School and other organizations increased in activity and numbers.
LaMont Walker, my son-in-law, is now the Bishop
of the Ward with Rex Glines and Everett Moon as counselors. They are building a grand new
Ward house there now, with ample amount of room for every necessary convenience and a
grand amusement hall and chapel.
In that beautiful building will be two
beautiful pianos and a beautiful electric organ, all donated by our good friends, Brother
Ike Stewart and wife.
At this place in my story, I feel impressed to
say, is the place to enclose the story written by my dear wife, Sarah. What more I have to
say, I desire that it be of our lives as spent together, during the evening time of her
life. I want to tell some of her story she was unable to finish. I will do the best I can,
with my heart still full of love which she gave to me.
I would not wish anyone else to finish this
story. I feel it is my sacred duty and privilege.
LIFE STORY OF SARAH VAN WAGONER WINTERTON
By Sarah Van Wagoner Winterton
I was born in Midway, Wasatch County, Utah.
My father bought a lot where he build our home from B. Mark Smith for $2.50. There were
five homes in the block when I was old enough to remember. The house where I was born was
a large brick room one half block south of the school house. Later there were five brick
rooms added to it. There were beautiful shrubs, roses and flowers.
Sister Watkins, the midwife and first wife of
Bishop John Watkins, and Martha Hamilton were with my mother at the time I was born. I was
the seventh child in a family of 14 children. I was born on the 29th day of
June, 1881. I had three living grandparents and many aunts and uncles living nearby.
My health was good. I had several playmates who
lived near. My sister, Clara, not quite two years older than myself, and our two cousins
about our age played together very much. They were Mary and Clara Bronson. We enjoyed very
much going on fishing trips with our parents and brothers and sisters on the river between
Charleston and Midway. Sometimes we would spend the night.
We also knit our own stockings and spent hours
trying to see who was the fastest. We used to have large crowds of young people come to
our home, some were the age of older brothers and sisters and some were lots older than I
but we held spelling matches, and I was always pleased when I could win out.
My grandmother Fausett used to go up above
Midway about seven miles, up in the mountains, in the summer time. She made her living
selling butter, milk and eggs and other things to the men who were getting out timber for
the miners in Park City, after grandfather’s death. I remember what good times we had
jumping from one big rock to the other in the creek and of going to pick wild berries.
There were several log cabins up there. In the evening to climb up on the big log corral
and watch the boys milk the cows, and hear them sing was very interesting. This place is
the Bonanza flat and now there is a girls summer home there.
Father and the boys burned lime and made brick,
and we used to carry their dinner to them, then we would climb all over the mound which
was called "Jesse’s mound". Later the Memorial for World War One was
erected there. We used to gather wild flowers and we tried to make stems for the prickley
pears but we always came home with the prickels in our feet and hands.
We made brick in different places and at night
while they were burning the brick, it was light for quite a distance, and we sure had fun.
I worked on the brickyard with my brothers and they couldn’t tell my brother William
and myself apart. We used to have lots of house parties where we played games and sang
songs.
We always had family prayer in our home where
we all took part in praying, and also in asking the blessing on the food. We were always
taught to go to Primary and Sunday School. We were asked in the Primary to speak a
sentiment when the roll was called such as "Truth crushed to earth shall rise
again" or "Honesty is the best policy" or "A word fittly spoken is
like apples of gold in baskets of silver." I received a Primary Hymn Book for a
present. It burned in the fire we had here in 1930. We were taught to pay our tithing on
any money we made. We also like to take fast offerings to the Bishop’s store house.
We were always told to never refuse to do anything in the Church when we were asked to, no
matter how small the task. We were taught to have faith in the Priesthood and when we were
ill we could ask for a blessing. I don’t remember a time in my life when we
didn’t have plenty to eat and to wear, but not such a variety as we have today. When
I was small, we didn’t try to outdo our neighbor.
I had six school teachers in my life; William
Wootton, Attawell Wooton, Mr. George Child, Brother Attawell Wootton Sr., and T. B.
