Green, Etha Jane (Sep 12, 1905 – 25 Jan, 1978) by Herself

ETHA'S BOOK OF
MEMORIES IN HER HAND WRITING, UP TO 1961.

            In the fall
of 1961 Bishop Herman Hadfield asked Gordon and myself to be chairman of the
Fourth ward genealogical committee.  The
North Box Elder Stake genealogical Presidency called at our home and advised us
of a genealogical Class to be held at the Jr. High school starting after the
First of the year, And being new in the work we decided to take the Course and
one of the assignments of the class was to write a history so I have decided to
start mine but I would like to call min my Book of Memories, [sic]

            I was born
the 12 Sept 1905 at Layton Davis Co. Utah, In the home of my grandfather and
grandmother Green.  I was the second
child born to Chester Warren and Ellenor Dunn Green.

            Their first
child a son Melvin born 26 Aug. 1903.

            When I was
six weeks old Dad and Mother moved to Thatcher Box Elder Co. where he worked on
a farm for his brother in-law, [sic] I was blessed in the Roaville which is now
Bothwell Ward by Brother W.E. Hawkins and given the name of Etha Jane Dad has
always told me he wrote to his brother John in Lethbridge, Canada and told him
of my arrival but as yet had not found a name for me, he wrote back and
suggested the name of Etha, and the Jane

 

[Page 2]

 

was for my grandmother Dunn who died when mother was six
years old.  After a year and a half on
the farm Dad moved his family to Garland and he went to work for the Utah Idaho
Sugar Co. On 9 April 1908 another little girl with golden hair came to bless
this home.

            I remember
when she was able to walk Melvin and I used [sic] walk her down the street to
meet our father when he came home from work. 
Our little sister was given the name of Ellenor Ruth.  When she was fifteen moths old Ruth died [27
July 1909] from Spinal menengitis [sic] and was buried in Raysville, Davis Co.
Utah.  Mother said she couldnt [sic]
stand to bury her baby out there and they never intended to make that Community
their home.

            I dont
[sic] remember much of the time we lived in Garland, other than the times I was
frightened by the Indians.  I remember
waking up from a nap one afternoon I had been asleep on the kitchen floor and
when I opened my eyes I saw a big squaw looking at me through the kitchen
window.  Mother had gone next door and I
guess my screams brought the whole neighborhood.  There were always lots of Indians they would
come to the homes and ask for food or money.

           

[Page 3]

 

            A few
months after the death of Ruth, dad was offered a job as a foreman on one of
the Sugar Co, farms.  He accepted and we
moved to the North, farm.  It was one
half mile west and about half way between Garland, [sic] and Tremonton.

            It was
while we were on the North farm I remember feeling my first earth quake.  Mother Melvin, and I were in the house [sic]
I remember the dishes rattling the cupboard shaking.  Mother grabed [sic] us by the hand and away
we went to the barn where Dad was milking the cow.  We didn't stay long on the North farm as the
foreman on the Centeral [sic] farm was leaving so we went to the Centeral farm
it was very early in the spring and the George Brough family had not quite
finished their moving so mother took Melvin and I and went to visit her sisters
in Layton for two weeks.  The Central
Farm was located on half mile west and two miles south of Tremonton; In [sic]
the spring and summer months there were about ten or twelve men to cook
for.  Mother had a girl [Area?] Frazer
who helped her with the work.  The men
slept in a two room building just a little ways away from our house, there was
an ice house in the winter just before it would start to thaw Dad and some men
would go

 

[Page 4]

 

Where the ice was good and thick and saw large chunks of ice
load it in the sleighs and put it in the Ice house there was a layer of Ice
then a layer of sawdust until the ice house was full.  It was sure nice we could have ice cream,
cold lemonade and cold water nearly all summer they used to make lemonade with
tar [taric?] acid, lemon extract, sugar and water. was [sic] it ever good.

            Also on the
farm was another building we called the Jap house.  this [sic] was where the Japanease [sic]
lived while they  did the thinning,
hoeing and topping beets.

            We always
like to go see the Japanese fellows I guess because the [sic] gave us Candy.

            I'll never
forget the fights Melvin and I used to have the hired men were always coaxing
us to wrestle and of course if one got hit a little hard we really started
slugging.  We were never smart enough to
catch on to their tricks.  There was one
room in the north east end of the house we lived in that was kept locked it was
reserved for Mr. John Lewis, he lived in Lehi, he was a fieldman for the Utah
Idaho Sugar Co. and he spent most of the summer with us.

