Mom's Story Part 4b

In this part of her history Mom (Bess) tells about her mother's (Leonora's) parents

Mother’s Parentage:

Mother’s people were the “salt of the earth”. Her father, Joseph W. Smith was the eldest son of Jess N. Smith and Margaret Fletcher West Smith, and was a man of refinement and culture with an exceptional loyalty to his family and the Church. When only a young man, barely married a few days, he and his bride,

Sarah Ellen Marsden, answered a “call” to colonize Arizona. A bride of 18 years could well have been lonesome that December 1878, when she faced that cold winter in the barren, arid wasteland called Snowflake. A wagon box was her first home. Times gradually got better in spite of their sorrows and losses. Little baby Joseph, their first born, was only allowed to live a few months on this earth. Mother was the third daughter and the fourth child born to Joseph and “Nellie”, as grandmother was lovingly called. She was named, Leonora, after a cousin, Leonora Taylor, a relative of John Taylor. There were twelve children born in the family – nine girls and three boys. Most of the children grew to adulthood. Little Sariah died during the diphtheria epidemic. Mother’s childhood was happy, and she gained many valuable skills in homemaking and managing from her good parents.

Grandpa was a schoolteacher, banker, mail contractor, and farmer. But he allowed his sons and daughters to attend college and nearly all of them became teachers as they grew up. Mother was no exception. Grandma Smith was the epitome of cleanliness and efficiency. She was a woman with a wonderful ability to manage a big home and family with ease and dignity. Her hands were never idle. Mother was just like her in that respect. She was a master of organizational ability. Mother inherited her quick movements and her ability to dispatch work. Grandma was a polygamous wife; “Aunt Della” the other wife had eight children, so together the family numbered twenty children to care for. Grandma Smith also served thirteen years as Stake Relief Society President.

Mom's Story Part 4a

Mother’s Description:

Mother was small in stature, but in character and integrity she could not be equaled. Hazel eyes were complimented by long heavy black hair which, in her younger life, was worn pinned high on her head. She moved quickly. To this day, I could recognize her quick footstep and the click of her heels. She was a happy person and hummed the hymns as she worked. Sometimes she would break into song and try to hit the high notes on “Courage, for the Lord is on our side” (Let Us All Press On).

Probably Mother’s greatest strength was in her marvelous organizational ability. She could dispatch the work around that big home like an efficiency expert. She was a shrewd businesswoman; something she learned when she worked for her father in the Bank, and kept meticulous records. The old family budget book held the record of every family transaction down to the smallest amount. She loved to write and kept a journal all of her life. After Dad’s death she wrote a book of his life, also a book of her mother’s life. She did a mountainous amount of work in genealogy. It would be impossible to describe all of her many traits and gifts.

Mother was a compassionate woman. We will never know all she did to help for those things were kept quiet. As an adult, I still have people tell me of her goodness to them; a $10 bill slipped into their needy hands as she was leaving their home, or other little understanding acts of kindness. She served as a Stake Relief Society President for eighteen years and before that she served as counselors in both the Y.L.M.I.A. and the ward Relief Society. Her life was filled with service to the Church. Some child asked his mother what the “S” stood for in Leonora S. Rogers’ name. The mother replied, “Service”. The example she set has given her daughters a love for Relief Society and her unselfish work in Genealogy and Temple work has given us a love for that work also. When her children were grown, she and Dad served a mission for two years in New England States, and that was a never to be forgotten experience. Their converts became their dearest friends.

Mother had a dominant personality and made a lot of the decisions as to the discipline of the children. She surely wasn’t above giving us a good little “willowing” if we needed it. My brother was often tied to the pear tree in the yard to keep him from running away. She and Dad were a great team; she had the vision and foresight and he furnished the hard work. Dad allowed Mother to make a lot of the financial decisions.

Mom's Story Part 3

In this part of her history, Mom (Bess)tells about her father's (Marion Rogers) parents and family.

