Last Page | Return to Index | Next Page
I was the oldest child of a family of nine. Three boys and six girls. We lived in Heber City until I was seven years old. JoAnn, Hattie and Agnes were born at Center Creek a short distance from Heber City.
We moved to Vernal, Utah, and lived there about a year and then moved to Jensen. Utah. My father bought forty acres of land and did a little farming and worked on the threshing machine for our flour and money for winter. Will, Alec and Lydia were born at Jensen.
I was baptized July 5th 1898 at the age of nine, by Heber Wall and confirmed by Bishop Billings.
When just a girl, I went ice skating on Ashley Creek with a group of friends. We rode horseback up to the creek and after skating, we got on the horses to ride home and my horse ran away with me and almost reached home before one of the boys caught. I never liked to ride horses after that.
I received all of my education at Jensen, where we lived until I was sixteen, We moved from Jensen to Hayden in 1906, where Dad took up a homestead. I went back to Jensen that winter and stayed with Hattie Horachs, a cousin, and graduated from the 8th grade. Mother wrote and told me about a nice boy that drove mail between Whiterocks and Roosevelt. His name was Roy Peterson.
The next spring mother and Dad ran the cook shack for about forty men when they were building the new canal for the Hayden Townsite for the homesteaders. As soon as school was finished, I went right up to the ditch camped and helped all summer. When the canal was finished, we moved back on our own place. Shortly after we moved back, I started going steady with Roy Peterson.
I worked that fall from September until December at Dry Fork for Joe and Ether Hall. Roy came up and brought me home for Christmas. Roy and I were married the next spring on April 25, 1908 at Vernal, Utah.
My brother Roy was born October 16 1908 at Hayden. He lived a very short life, dying of diphtheria at the age of eleven.
We lived with Grandma and Grandpa Peterson at Hayden for a year after we were married. Grandma and I worked in the Relief Society and would travel by horse and buggy to do our teaching.
Leslie was born January 31, 1909, and we rented a house of own at Hayden shortly after. Ila was born here August 15, 1910. Roy freighted between Hayden and Price and also ran the combine during the summer.
My Dad died in June of 1911, leaving my mother with a large family to care for and expecting another child. Isabelle was born February 17, 1912 at Hayden.
Roosevelt started building up and Roy and his father built houses and did carpenter work.
We built a two room house in Hayden and Annie was born here August 31, 1912, Roy started homesteading and we had several cows and sold milk to the creamery. We moved onto the homestead so we could prove up on the property and filed on it. Shirley was born here March 12, 1915, We had 160 acres and sold 80 acres to Uncle Arch, my mother's brother. We also had 4O acres we bought from an Indian named Black Hawk, We went into the cattle business and farmed. We moved back to town and grazed the cattle and raised hay at Black Hawk, as we called it. Lee was born after we moved back to town July 26, 1917. We made a pretty good living here, but in the Spring of 1920, we moved to Price so we could put the family in better schools. We had bargained for a place in Price of 80 acres, but when we got there, we found there was a heavier mortgage on the place than what we were going to pay for it, so didn't buy it. We had to sell our cows and horses and Roy had to work for wages. We bought a three room house on 4th South. Roy worked for the State Road Commission for awhile and then in a grocery store for S. H. Wilson. Veldon was born in Price February 4, 1921.
We both worked in the Sunday School at Hayden and Roy worked in the Mutual, but after moving to Price I just worked in the Primary. Erma was born at Price, September 13, 1925.
In May of 1927 we moved again. This time to Salt Lake City, Utah. We lived with Roy's folks again from May until November, when we rented a home on 4th East. Roy worked for the Harris Dairy, and was working there when Ila died October 15, 1931 of ruptured appendix.
In November of 1931 we bought a home at 857 West 4th South. This was during the depression and work was hard to find and Roy had several mild heart attacks. Work was almost impossible for the boys to find, so we leased a ranch from Eugene Neff at Manila, Utah. We had over 700 acres and raised a large dairy herd and sold cream to the creamery. We raised hay, grain, a large garden and chickens and turkeys.
Annie died in July, 1937 also of ruptured appendix. Ellen and Glenda, her two small daughters, came to live with us.
We worked in the church at Manila, and Roy was ordained an Elder in the Manila Ward. He was MIA President and I taught a Bee Hive class.
In the spring of 1914 we moved to Pegram. Idaho and leased a ranch up there, but only lived there one year. The war started in 1941 while we still lived in Manila, and Lee went into the army. Shirley was already married and lived in Green River, Wyoming. Veldon went into the navy while we lived in Idaho. We moved to Green River where the boys started working for the railroad. Roy worked for the Eagles Lodge for several years, and then went to work for the City Police Department for about ten years, and then for the Sheriff Department.
After the war ended, me moved in with Lee when they built a new addition of Veterans Homes across the river at 309 Jensen.
I was operated on in April 1953 for gall bladder trouble. Roy retired shortly after and we bought a farm with Veldon in Grantsville, Utah. We moved there in March 1958 and became active in the church again
We celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary April 25th 1958, withan open house at Erma's home in Green River. Many of our friends and relatives were there.
Shortly after we returned home from our anniversary, I fell down our basement stairs and broke my shoulder. I spent a few days in the hospital in Tooele.
In September 1961, Curtis, Shirley's oldest boy, was called on a mission and we went to Green River to attend his farewell services. We stayed with Veldon, who lived in a mobile home at Adams Trailer Court west of town. On the way into town to the services, we were in an automobile accident. We were taken to the hospital instead of the church. I had a broken shoulder, broken leg and cuts and bruises. Roy had a terrible gash in his knee. We were in the hospital about a week and was released and went to Erma's home. Roy seemed to be pretty good, but the second night, he had blood clots go through his heart and passed away October 4th 1961.
I stayed with Erma until I healed and then moved from Grantsville back to Green River to live with Veldon. He bought a new home at 30 Keith where we are living at this time.
I became active in the church again and received my recommend to go to the Temple for my endowments and to be sealed to my husband. The work was done July 23, 1963. Ila and Annie were sealed to us at his time. Roy and his brother Lon were very close and I thought the privilege was Lon's to stand up for Roy.
I celebrated my 83rd birthday this last December 5, 1972 and was surprised with a birthday party and dinner at the Eagle's Hall. All of my children were present and most of their families.
As of this date February 4th 1973, I have five living children, twenty-one grandchildren, 46 great grandchildren, and 4 great great-grandchildren.
Submitted by Erma Eskridge, a daughter, February 4, 1973