished me to
help her with her Genealogy. He father's name was Haas. He was
her step-father but she was to be sealed to him. She had a Haas
printed record which copied on sheets. She was six blocks form
Elaine's, so I could walk to Elaine's. Elaine was not well and
Jeffrey was a cross baby.
I Enjoy Taking Care Of Elaine's Children
I was sick day before Christmas, so I spent the holidays in bed
at Louies. Edith , her daughter, her husband, Joseph Cooper, son
Joseph and Dianne lived in front house. West Glendale Chapel was
on Central Avenue, three blocks from Louies, so I could walk to
church when Elaine was not needing me, but I stayed with Jeffrey
and let her go when she was well enough. She had never been
really well since Janice was born. I surely enjoyed taking care
of her dear children. So for nearly six months I was with them
nearly every day. We took walks to the Safeway which Gayle and
Janice enjoyed very much.
I attended a Tri-Stake Genealogical Convention in Van Nuys 20
January 1957, all day and surely enjoyed it. President Benjamin
Bowring of L.A. Temple was one of the speakers.
Faith
Elaine had great faith the first twenty - one years of her life.
If Elaine had continued to have that faith, she could have been
healed instead of paying Dr. Harold K. Marshall and the hospital
he owned in Glendale eleven hundred dollars. She was operated on
by him and had her left ovary and a cyst removed 22 April, 1957.
As I do not like surgery and know the Creator has power to heal
the bodies he was the Creator of, I was very sad over this. But
faith seems to be weak at present, not strong like it was in
Pioneer days.
I stayed at Louies and continued to go to Elaine's every day
until Clarence Wallace drove to Salt lake to M.I.A. June
Conference. June, 1957. I went home the morning of 7 June,
packed my things and we left at 3:00 am and arrived in Farmington
that night 8 June.
The cherries were almost ripe and there was a very heavy crop. I
was fortunate to get James and Betty Parsell to pick and Betty's
mother, Mabel Steed took care of their two children. I also got
Loraine Darley and Kathleen, Ramona Bobo and Goldie Barton, Dear
William Tingey of the High Council came with his little children
and took them to the market in Salt Lake. James and Betty hauled
the largest of the Royal Annes to Muirs in Bountiful.
We had a very large crop of apricots. I canned all of mine and I
dried as many as I could of Rose Chaffin's and Karl Hinman's.
The bombs they shot off in Nevada sent a black smoke that
obscured the sun much of the time in August so I lost man bushels
of apricots I could have dried. I canned over 500 quarts of
fruit, cherries, Tartarian, apricots and plums.
1957 Vacation
Elaine and family came 23 July, 1957, stayed two days and nights,
then went to Malta, Idaho, came back 6 August and left for home 7
August. I was never so lonely in my life as I was after they
left. But I was very busy taking care of the heavy fruit crop. I
sent Elaine 250 quarts of canned fruit and probably 40 pounds of
dried apricots and peaches, also many herbs, peppermint being
their favorite. I sent them by the Inter state Motor Lines.
I went to Salt Lake Temple 28 August, 1957 with Margaret Bock to
see her married to Norris Dean Adams. I was her only relative
present. Her husband's parents and brothers were there. I went
to Ogden to her mother's Comfort Bocks and attended her wedding
reception in the 35th Ward Chapel. Charlotte came and took me
back to Farmington. Anna Bock had ben married to Ward Hedges the
previous December
3 October, 1957, Mary Jones Nielsen from Ogden and her son Merle,
who works in Schnectady,New York, came to take me to the Salt
Lake Temple. We went through with Merle and Christina Mortenson,
of Canada, and saw them married. Mary has been my dear kind
friend ever since we graduated from Ogden High school in 1906.
Elaine did not wish me to help her, so Florence Barton's sister,
Chlo Erskine, asked me to stay with her at 764 Park Street, Salt
Lake City. Charlotte took me there 22 October, 1957. I went to
Salt Lake Temple with Chlo October and 25 November Chlo's
brother, Wilson Perkins came from Oakland, California in December
1957 and they went to his home 1111 El Centro Avenue, Oakland 10
December. Florence drove her new 1958 mercury. I stayed at
Chlo's and took care of her place and wrote eleven Books of
Remembrance for florence and Chlo from their Perkins and Call
Records. Their mother Lucina Call Perkins was Anson Call's
daughter. She died at Florence's beautiful home in Farmington 23
july 1957. She was 94 years old.
I was in my brother Emuel Bachman's Ward. He lived at 611 park
Street in second Ward, Liberty Stake. I met several people who
knew him. One of them Was Kate Carter, President of the
Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. She asked me to write the
history of my Pioneer ancestry. I joined the D.U.P in March
1958.
I spent Christmas at my niece's La Dene Walker's. They came for
me. They have a lovely home in beautiful location.