Miller. They didn’t graduate us from the 8th grade but kept us coming till
we quit. My schooling was limited and what education I had, I received through reading
good books, study, and from my teachers in various organizations. One of the best helps
was through prayer.
My work in the home was general house work, and
helping to care for the children. We had lots of hard work as we didn’t have any
modern conveniences. We had a large family. The washing had to be done with a tub and
washboard. Our big dining room floor was bare and we scrubbed porches and floors on our
hands and knees but I always remember how white they were and the stoves shown till we
could see our faces in them. We bought a new Home Comfort range and we took it down Provo
Canyon to cook for the men who were working on the railroad when they were bringing it to
Wasatch County in 1899. I went and helped my oldest sister and her husband for a while to
do the cooking.
I always attended church and Sunday School and
Mutual. I was assistant Secretary in Relief Society to Sister Elizabeth Wintch when I was
17 years old. I helped Sister Stella Rasmusson, the school teacher, teach religion class.
I also taught in the Sunday School both in the Primary and 2nd Intermediate
classes up until the time I was married.
When I was a girl, I worked out some for some
of my neighbors, but only received $1.50 and $2.00 a week.
When my parents went to the temple to be
sealed, they took us all to Salt Lake with them.
My cousin’s family OffRobey went at the
same time. We had light spring wagons with good teams of horses. How we enjoyed the ride
through Parley’s Canyon. We made pretty good time. We stayed in a house on the
tithing lot where the Hotel Utah and Bishop’s Building and other office buildings
stand. There was a high wall around it and there was a watchman there at night. The gate
was locked at night about 10 o’clock p.m. We had our first ride on the street car.
After the work was done in the temple, they
took us through all the rooms. We climbed steps up into the top tower and let us look down
on the streets below. The people and wagons looked very small. That was a privilege not
many people have today, to go up so high in the temple. I had a very happy childhood life.
There were crowds of the young folks come to
our house at night and they would play the organ and sing. There were boys and girls from
all over the county and the McEwan boys and girls from Provo. We learned many of their
songs.
My grandparents came to Utah for the Gospel and
my father was young, three years old, when he came. He was born in Pottawatomi County,
Iowa. Mother was born in Provo. I was born in the church. I don’t know when I
received a testimony of the Gospel as it was always with me. My father and mother had
great faith in prayer, and taught us the value of prayer.
For our amusements when I was young, dancing
was the main thing, and there was some very good home talent and there were shows put on
for entertainment. There was a marshall band and a very good brass band in our town. Andre
Burgener was the leader of the brass band. He was considered one of the best in the state.
His son Arnold is now a very good band leader.
Baseball games were also a great sport between
the neighboring towns. We always had good celebrations on the 4th and the 24th
of July. There was always lemonade and popcorn. We always looked forward to the
Children’s dances in the day time and the adult dance at night. At Christmas time we
always had a community Christmas tree and a children’s dance. The Sunday School would
put on celebrations sometimes to the hot pots or up to Heber’s Grove in Snake Creek
Canyon. What fun we had—programs, jumping the rope, large swings in the trees,
playing pomp and other games, bathing in the hot pots, and a good picnic and picking wild
flowers, etc.
Abbenglens had a bathing house up on a little
mound about ¾ mile from our home. They would rent to some families a seasons ticket so we
could go anytime and bathe.
It was fine for we didn’t have any modern
conveniences in our home. Sometimes our mother’s and older sisters would go with us.
We always went at night because the water was very warm. We had great sport coming and
going. I have many wonderful memories of my girlhood days.
Our work in the Mutual was very interesting. I
had one girlhood friend that was outstanding. She was very beautiful and we spent many
happy evenings together. Her name was Birdean Huffacker. We planned so we and our boy
friends could go together. She married a returned missionary and moved to Wyoming, had two
children and died very young.
We used to go to the different towns to dances
in sleighs and when the storms were bad, the boys would put on a cover over the wagon
bows. We enjoyed many sleigh rides, the sleigh bells ringing and we singing from the time
we left home from one town to the other.
The snow was so much deeper in those days,
sometimes the roads would drift full and the horses had to break the roads. I had
different boy friends but didn’t go very steady with boys.