My Dad’s People:

Dad was the third son of Andrew Locy Rogers and Clara Maria Gleason Rogers, born in Snowflake, June 18, 1887. The family consisted of four daughters, two of which died in the diphtheria epidemic and six sons. Snowflake was barely a year old when Locy and Clara came in 1879 to make their earthly home there. It had been with great personal sacrifice especially for Clara, to answer the “call” made by Brigham Young for she had come from a family of refinement and culture. She had many artistic and literary talents, and had had college training in teaching. Where could these abilities be used in the severe conditions she found herself in coming to Snowflake? True, she made many contributions to the town in the artistic line and she served as a teacher in early days Snowflake, but I’m most grateful to this dear, little, tender woman for the beautiful talents she bequeathed to my father. Dad excelled in oratory and public speaking. He won second place in the Church wide Oratorical Contest. He had a fantastic memory and could recite long, complicated works from memory. “Courtship of Miles Standish”, “The Lady of Lyons”, “Hiawatha’s Wooing” were prepared for his daughter’s wedding receptions. Now, as an adult woman I can only imagine and appreciate the hours of work in memorization he put into the preparation for those beautiful masterpieces of literature. The bedside table on His side of the double bed in my parent’s bedroom was loaded down with books containing the choice readings and quotations, and his light was on way into the night as he lay in bed reciting his lines. Early morning found him again repeating them either while lying in bed or in the Den. He said the way to memorize was to repeat the work the last thing at night then the first thing in the morning and then let your subconscious mind help you remember it. The system worked for him!

Andrew Locy, Dad’s father furnished the “metal” for my father’s great character. His tenacity to the gospel of Jesus Christ and willingness to serve, both his God and fellowman, coupled with his ability to “move mountains” with his physical strength, made a great compliment to Dad’s personality.

As I look back on the wonderful life of my grandparents, I marvel that Dad was so fortunate to be their son and inherit so many of their fine characteristics. Andrew Locy was the son of Thomas Rogers and Aurelia Spencer Rogers, known in the Church as the founder of the Primary Organization. The family lived in Farmington, Utah but Locy was working at ZCMI in Salt Lake City when Brigham Young called him to go to Arizona to help colonize … a life long call. Locy never “looked back”. He was completely converted to the principle. Clara came with him reluctantly as a young bride. Life is short at longest and sometimes the hardest trials prove to be the greatest blessings. This proved to be so in Locy and Clara’s case.

Mom's Story Part 1a

On July 4, 1919, Dad and Mother moved into their beautiful new home, and from the age of ten months until today this has been my home, and I’ve loved it. Here my children were reared. The home was built of creamed colored Gallup brick with heavy sandstone rock lintels above the windows and doors. Dad hauled all the rock from a near-by quarry and cut most of the stone himself. Mr. Dyon contracted to build the house for $5,280 a large sum of money in those days. Professional bricklayers and carpenters were brought in from Los Angeles to do the construction. After adding the finish work on the upstairs and basement; putting in a water system with a little pump in the basement – (one of the first houses in town to have in-doors plumbing and a bath-room) adding electrical system throughout the house and cement sidewalks around the home, the cost amounted to about $7,000. That was exorbitant! But, Dad was a terrific worker, and when the home was finished he only owed $600 on it, which he quickly paid off. It was a struggle for this young couple, but they didn’t mind the sacrifice.

Mom's Story Part 2

My Dad

Marion Rogers, my Dad was a mighty man! He stood about 6’2 or 3” tall, with an athletic build, square shoulders and a long lean body. In his younger years he was a star basketball player and trackman. A ruddy complexion with pale blue eyes and black wavy hair truly made him handsome. Yet he was a man of action and imagination. Even in the hard pioneer days and the early days of Snowflake Dad could make money whether it was with farming, freighting road construction, which he did in his younger years, to “running” a milk route to Winslow in later years. One of his talents was his great ability to work and carry through heavy, hard tasks. He brought the money into the home, but Mother had the uncanny ability to make it “stretch”. Work was dad’s friend. He loved to work hard and his hardened muscles were kept in tip-top condition through his activities.