One of my dear friends Mabel Lindsay Steed, died 23 December
1957. She was the mother of 15 living children, a great soul.
Doctors
I met and visited Rose Floyd in Salt Lake. She had ben a nurse
for 50 years. She is 72 and sells herbs and natural vitamins.
she has no faith in doctors and hates "shots". So does Henry
Pistorius, who makes juices at 522 East 8th South. He was asked
to go on a mission to Holland eight years ago. We was willing to
go but refused to take the shots, so he was not called.
I took long walks every day during the five months I was at
Chlo's in Salt Lake. I came back to Farmington 15 March 1958.
Ward and Ann Hedges and Dan and Margaret Adams came in their cars
and moved my things for me.
I had my house papered by George Wright in April 1958. The
County pulled up 17 dead cherry trees. Richard Walton, 760 Park
street, Salt lake City, came and helped me buy 18 fruit trees and
planted them. I only have one hour a week to irrigate an acre and
the last five years there has been a shortage of water and very
little rain or snow, so my trees have died.
I had a heavy crop of cherries and sold the Royal Anns to Smith
Canning Company. James Parseell hauled the others to William
Tingey in Centerville.
I did 13 endowments in Salt Lake Temple.
I went to General Conference in october and met Catherine Murphy.
Her husband was Bishop of Adams Ward. They invited me to ride to
Los Angeles with their boy and girl sat in the back seat. I sat
in the front seat with them. Had a fine trip .
Julie Is Born
26 December, 1958 Elaine gave birth to her seventh child, Julie.
27 December I went to Glendale to help them. I slept in their
playhouse at 914 No. Isabel three weeks. I rented a room from
Mary Johnson at 630 No. Jackson for five months. I only stayed
there nights, as I helped Elaine every day of the five months
from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. I read religious books to Mark every
night. They had purchased a home at 1366 Cleveland Drive and
were painting and fixing the house to get it ready to sell.
Elaine painted and worked hard. They moved to the house
Cleveland Drive when school closed in June, but did not sell the
house on Isabel until later.
1959
Elaine and family came for one week in July and spent the week in
Malta, stopping on the way up and back for few hours. I gave
tghem cherries and apricots.
Glen, Audrey, Gerald and Glen's mother, Vera Kroksh, came for a
week in August to Attend the Brough family reunion. We went to
Lagoon and Gerald enjoyed it.
I canned and dried apricots and peaches and set Elaine 120 pounds
and 144 quarts of canned fruit by Interstate Motor Lines 1
October 1959.
At october Conference, 1959, I got a ride to St. George with
Albert Fitzpatrick and stayed at Rosina Blake's, in her two up
stairs rooms. I did 23 endowments in St.George Temple.
I wrote 769 family group sheets from Rosinas Swiss records
secured by Julius Billiter, Schneebeli, Meier, Weiss,
Blickenstorfer, Stiefel and Knecht records. I also wrote hundreds
of dates in the records.
Ivisited George Miles,Stake patriarch, 93 years od. Frank and
Verna Dewsnup , Marie Le Baron, Joseph and Carrie Olson and Lucy
Graf. Ella Rigby Durrant from Vernon Tooele County, rented an
apartment from Charles and Mabel Short Sullivan. She was in a
wheel chair. She sang solos in the temple and in the chapel. I
visited her.
Elaine Is Very Ill
Saturday, 26 March 1960, I received a letter from Elaine saying
she was ill. Since October she had felt very fatigued. In
January she felt her stomach getting large and hard. In March
she went to a doctor. He said it was her liver that was enlarged
and her heart was causing it. I got a ride to Los Angeles with
Bishop Sylvan Graf on a cattle truck. Verna Dewsnup took me to
Santa Clara at 5:00 a.m., Monday 28 March 1960. We arrived in
L.kA. at 6:00 p.m. June met me at the Cecil Hotel, 1st and
Spring, LA. I went to Elaine's home at 1366 Cleveland Drive and
slept in Marks bed room. It is a beautiful home, a large living
room, living room, kitchen, breakfast noon, service porch, five
bed-rooms and fruit room in basement with a large lovely yard.
George build a six foot redwood fence to enclose the back yard.
I was not able to do anything for Elaine. She was examined by
many doctors and they experimented on her with their shots,
drugs, etc, things which I do not approve of. She was
administered to by the Patriarch, Wilford Edling, Bishop Reed
Callister and others. I only went to the West Glendale Ward one
Sunday to Sacrament meeting. My health was very poor while I was
there and I could not sleep. But I did a lot of work and washed
all Elaine's woolen blankets, sweaters, bed pads, etc. I got up
at 4:00 a.m. most of the time. I read to Mark as many nights as
he would come to bed early. At Easter vacation he went with
Glen, Audrey, Gerald, Beitlers and Roberts to Shoshone for a
week. He came back very sick with bad ears and a cold,
bronchitis, which he has had since he was a baby. He was very
sick and threatened with pneumonia.