I didn’t care to go with boys just to have
them spend money on me and show me a good time. If they were free with their money, I
thought they just tried to show off. I was always very homesick; to be away over night was
about all I could do.
The summer I was 19 years old, I went to the
Hawsey mine to help Mrs. Sharp, my sister-in-law’s mother (Lottie Van Wagoner) do the
cooking for the miners as the lady who was working there had to go to the hospital. I
worked 19 days and received $19.00 which was very good pay at that time. I enjoyed it very
much but was anxious to get through.
The mine was then shut down. There were some
very nice boys working there and the engineer, Jack Riche, was a fine fellow and very good
looking, a very light blond and very black eyes. He asked me to keep company with him but
I just made an excuse. I phoned home for my folks to come for me and when I thought it was
about time for them to come, I walked out on the cump so I could see a ways down the
canyon. My father and brother Joe came for me, my brother who died with the flu. How happy
I was to see them. This was in July. I arrived home just a few days before the 24th
of July. I learned Hyrum had returned home from his mission.
John Riche wanted to come and spend the 24th
and I told him to come. He hired a horse from the liver stable in Park City and arrived
home quite early in the morning of the 24th. There was a celebration and ball
game and a dance at night. He stayed until the afternoon of the 25th and had
only been gone a short time when Hyrum came to see the family. He had gone up to Boston to
see my brother Will, who was also filling a mission. He had left a wife and baby three
months old. They were glad to meet and Will sent a kiss home to his wife. Will thought a
great deal of Hyrum. Hyrum stayed and spent the evening and we were engaged that night,
July 25th. We were married the 3rd of September in the
Salt Lake Temple. I hadn’t ever gone very steady with Hyrum, but when he left for the
mission, it seemed like I could hear the words—"He will be yours for time and
all eternity." I attended his farewell dance.
I stood one night out by our front gate and
Father knew how bad I felt, he was always very kind and understanding. He said,
"Never mind Sarah. Everything will work out for the best."
He was very understanding with his children and
we liked to confide in him and also Mother. I only received two or three letters from
Hyrum while he was in the mission field. We had both asked our Heavenly Father to direct
us in choosing a companion in life. He has been a very good mate. He has never chastised
me for going places and has never said one word if I didn’t have meals on time. No
matter what I bought or gave away, he has never said a word about it.
If people or my relatives have needed help, he
would say, "Sarah, you will just have to go help" on many occasions. He has
given many people work and has been free in helping and giving to many. All my people love
him and I don’t believe any one of them have ever said one word against him.
He loved my Mother and she passes away while we
were in Denver to the Stock Show. He shed many tears coming home and finding her gone. I
came home ahead of him as he stopped to come home with a bull he had bought. I arrived
home the evening mother passed away.
What sorrow filled my heart when Harold met me
at the train with a sleigh and told me Mother had had a stroke. He felt too bad to tell me
she had dropped dead. So I didn’t learn just how it was until I returned home and
called my brother, John, on the phone. Then we went to Midway.
I sure lost a loving Mother, so kind to
everyone who knew her.
We had nine children, of which we are very
proud. We have been to the Temple with them all. All were married in the Temple but Eva
and she and Elmer went on the 29th of March, 1945, and were sealed, and had
Kent sealed to them. Our children were Harold, Van, Grace, DeLoy, Luella, Omni, Clair,
Ruth and Eva.
My niece died and left Stella Gardner only 26
hours old and when she was five days old, we brought her home and have had her ever since.
She will be 18 on the 3rd of May, which will be next Thursday. She has been an
inspiration in our home. We all love her and treat her as our own. We have also had Norman
most of his life.
After we were married, we lived in two rooms of
Brother Winterton’s house. Hyrum was the first missionary to leave Charleston on the
train. Mother went to Salt Lake to the Temple with us when we went to be married. We went
in a white top, and we sure enjoyed our day in the Temple.
That night we went out to Mill Creek to sister
Price’s and stayed all night. Sister Schofield got all the little children in the
neighborhood and got some old tin cans and shivereed us. After this was over, one of the
little girls looked up at Sister Schofield and said, "What’s it all for?"
