Haight, Martha Adelia (Dec 21, 1845 – Dec 27, 1910) by Rose House Neeley & Cora House Mortensen

BIOGRAPHY

MARTHA ADELIA HAIGHT HOUSE

1845 – 1910

Written by Rose House Neeley & Cora House Mortensen 1940

To My Mother

The memory of my mother does not serve
In any public place
Tis always near the firside
I see her well-loved face
Tis time has made the daguerretype
More beautiful by far
Than any painted picture
Of any living star

 
Martha Adelia Haight daughter of David Bateman Haight and Clarissa
Richmyre (or Buckrnyre) was born December 21, 1845 in Nauvoo, Illinois.
She was the sixth child of a family of nine. Mother's parents resided
in Nauvoo for some time.

[M]other learned to walk there, Later when her father's people left
Nauvoo for Utah, Her father with his family moved to Weston, Missouri,
where mother grew to womanhood. She was reared in a comfortable home.
Her father was not a slave owner, but had negro servants. He was not
allowed to pay them in money, but gave them clothes and food.

Mother lived a normal life, learning to sew and cook and enjoyed the
social activities of the time. Mother said they used to have corn
husking bees, followed by a big barbecue dinner and dance. They also
had "candy pulls". Horse back riding was their greatest sport. Mother
was an excellent rider and found plenty of excitement in jumping the
toll gates.

One day mother's brother Isaac, who was a wagon master for the
government, came home for a vacation and with him was a very handsome
dark-eyed young man, in blue uniform. When mother saw him, it was a
case of love at first sight, his name was Henry Clay House. He was a
wagon master and scout for the government and friend of her brother
Isaac and had come to spend a few days with him at his home. Mother was
a slender beautiful girl with brown hair and blue eyes. She and Henry
saw a great deal of each other, and at the age of nineteen she became
his bride. They were married April 21, 1865 at her parent[']s home in
Weston, Missouri. Mother made a lovely bride, dressed in a soft white
lawn dress, full hoop skirt trimmed with ruffles and lace. Father's
work for the government, took him from home nearly all the time, so
Mother remained with her parents in Weston, Mo. for some time. Her
first child a son George Nelson House, was born there on August 20,
1866. Later they established a home at Leavenworth, Kansas. So father
and mother could be nearer each other. Their second child a daughter
was born there on August 20, 1869. They named her Beatrice Clay. Father
was now mustered out from government service. They moved from
Leavenworth, locating on a farm near Winchester. Here two more children
were born Henry Adolphus born March 26, 1871 and Olive Rose born
September 11, 1872. This was a typical Kansas farm a conforable [sic]
house, with a cistern near the kitchen door, a cool milk house on the
outside and large bins in the indoor cellar for storing apples and etc.
Broad acres of grain and an apple orchard and shade trees and large
rope swings for the enjoyment of the children. In 1873 father sold the
farm and bought a hotel in Winchester naming it "The Henry House".
Mother being an excellent cook had the cooking in charge for the hotel.
While living at the hotel, mother had three more children born,
Benjamin Harvey born May 18, 1875, who passed away May 27, 1875 at the
age of nine days, Laura Lorraine born May 26, 1876 and Francis Bert
born December 21, 1879. Mother now had a family of seven children of
whom six were living. She continued on with her work at the hotel and
also caring for her family, until her health began to break. Father
then sold out his business interest in Winchester and moved to
Garrison, Kansas. Her[e] another daughter was born, Martha Delilah on
November 20, 1881. Shortly after father moved his family to Clay
Center, Kansas.

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Mother's health did not improve. Her brother in law Hyrum House thought
if they came to Utah, she would feel better, so in 1883, with seven
children and a few possessions consisting of her Howe sewing machine, a
few treasured dishes and keepsakes, some bedding and provisions,
boarded an immigrant train for Utah. [A]fter a long and tiresome
journey they arrived in Corinne, Utah with $15.00 in their possessions.
Hard years were ahead for mother, she endured many privations and
hardships. Not afraid of work and with the aid of the children, she
helped provide for her family and also helped father to establish a
permanent home in Utah. February 20, 1884 another daughter was born,
Cora Elnora in Corinne, Utah. From this time on mother had many heart
aches and lonely times.

She never had the pleasure of seeing any of her brothers and sisters
again; her parents having passed away before she left Kansas. Her
children loved her dearly and tried every way they could to be of
service to her. Father did considerable moving around for the next
several years. While he was foreman of the Promontory Livestock
Company, mother and her older daughter with employed help used to cook
three meals a day for eighteen to twenty men besides her caring for her
family, baking bread, pies and cakes for this big crowd. Washing and
ironing, heating the old fashioned irons on her cook stove and keeping
the fire going with wood. While living on the Promontory, another son
was born, David Willman (Bateman) on March 10, 1887. Later the family
moved back to Corinne, where Mother's last and eleventh child was born,
Roy Ruby born April 19, 1890.

The Southern Pacific owned a hotel at Promontory Station, Mother leased
this hotel and with the help of her daughters conducted it for several
years, while Father was proving up on his farm land;, which he had
filed on. This land was six miles west of Corinne and the farm is still
in possession of the children.

After a house was built, mother with her younger children moved to the
farm. [H]er four oldest children had married. She made a comfortable
home here for Father and her children. From this home, her daughters
Laura, Martha and Cora were married. Her life was not all hardships,
she was a good mother, friend and neighbor. Wherever she lived, she
made a host of friends and was happy in her association with them. She
was every ready to help in sickness and sorrow and helped many families
who were in need, being very handy with her needle in remodeling and
making over clothing, quilts, etc. [w]hich was a great help to those
needing them. While living in Kansas, she and father took their
children on picnics, gathering grapes and nuts in abundance, such as
black walnuts, Hazel nuts and pecans. In due time all her children
married but her two youngest sons. She enjoyed visiting her children
and grand-children and their joys and sorrows were hers. We enjoyed
family re-unions and visits in her home.

Mother cooked such lovely things, always fixing something extra that
she knew we liked. On August 14, 1907 occurred the first death in the
family in all these years, her son-in-law Arthur C. Neeley, husband of
her daughter Rose passed away, which was a real sorrow to her. On
January 8, 1910, her daughter Martha wife of Ben H. Card, passed away.
This was a tragedy indeed. For mother loved her dearly and had worried
exceedingly over her as she had been seriously ill for a year before
her passing.

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Mother had many worries in her life, she was constantly uneasy about
father during the long years he worked for the government as scout and
wagon master, also nursing her children through serious illness, so
these later troubles took their toll. Mother['s] health was undermined
by grieving. In December of 1910, she visited her children living in
Ogden and Brigham City. She returned to her home and made preparation
for a family gathering, when she took a hard chill, which developed
into pneumonia and she passed away December 27, 1910 at the age of 65
years.

She was deeply mourned by her husband and children and her memory lives
on in their lives. Her funeral services were held in the Presbyterian
Church at Corinne on January 3, 1911 and she was laid away for her
final rest, in the Corinne Cemetery.

Where crystal streams through endless years
Flow over golden sands, and where the old grow young again
I'll clasp my Mother's hands

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