 

[Page 5]

 

            I was
getting to the age that I guess I was able to help a little with the work,
Mother asked me to scrub his floor it was a large room about fifteen feet
square and I had to do that floor over five times before it would pass mothers
[sic] inspection.  Mr. Lewis used to keep
some hives of bees out under some apple trees we always had honey in the
comb.  I never did like it. [sic] because
it was to [sic] messy.  Ever since I have
married I always thought it was to [sic] messy to put [on] the table for my family.

            Mother was
a Very fussy housekeeper every Saturday we cleaned the windows inside and
outside all the cupboards were cleaned every dish taken out, Our Pantry was
washed from top to bottom clean Paper in all the drawers and the old stoves
blackened and polished until you could see your self.  It used to be such fun in the fall and spring
when we did the cleaning to take the straw ticks out and fill them with nice
clean new straw, you had a hard time to stay in bed for a while until the straw
settled a little but it was lots of fun.

            We had some
good neighbors and friends in our community the Robert Allens. The Nick
Petersons, two familys [sic] of Zesiger's, the Nelsons.

 

[Page 6]

 

            We used to
hold Sunday school in the school house at Union with Brother Robert Allen as
Supertendent, [sic] we were a branch of the Tremonton ward.  I never had the privilage [sic] of attending
Primary Mutual or Sacerment [sic] meeting as we had to go to Tremonton and Dad
was not interested in Church.  He never
held the Priesthood so we had no encouragement form him [sic]

            The first
year in school was in the old one room school house; the teacher kept me in at
recess, morning and afternoon [to read] and I passed the first two grades that
year.

            We went to
school two or three year [sic] in the old school house, then they built a new
red brick two rooms and steam heat and lavortories [sic] (which never did
work).

            There were
quite a few German families that lived north and west of us. they [sic] came
here from Peoria Ill. they [sic] were very industrious group of people nearly
everyone had a big farm and a real nice big home, these kid [sic] started
coming to our school there was the Achermans the Verling the Brenkmens the
Baers, the Meisters the Getz and others. 
Hulda Meister and her sister used to drive the school wagon leave the
horses in the shed and ride a pony

 

[Page 7]

 

home I remember they had some very pretty beaded buckskin
gloves with fringe on the cuffs and they wore riding skirts.

            We used to
play ball with the boys marbles jump the rope and tippy.  In the winter we could skate as the Canal
went right in front of the school house and at noon we could go to our place as
we had a pond.  I never was much of a
skater my ankles were to [sic] weak.

            In the
spring of 1913 on 20 May a little brother came to bless our home.  After the death of Ruth mother said if the
Lord was going to take them away she never wanted another but they were very
happy to have another son.

            He was
given the name of Evan Dee Green.

            When Evan
was a little more than a year old we left the centeral [sic] farm and moved
just south of the school house, And [sic] Dad went to work as foreman an Munn's
Camp they were doing a lot of reclamation work (leveling and [tiling?]) at
wakegan which is 5 or 6 miles south of Tremonton.  Dad stayed at camp through the week and only
came home on Sunday unless there was a ball game Dad loved to play ball he and
his brother John used to Play for the Kaysville team when they were there he
played for Garland and then played for the Tremonton Club.  So he was

 

[Page 8]

 

Away a great deal on Saturday and Sunday.

            I think it
was about this time I realized that Dad did a lot of drinking.  I remember we lost Evan one day a search was
made of the barn apple shed the cellar and all throug [sic] the house then we
saw the old yellow cat out under a tree by a wheelbarrow and there was Evan
curled up asleep in the wheelbarrow.  We
sure had to watch him as a big canal was just in front of our place.  The kids in the neighborhood used to gather
at our place in the summer and we played the usual games hide and seek run
sheep run and kick the can.  In the fall
and winter mother alway [sic] had our evening meal about five O clock [sic] and
after the dishes and chores were done we alway [sic] had a big pan of pop corn
and apples, mother would play the mouth organ and teach us all the old dances
the Shodish the Polka's, do you see my new shoes, and many others.  As we grew up and was [sic] old enough we
were allowed to go to Tremonton on Friday nights to the Picture show, of course
they were silent pictures the continued serials the Harold Lloyd Pictures and
the old Player Piano in McGuire show house. 
On halloween I guess we did our share of dirty tricks.  In the winter we used to get about five hand
sleighs

 

[Page 9]

 

Behind a horse and what fun it was to go up that old road as
fast a [sic] the horse could go.