When we started home the next day the soldiers
from Fort Douglas were marching up Parley’s canyon and we had to stay behind them
till they stopped to camp. So we had to stay at Roaches, the half way house till morning.
But, we were happy. Mother did work in the temple for Sister Gilmer, who had come to her
in her dreams several times asking her to go to the temple to do her work.
When we arrived home, my sisters tried to play
pranks on us, and when we went to Charleston, Hyrum’s sister-in-law and Aunt Julia
Middison had sewed the bedding together so we couldn’t get into bed till we cut all
the stitches. We lived in two rooms of Brother Winterton’s home.
Harold must have been nearly a year old when we
rented an old house where our new home we later built stands. We lived there six years
before we could build the place.
We had many good times there. We cleaned and
fixed it all up and lived there till we had all our children but Eva. She was the only one
born in our new brick house. It cost us between seven and eight thousand dollars to build.
We had many large crowds come to see us in the old home. Sometimes they would come in
sleigh loads to visit and after they got cars they came.
We worked on many committees and such good
times we had. We spent the evenings at each other’s homes and planned what to do. We
had to raise money to pay for the church piano and remodeling the church. How busy we all
were as Bishop Ritchie said, we had enjoyment as well as work. We had quite a lot of
chances to raise money and there were plays put on. We had some very good home talent.
One night there was a crowd of people came to
our home. Hyrum was away and I was phoning to my brother-in-law. They were masked, the men
were dressed for women and the women for men. I was so startled all I could say was,
"Fred, you just ought to see what’s coming in." They were only waiting for
the crowd to come. These people were from Midway, Heber and Charleston. I guess around 50
in all and what a lot of fun we had.
I gave missionary showers for some of our boys
who were going away on three occasions. Vern Wright, Heber Winterton, and Merlin Simmons.
We invited the whole town and I served refreshments. We had a program and there were about
100 people at a time. The missionaries received many useful presents to help them out.
Gloves, sox, shirts, tire, books, kits of different kinds and money. Each one received
around $80.00 a piece.
I helped the M-Men and Gleaner Girls with many
parties and made large freezers of ice cream for them.
We put on dances and sold punch and made enough
money to take the Beehive Girls to the temple to be baptized for the dead, several times,
and stayed at the hotel all night.
I loved to work with the young people. We had
the first phonograph in Charleston and often had large crowds come to hear it. We had a
recorder to make records and a great many came and sang, recited or played so we could
record it. We sure had a lot of pleasure from it. We still have some of the old records we
recorded and also the old phonograph.
Our new home was made of brick. It was a large
home and very beautiful inside. The rooms were all finished with the natural fur. We had a
fire place with pale green and cream tyling, a large fire place with a beautiful mantel
and a large mirror and book cases on both sides, beautiful chandeliers, hardwood floors,
rugs, built in china closet with a large mirror in it. We had a furnace and electric pump
which pumped the water.
We had four nice rooms upstairs, two bedrooms,
kitchen, dining room and parlor, screen porch, bath room and nice convenient closets, a
basement fruit room, furnace rooms, coal and wood room.
We only lived in our new home for about six
years and then traded it for the old Whiting place which was down by Wallsburg and which
the Deer Creek Reservoir now covers. We thought it was better for cattle conditions. Ruth
was 15 months old when we moved into the new house. We moved up to town one winter and
lived in the big frame home where President Murdock lived. Then we bought the brick home
where Rob Daybell lived and stayed there until we moved to Woodland which is now 18 years
the 1st day of June since we moved up here.
I helped in the two liberty bond drives for
World War One. I was President of the Ladies Republican Committee for sometime and also
chairman of the Ladies Council of Defense.
I had hard work while raising my family, so
many men to cook for in building our homes and out-buildings. One summer we couldn’t
get help. I mowed over 100 acres of hay.
We bought the Fitzgerald and Van Tassel ranches
about seven years before we moved to Woodland. We moved in the old white house and only
loved there from June 1st until fall, when D. A. Bisnel bought the old house
and to keep from moving back to Wasatch, we bought their home and store.