Seeing Elaine so sick was one of the worst experiences of my
life. I think it is the after effects of the surgery. She spent
most of her time in bed. The sisters from the Ward were very
kind, bringing food and gifts. Alice Williams Reeder, Homer
Reeder's wife did all the ironing. A neighbor, Mrs. Briggs, did
the mending on machine. Robert Briggs is Mark's playmate. I feel
so sorry for Elaine's poor children.
Back To Utah
The day school closed 17 June, 1960 I took the train in L.A. at
5:30 pm and got to Salt lake at 8:30 a.m. 128 June 1960. The
cherries were ripe, small crop. I sent 60 pounds to Elaine and
Audrey 21 June 1960. It froze ice that morning. I sent 60 pounds
a week later 28 June 1960.
Betty Parsell helped me pick the cherries. Her husband, James Parsell hauled them to William Tingey's. I canned 80 quarts of
Royal Anns. I had only a bucket of apricots. I went to Earl
Spencer's orchard three times and got some to dry. Dear Betty
came for me. I miss the fruit. I bought two bushels of Golden
Jubilee peaches from Edward Manning in Fruit Heights and dried
them for Elaine's children.
24 August 1960 I went to Salt lake Temple with my dear friends
Myrtle Preece. She is 77 years old and a convert. She got her
own endowments and was sealed to her parents. å
Emma's Last Journal Entry
Tuesday morning 30 August 1960 Audrey phoned to Charlotte to tell
her my darling Elaine had just died. I talked to Audrey
Wednesday 31 August and told her to excuse me from attending the
funeral. I could not stand to see her seven dear children's
sorrow at her passing. I prayed for my lovely Elaine, taught her
the gospel, and worked for her 35 years. I thank the Lord for
sparing me the awful ordeal of seeing her die and seeing her poor
sick body lowered in the grave. She has fulfilled her mission of
motherhood and I pray her work in the spirit world will bring her
happiness.
Concluded December 1969 by Audrey Kroksh, Her Daughter
Carol Marries Jim
Mother stayed in Utah until the fall of 1961, which winter she
spent in Los Angeles. June who had changed his name to Jim some
time before Elaine died, married, Carol Thomson October 7, 1961.
Jim's sister ,Gloria, came and stayed with him and the children
most of the time until he and Carol were married.
During the winter of 1961 Mother was lonely. I talked to her on
the phone every day as I spent the noon hour releaving on the
switchboard at E. Willardson, Inc. and was able to call.
George
She spent the winter of 1962 in St. George. In the spring of
1963 Dad had an auto accident, running into his porch and spent
about a month in my home, 2821 Shadowlawn Avenue. His health was
beginning to fail. At this same time Mother went to Farmington,
had the church and the Relief Society help her and she went to
the hospital and had a hysterectomy, hoping it would help her in
the control of her bladder, which was losing its control. I
think it helped some but not much.
In August of 1963 mother came on the plane to Los Angeles. Dad
sold the house on Golden gate in the fall of 1963, which he had
spent about two years remodeling and redecorating. I had gone to
work at M.J. Brock and sons Inc., the building next to E.
Willardson, Inc. as Willardson's went bankrupt in July 1963. On
the Thanksgiving weekend Gerry stayed with Glen's mother and Glen
and I took mother to St. George where we picked out the bought a
small house. Mother was pleased with it at first but sold it the
next year as she felt it was too much to keep up. Mother sold
the place in Farmington in 1964.
George Buys The Patterson House
Dad bought a house on Patterson in Glendale, where he moved in
January. His health was not good, and he needed a better diet
for his diabetes, so he went to stay with a friend Marjorie
Carter for 3 or 4 months. He then came to stay with us. He
bought a 19 foot trailer to sleep in which we put in the back
yard. Jim, Kent, Mark Glen and Gerry spent about 5 hours jacking
it up and down to get it in the yard, and over three years later
we had about the same trouble getting it out. Dad spent
Saturdays taking care of the yard on Patterson and finally sold
it. He could not drive a car anymore although he would have like
to. Jim and Carol had a son , Jamie, in January 1964.
In August of 1965 Glen, I Hank, Broc and Gerry took a trip to the
Grand Canyon and Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. We bought a
new 1965 Ford Station Wagon on the way as our car gave up. Dad
stayed at Gardiners while we were gone. We picked Mother up in
St. George where she was renting a small house. She was coming
to Los Angeles to stay, but in a week or two she went back to
St.George and lived at Mr. Blakes. This was August 1965. Kent
went on a mission of England in October, which of course pleased
mother.