            I also
remember the good old dances we had at our school house, at Evans a branch of
the Bear River City ward about three miles South of us.  We also went ot Bear River, Elwood, Penrose,
Thatcher, and Bothwell.  At the Union
school house we danced to Mr. [Buxton?] on his Fiddle and his daughters Eva or
Annie Camp Cording on the Piano, other paces had an orchestra.  We traveled by buggy in spring and summer and
[by] sleigh in the winter time, and always the outfit was loaded to capacity as
the kids in the nieghborhood [sic] all would go together.  On 6 April 19[15?] another baby girl was born
[and given the name of Ruby] and I was very happy to have a little sister.  I loved little babies loved to tend and care
for them.  About this time there was a
scare of small pox and on account of the new baby I was kept out of
school.  Our teacher Wilford Freeman from
Brigham City, said he would keep me up on my lessons if I would come to his
room after school, this [sic] I did three times a week, he was very kind but I don't
think I ever went over there that I didnt [sic] cry.  I was sure a boob when I was a young
girl.  One day when Ruby was about four
years old we had been for a ride Ruby had taken off her shoes

 

[Page 10]

 

            Dad told
Ruby to take her shoes in the house but she droped [sic] one on the porch and
refused to pick it up.  Dad asked her to
pick it up and she said no.  Dad was very
quick tempered he used a little willow on her and Ruby was very stubborn [sic]

            I dont
[sic] know who would have won that round but Dad was called to the phone se we
hurried by got Ruby and her shoes into the house [sic]

            About this
time Dad bought a forty acre farm one mile west of the Union school house – and
we were old enough to work in the fields. 
We thinned hoed and topped beets, raked and hauled hay, shocked and
hauled grain, girls and all worked in the fields as that was the only way we
had to earn spending money.  On the 15
Feb 1915 [Should be 1917] another baby girl was born and given the name of
Afton, she only lived eleven months, I remember when she first took sick mother
asked me to do the dishes as the baby was fussy and wanted to be held by her
mother.

            Ill [sic]
never forget the smart remark I made as long as I live.  I said the baby was no more sick that I
was.  I guess I wanted to read as I
always had a book in my hands.  The
neighbors were all very good to help. 
Mrs [sic] Cornwall came and stayed a night or too [sic] they tried
everything anyone suggested mustard plaster, and a plaster of fried onions,

 

[Page 11]

 

But little Afton died and was buried Jan 1918.

            It was the
first time I had seen anyone dead, they had her laid out on the ironing board
in the bedroom with bottles of ice packed all around her body and they kept
putting formaldehyde on her face and body.  Mothers [sic] three sisters their husbands and
some of the cousins came right up and stayed it was a real hay day as so many
cousins were never together very often. 
I dont [sic] know where they all slept.

            Three years
later on the 24 Jan 1920 our sister Thelma was born.  I was old enough by this time to take over
the care of the family, Mrs. Anger came for five day [sic] and took care of
mother and the baby then I took over that task too.

            I only went
to high school two years as that is all they had at Garland at that time.  the [sic] first fall I rode a horse five
miles morning and night in the winter I boarded with Mr [sic] and Mrs. Charles
Munns.  The next year I worked for Mr
[sic] and Mrs [sic] Knoth they had a drug store and I took care of the children
after school [sic]

            After two
years a girl friend Della Berchstod wanted me to go to the Dee Hospital and go
into nurses training, but Dad thought I was too young to be on my own.  I would have liked this very much as I have
always

 

[Page 12]

 

enjoyed this type of work.

            The fall
after school was out I went ot work for people helping when they had new
babies.  I remember when I worked for
Cliff and Nadine Vance I made raised doughnuts I had lots of nerve to tackle
that, I worked for Charles Bar. [Luss?] when their fourth and fifth child was
born one beside the baby in diapers, carry water and turn a washer by hand,
cooked and clean the house for five dollars a week.

            About this
time there was another new baby arrived at our home a little boy on 4 Aug 1922
and he was given the name of Ralph C. Green. 
I dont [sic] remember ever seeing my father help mother with the
children ever feed or hold one.  The year
Ralph was born was my first attempt at making custard pie I dont [sic] know how
tough the crust was but the custard was on the bottom and the crust on top.

            I used to
go help all the neighbors at threshing time it was up to Mrs Angers that I
first tasted Jello she fixed it with quartered cooked apples.