We had a fire in 1930 and our home and store
burned to the ground. We lost between $14,000.00 and $15,000.00 without any insurance.
But, Stell and Grace’s baby, LaVon, came to near being burned. We felt thankful to
our Heavenly Father that their lives were spared. Grace went through the flames to get her
baby and Mr. Franson broke my bedroom window and called Stella to him and got her out the
window. I then stayed in the garage and kept store and we built a new store which Mont and
Luella now own.
We moved in the new store about Christmas time.
Harold thought we could help to get something back by the girls working and he doing the
hauling. The next spring, April 8, 1931, Harold and his father, in going to Spanish Fork
to the Stock Show, a train hit the truck and Harold was instantly killed, and his father
was almost taken at the same time. Oh what sorrow filled our home. Harold’s wife
Susie Duke Winterton was left with three children, a baby four weeks old the day he was
taken. Harold was taken to Heber to the Undertakers and Hyrum to his brother Ralph’s
in Provo.
As we were going to Provo the hearse passed us
in Provo Canyon and as we didn’t see it, it seemed that Providence had a hand in it.
There was Van, Grace, Susie and myself in the car. My brother, John Van Wagoner, and
Hyrum’s brother Ralph followed the hearse. Hyrum was so afraid he wouldn’t be
able to attend the funeral, but we know our prayers were answered in his behalf.
Harold’s funeral was held at the Heber
City Tabernacle. Over 1,000 people were there to attend his funeral. Many people
weren’t able to get in the building. There were lots of flowers.
Harold had been Bishop of the Woodland Ward for
10 months. There were 14 Bishops in the Summit Stake. They were all to the funeral,
including Harold. He was buried in the Charleston Cemetery. We thought our fire had been
terrible but after Harold was taken, we felt that loss wasn’t anything.
Van went on a mission to New Zealand and was
there nearly three years. He was released after Harold was taken and married Nida
Willoughby. Omni filled a mission to the North Central States. Merlin, my son-in-law,
filled a mission. We had four seventies and one elder in our family at one
time—Hyrum, Van, Deloy and Omn8I and Clair, elder. Hyrum is now a counselor in the
High Priests. Our children have always taken part in family prayers and held responsible
positions in the church and paid their tithing. I pray my faith will continue to be
strong.
We have lived in eleven different homes. After
the fire and Harold’s death, we moved in Harold’s home as his wife married Ivan
Andrus who had lost his wife and was left with three children.
I took some surveyors to board and room for two
summers and made money to buy furniture for our home. I have taken boarders several times
which has helped me a great deal. My girls were good and helped me out with my work.
I went to the dedication of the Mesa Temple
with Brother Albert and his wife and three children. I surely enjoyed it very much. I went
through the Temple the day the Lamanites did, which was very interesting. I sure enjoyed
hearing President Grant’s dedicatory prayer, and to meet so many wonderful people.
My sister-in-law had many brothers and sisters
down there, some of them came from Mexico to be present. The programs were wonderful that
were held on the top of the annex of the Temple. I have read the Book of Mormon, Doctrine
and Covenants and many books, but I have never read the Bible through, but hope to.
I have always loved music but have never been
very musical, although our children are very good singers. A great many of the Van
Wagoners, my people, are musical and Hyrum’s people also.
My hobbies have been making quilts and also
cooking. I have traveled quite a lot. I went to Elko, Nevada to meet Harold. Susie, two
children, Stella, Hyrum and myself went to the stock show. I have been to Sacrament to
shows, coming back by Lake Tahoe. I went with Elma, Deloy, Hyrum, Stella to Great Falls,
Montana and Billings, Montana to stock shows.
Hyrum, Grace, Stella, Fred Winterton
(Hyrum’s brother) and I went to Canada on a trip to buy cattle. We stayed to his
sister Malissa’s in Magrath. We traveled quite a distance there; went to McCloud,
Raymond, to Cardston to see the temple. The temple was closed but the Patriarch took us
through. It was beautiful. We visited the Meninite colony which was very interesting to
see how they live and their customs and hear of their beliefs.