Last Stay In St. George
Mother bought a house trailer in St. George and lived in it for a
while. She spent a lot of time visiting several lady
friends,Ella Durrant, Ruth Tippetts, Verna Deusnup, Leona
Carbridge, Carace Olson, and other. She did a lot of walking and
also went to the temple some. Although she had to fast when she
went because of her bladder control problem.
George Moves Into A Sanitarium
Mother was worried about taking care of herself and she thought
she did not like the trailer too well, so she sold it to Maxine
Talbot and hired a young man and his wife to bring her to Los
Angeles in June of 1966. Dad had gotten lost many times, and we
were not able to keep him from going away and getting lost and
hurt, so he went to a sanitarium owned by a friend, J.C. Perkins,
about the same time mother came here. We rented a small
apartment for Mother on Rokaby St. It was near here and was
nice, but noisy.
When we went on our vacation August 1966 to Utah and Yellowstone
mother was most anxious to go to St. George. We took Mother and
all her things and she bought a trailer in St. George. We had
Hank Brock with us again, and we went on to Yellowstone. When we
got back to St. George mother had decided she couldn't make it
alone anymore, so we loaded her things up again and she came back
to the same apartment as we had not yet given it up since the
rent was paid. She later traded the trailer for a lot in St.
George which we took off her hands.
A Stroke
In January of 1967, Dad had a cold, then a stoke which we think
he probably had several small strokes) and took pneumonia and
died. He was quite feeble and we were glad he was only really
bedfast a few days.
T.V., Beauty Parlor and Walks
After Dad died we sold the trailer and Mother move to a nice
quiet newly decorated court on Herhimer. She got some new
furniture and carpeting for the living room and it was very nice.
She walked over here around three times a day, took long, walks
went to church twice on Sunday went to Relief Society, grocery
shopping, to the Beauty parlor, looked at television at night but
found it hard to pass the time away. On fast Sunday we went to
Gardiners or they came here.
In August of 1967 mother stayed alone a week while we went on
vacation to Bishop, St. George, Boulder Dam, and Los Vegas. Ray
Moore went with us.
Around the end of the year mother was getting unable to stay
alone. We finally found out that it was possible to build a room
and bath on the back of our house, which we did. If we had only
known it could be put on the house like that and built it in 1964
when Dad came it would have been so nice for him too, and saved
so much.
Mother enjoyed the room, although her health wasn't too good.
She had such a problem over the control of the elimination,
especially the water. She took a short walk nearly every day.,
went to the Beauty parlor to get her hair done,went to Sacrament
meeting every week went to Gardiners on Fast Sunday or they came
here. Kent got back form his mission and went to college.
Religious Programs
Mother spent quite a bit of time looking at television. She liked
to visit with Glen's mother, who was a real friend to her.
Mother liked religious programs on T.V. best.
Comfort Bock came to visit on her way to Hawaii shortly (a few
months). After mother moved into her new room. We did not go
anywhere for vacation in 1968 as Mother could not stay alone over
night.
The Family Is Sealed
We finally got dad's Temple work done and sheets back from the
temple ready for the sealings,and we took mother to the Temple in
July of 1969 and had our family sealed. Glen was proxy for Dad
and Carol for Elaine.
Glen's mother stayed with mother while we took a vacation to
Yosemite in August 1969. Mother enjoyed having Glen's mother to
visit with and spend a lot of time with her. We had a car
accident so didn't have such a good time.
Mother was always a good letter writer, but did not write (only
very short letters) much the last two years of her life.
Mother lived here a year and a half after the room was completed.
Janice married Michael Hennesy in July, but mother was not told.
Emma Falls
On October 5, 1969, after Sacrament meeting Mother was walking
across a cement patio toward the car when she fell and her hip
broke. It did not hurt. She went into Glendale Memorial
Hospital that night. When she found out her hip was broken she
did not complain about staying at the hospital, although she
hated hospitals. She said that night that she would not live
long now. They operated and put a pin in the hip on Wednesday.
She was uncomfortable but did not seem to be in any pain. She
took a turn for the worse early Saturday (they said she had a
stroke). She woke up and was able to talk Saturday afternoon and
evening. Sunday morning, October 12, Jeffrey's birthday, she went
to sleep and passed away.
The night she broke her hip she said she wished she could just go to
sleep. Mark went on a mission to Canada in november. Mother
knew he was going and was happy about that. She was also happy
that Carol is a wonderful mother to the children.
Mother was in bed just a week for which we are grateful.
Mother was also happy that Sandra married Ronald Blunck in the
Temple September 13, 1969.
Mother's funeral was at Elysian Park Ward with Bishop Albertus J.
Aardema taking charge. Glen, Jim, Mark and Gerry were among the
pall bearers. She was buried at Valhalla not too far from Elaine
and Glen's father and the lots that we have.