I remember as a child going with Dad to haul wood. His loads were the biggest I’ve ever seen. It seemed there was always room for one more tree on the load. I have seen him pick up a cedar tree and toss it onto the wagon like a toy. It was the same with hauling hay. I used to tramp the hay for him and it was hard to keep up with loaded pitchforks of hay he tossed up at me faster than I could tramp them down onto the load. I remember thinking Dad would never quit or that he didn’t ever get tired. The burdensome loads of hay were so heavy the horses could hardly pull them.

Dad not only could work, he knew how to play also. He became one of Snowflake’s top entertainers. He took the leading role in many of the dramas and plays in the early days. For as long as I can remember he was asked to give readings at public functions. He had a good singing voice and some of the productions were operettas and musicals. Probably the one reading the children of the town remembered the most was the “Runaway Train”, which he copied from one of our old Edison Records; even the lonesome train whistle he imitated. No doubt a close second in popularity was “Laska” another favorite taken from the phonograph record. When Dad returned from his mission in England, Mother met him in New York City, and for the days that it took them to come home on the train, Dad recited poetry to Mother; things he had learned the three years he had been gone.

One quality the world didn’t see in dad, that we as a family saw constantly was his tenderness and devotion to his family. He and Mother had grown up together in Snowflake and were in the same crowd. He adored Mother. I remember how tender he was with her. Generally, Saturday night we would all go to the show together and I remember Dad and Mother arm in arm with the Old Blue Shawl thrown over Mother’s shoulders and the four of us children all under one little corner of the shawl. We made quite a procession.

Christmases at our home were always special too, with dad often acting the part of Santa, in the old red velvet pants and coat and a cotton-batting beard. The house was always decorated with the red and green garlands from one corner of the room to the other.

Dad’s impatience was something Mother tried all of her married life to correct in him. He had a quick temper and had very little patience with people who didn’t do their share of the work or “pull their part of the load”. A loud, clear voice was one of Dad’s gifts, but when it was raised in anger or disgust, it embarrassed Mother. However, Dad tried hard to overcome the weakness and later in life when the pressures were not so great, I never saw him lose his temper. I appreciated his willingness to see his weakness and try to correct it. Often he would apologize to us children when he knew we were hurt, that took a great man to do that!

Dad's Story Part 2

My Parentage

My father Francis Eric Ericksen, second son of Erick Henry Ericksen and Annie Christina Monson, was born December 31, 1893 in Mt Pleasant, Utah. He was 5’11 1/2” tall, and weighed about two hundred pounds. He had straight, fine brown hair, which he began to lose after about age 35. He had grey eyes. He was a very brilliant student, especially good in mathematics. He, like all the rest of the family, was very musically inclined. He played the cornet (trumpet) and had a strong tenor voice. Dad was a fun-loving man, had a hearty laugh and liked to tell jokes. He enjoyed playing games, especially card games like bridge and pinochle. Fishing was probably his favorite hobby. He loved the out of doors and camping. He was a very neat and orderly man always keeping his clothes well cleaned and pressed. He had a “place for everything, and everything was in it’s place”. He was quick tempered and impatient.

My mother, Virginia May Gilbert, was the second daughter of James Alexander Gilbert and Hannah Elizabeth Wallis – nicknamed “Maude”. She was born in Salt Lake City, March 17, 1894, but her mother was born and reared in Mt. Pleasant and that was where she called home. She was beautiful, fine featured, small built, very lady-like, dainty, soft spoken, slightly round shouldered. She had dark hair with a slight auburn hue to it. Her eyes were dark blue with droopy lids. Mother was well coordinated and had good manual dexterity. She did beautiful crocheting, knitting, embroidering, was an excellent housekeeper and cook, and loved to garden. She and Dad had prize-winning roses and other flowers. Mother was also very musical. She played the piano and had a good alto voice. She and her sister Kate sang duets when they were teenagers.

Mother was 5’2” tall and her average weight was about one hundred ten pounds. She loved sports, and like to camp. She was very relaxed and deliberate, didn’t hurry with anything.

Dad's Story Part 1

Life Sketch of Francis Willis Ericksen

December 1981 --- age 66

Taken from my Journal:

I, Francis Willis Ericksen, was the first son of Francis Erick Ericksen and Virginia May Gilbert who were married in the Manti Temple on December 23, 1914. I made my appearance into this world at 10:00 p.m. on September 24, 1915. This great event took place in Dr. R.A. Pearse’s little hospital in Brigham City, Box Elder County, Utah.