Luella took her car and Mrs. Walker, her
mother-in-law, Ruth, Stella, Lowell and myself went to California while Elieen was there
on her mission. We attended a street meeting and Sunday School at Santa Anna. We took
Elieen and went to Los Angeles and to San Diego to the World’s Fair. We went by way
of St. George and came back up the coast and went to San Francisco, crossed the bay and
came back by Sacramento and over the Sierra Nevada mountains.
We traveled bout 2300 miles and Luella drove
most of the way. We had a swell time. When we crossed the bay on the boat, Lowell was very
small and he said we were crossing the ditch in a tub.
I went to San Francisco to a stock show when
Mont and Luella went on their honeymoon.
Dad, Carma, Omni, Clair, Beatrice and I went to
Los Angeles to a stock show on the 6th of December. We went to Tijuana, Mexico.
We went through San Diego and we visited quite a number of places of interest. We went
through one of the old missions and visited Capistrana and saw many beautiful places. We
went to the race track which is the largest in the world and on our return to Los Angeles
we went through Hollywood and saw many of the star’s homes. The Christmas decorations
were beautiful through all of the towns and cities on the way.
The next night, December 7, while we were
watching the Rodeo, the officers came through ordering all the service men back to their
camps, as Pearl Harbor had been bombed, and the next day we started home. There were no
more Christmas lights as everything had been blacked out. It was Luella’s birthday
when Pearl Harbor was bombed.
Hyrum, Stella and myself went to Manti to the
Temple, then on to Arizona by way of the Kiabab Forest and Flagstaff. We visited Holbrook,
Springville, and went to Mesa. We worked in the temple for about two weeks and stayed most
of the time at Shelia’s.
Niel took us to a great many places of
interest. We visited the church welfare there. The citrus fruit show was on. The Indians
were in the parade and also took part in the show. Their dancing was very interesting. We,
with Velda, Aunt Jane and Gladys went to Nogales, Mexico. We took lunch and had a fine
day. We also attended a negro meeting. Niel’s wife had a baby when we got back, Niel,
Jr.
We came home by way of St. George and worked in
the Temple there. Hyrum stayed a few days and Stella and I stayed for sometime. I worked
in the Temple. In the three temples, Manti, Mesa and St. George, Stella was baptized for
100 people.
Stella had rheumatic fever when she was 9 years
old and was in bed for five months. We took her to St. George the following winter. The
Temple was being remodeled but we spent a pleasant winter. Brother and Sister Murphy were
there and we sure visited a lot of people we knew. We were there three and a half months
and Stella went back to school.
Dr. Robison wanted me to take Stella away for
winters so we went again next winter. We worked in the Temple. I have done work for
several hundred people in the different Temples. Stella has been baptized for over three
hundred people.
January 10, 1944, we entered the mission home
to prepare for a short term mission to the Southern States. President Taylor took us to
Salt Lake City. We were interviewed by Apostle Charles A. Callas. We were set apart by
Apostle John A. Widsoe and left Salt Lake January 19, about 11 p.m. We went by way of
Chicago and arrived in Atlanta, Georgia Saturday night. We were met by some of the Elders
and taken to the mission home and remained there until Wednesday night. We met President
and Sister Meeks. We went to Sunday School and at meeting met two brother Yarns whom
Hyrum’s brother, Moroni, baptized 38 years before. Very wonderful men.
We were assigned to go to the North Mission
Branch. Hyrum was to be the branch president and I his companion to labor together. We
rented room in Booneville and tracted what we could. There weren’t any Latter-day
Saints in Booneville. What saints or members there were lived out in the country about six
miles where they have a nice little chapel. They are very kind and hospitable. We met
President Peterson and Elder Rawlins, and later Stanley Pickett, also some local
missionaries.
We went up to Corinth and stayed over night at
Sister Kings and the next day we went to Shiloh National Park in Tennessee. From the many
graves and monuments it shows what the war must have been. We enjoyed our work very much
but it was hard to get around. We secured a car from Sister Ashcraft, a member of the
church, and her daughter Jewel, came