            We always
fed 10 or 12 men on the threshing crew but I enjoyed it as I always [sic]
enjoyed cooking [sic]

            In the
spring April 12, 1924 another baby girl came to our house she was given the
name of Beth I was always happy when we

 

[Page 13]

 

Had a new baby as I loved to take care of them.

            When mother
was up and around I went to work for the Pete Meisters just to take care of
Meister and the new baby I stayed two weeks and they gave three dollars a day.
boy [sic] did I ever think I had struck it rich. from [sic] five dollars to
twenty one was quite a jump.  While I was
at Meisters Dr. White asked me if I would come to work for them, and I did for
seven dollars a week. the [sic] first fall I worked for the Whites, Dad,
Melvin, Evan and I went to Salt Lake City, to the state fair.  We had such fun.  I remember how thrilled I was to see Gladys
George on the stage.

            In the fall
of 1925 Sept 1^st another new baby girl was born and she was given
the name of Merle.

            In Jan of
1926 we were having a dance at the Union School house, a new family had moved
to our community, from Brigham City.  It
was the John Heaton family they had three boys and one girl that came to the
dances, I was dancing with Elvie he asked if I would like to meet a cousin of
his, I said sure but was not to [sic] interested as I had a steady who wasnt
[sic] quite what I had in mind I alway [sic] had a desire to go to the Temple
when married and the steady just couldnt [sic] qualify [sic]

            I met the
fellow his name was

 

[Page 14]

 

Gordon John he was from Malad, Idaho.  His brother Clifford was renting a farm in
the community so we were acquainted with him [sic]

            Gordonasked
to take me home, but I was with some one else. 
About two weeks later my girl friend called and asked if I would
consider going to Malad to a dance with Gordon, my steady was out of town so I
said sure, Gordon called and I accepted we stayed at his Grandmothers [sic]
Sat. night went to church with their family and had Sun. dinner at the home of
his parents on Sun. I had to be home for church Sunday night as I was in the
mutual Presidency, and who should we meet at church but the steady what a
situation of course Gordon took me home right after church and I went right in
I had a terrible headache. 
[sic]  the steady came down we
talked and I never dated him again. 
Gordon and I dated again after a couple of weeks, and we were married on
the 17 Nov. 1926 [sic]

            We were
married in the Salt Lake City Temple, by Joseph Fielding Smith.  We got our marraige [sic] license in Salt
Lake City and stayed with the Higbee family that night.  I think for two [pins?] if I had had a way
home I would have walked out.  I slept
with Gordon's mother and Jessie Higbee and the kidded me all

 

[Page 15]

 

night.

            But I am
very happy I stayed as I have had thirty five years of love and the
companionship of a very kind, loving, and considerate husband [sic]

            We have had
three children our son Norman Born 14 Dec 1927, Our second a brown eyed girl
born Aug 15 1930, and a blue eyed girl on 26 Aug 1933, they are all married and
have wonderful companions I could ask for nothing more in a daughter in law and
two son in laws.

            Norman
married Betty Jean House on the 14 May 1948 Logan Temple

            Deaun
married Lorenzo Reese Norr 29 Oct 1954

            Norman and
Betty have a son and daughters

            Frank and
Beryl have two girls and 2 sons

            Reese and
Deaun have two girls and a son and on the 15 of Nov 1961 they had a still born
son.

            I think one
of the greatest joys I have ever know [sic] was when Dad and mother sold their
farm and moved to Brigham.  We took Dad
to A.A. he quit his smoking and drinking started going to church received the
Priesthood and on 1 Nov 1957 Dad took mother and those of us that could go to
the Logan Temple and they

 

[Page 16]

 

were sealed for time and all eternity and we were sealed to
them mother said her life was complete and she felt everything she ever wanted
was complete.  Dad has changed so
completely since he stopped his drinking I have never seen him even cross but
twice about two years ago mother started with hardening of the Arteries it
advanced very fast she had lots of little strokes about a year ago she started
with kidney infection and it would flare up nearly every two weeks on the first
day of Dec 1961 she had a stroke and only lived three week [sic] she was
burried [sic] on the 23 Dec 1961.

            Mothers
[sic] father was burried [sic] on Dec 23 1913 and the sister just older than
mother was burried [sic] on 23 Dec 1951

 

            There are
many thing [sic] I want to add and all of our children's childhood and up until
this time

 

 

 

[Written at the bottom of the page in different handwriting,
probably from the Genealogy teacher]

 

Excellent

Be sure and put it on

Book of Remembrance

Sheets

 

[Transcribed by Thomas Wheatley Aug 12, 2004]