The reason for my mother being in Brigham City at this time is related in my father’s life sketch, wherein he says that many of the mothers in Pocatello, Idaho had been dying in childbirth. For this reason he had sent my mother to Brigham City, about a month before I was born, to live with her Aunt Louise and Uncle Will Gidney.

The following is a little background on the reason for my parents living in Pocatello, Idaho. My father had won a years’ scholarship to the University of Utah. So after spending a year at her U. of U., his brother Leo, who was working for the Oregon Short Line Railroad in Pocatello wrote and told him that there were jobs available. Dad went up there and got a job as a freight car checker in the freight yard. Now that he had a steady job, there was nothing to stand in his way to becoming a married man. Dad and mother had become engaged during the Christmas holiday of the year he was enrolled at the University of Utah.

About one year later, on the 23rd of December 1914 (the Prophet Joseph Smith’s birthday) they were married in the Manti Temple. Dad was just eight days from being 21 years old, and mother was lacking about three months of being 21.

Mom's Story Part 1

Life History

by Bessie Rogers Ericksen

Written in 1981 age 62

Oct 8, 1918, the morning of the first Navajo County Fair held in Snowflake, was cold and blustery as Old Man Winter was pushingto make his presence felt, but with all the excitement of the Fair, and the cold fall weather, Marion and Leonora Rogers had other pressing matters to take care of. Marion was trying hard to finish up a road contract in Holbrook before this special day, and Leonora, who had waited nine months to bring a third baby into the world, was full of apprehension and anticipation.

The Spanish influenza was raging throughout the country and many people were sick. There had been several deaths in Snowflake, and many deaths over the country. The soldiers in the military were hit hard also. World War I was in the final stages just before the Armistice was signed. Everyone was apprehensive and anxious for there were many local men serving both on the home front and in France. Some of my uncles were “over there”.

I, Bessie, would wait no longer. It didn’t matter to me that Mother was “blue” and discouraged the night before my appearance, because there was no one available to comfort her. Her parents both had the “flu”, Marion’s parents were in Utah, and her husband was still in Holbrook. She felt so alone, realizing what she must face. However, her little sister Clarissa, only eight or nine years old was sleepingwith her, and Mother awoke her early that morning and sent her into the chilly night to get “Aunt Em” across the street. Aunt Em Smith was an experienced midwife, and although she too had the “flu”, she got out of bed and came to help Mother. My sister Mayola and Clarissa were then sent down to Grandmother Smith’s home to spend the rest of the night.

At 4:10 a.m. I arrived, with “Aunt Em’s” help, weighing 8 1/2 lbs. My aunt Edith, was in Snowflake for the Fair, and

came to Mother’s rescue and soon had things under control. Word to Dad brought him immediately and he soon had a little stove put up in the little shanty bedroom and Mother and baby were snug, warm, and smiling. Things looked brighter for Mother. My sister Louise, just 2 1/2 years old stood up in her crib when she heard my first cry and said “Baby”, with a smile of ecstasy. That too warmed Mother’s heart. Mother and Dad had moved two little shanty rooms onto their new lot to use as temporary housing while their new brick home was being built. These little shanty rooms served as a bedroom and a kitchen for the family, but Mother had to go between them to take care of her housekeeping duties. Their first little home, bought before their marriage waslocated just West of the Welfare Barn. It was here that my older sisters Mayola and Louise were born. During that cold winter, one of the coldest on record, the temperatures reached 24 below zero. Mother said she had a hard time keeping me warm and was afraid to undress me completely for baths; she only washed one limb at a time.

Introduction

This blog was created so we could share the wonderful lives of our parents, Bess and Bill Ericksen. The intended audience is our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, our cousins and their children, and anyone else who knew and loved them. In 1981, they wrote their life sketches. We have had these warm wonderful stories in our possession for all these years and it is time to share them. We hope you will enjoy them. ---Mary Ann (and Christine)