Robert Angus Alexander and Annie Mariah Dobson Alexander

Alexander Families

 

William Zera Alexander on Left and Robert Angus  Alexander  on Right.

 

 

 

            My Grandfather Robert Angus Alexander was born on  May 17 1872  in Washington City, Washington,  Utah. He was the fourth of eleven children born to Benjamin Lamoni Alexander and Catherine Malinda Kelley.
            Both Catherine and Benjamin came to Washington City as members of the Cotton Mission in the early days of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Brigham Young called different individuals and their families to come and be a part of this mission who had lived in the southern states.  Catherine Malinda Kelley Alexander's father Milton Kelley had died while with the Mormon Battalion members at Pueblo, New Mexico, (now Colorado.) and her  mother, Malinda Allison Kelley Covington  had married again to Robert Dockery  Covington, a widower with small children. they were among those called by Brigham Young.  Randolph Alexander and his wife Myrza Alexander Alexander were also called a little later and came with their children, which included Benjamin.  
            Robert's  siblings were Zina Myrza A. (Searle),b. December 25 1864 d. March 22 1932; Milton Lamoni, b. February 03 1887 d. February 11, 1911 , Lois Arabella A.(Hancock, Searle, Shoy), b. December 23 1869 d. December 21 1949; Mary Catherine A. (Searle),December 21 1874 d. July 23 1945; ,James Bird ,b. March 07 1877 d. June 04 1961;  Woodruff Moroni,  b. June 181879 d. October 18 1918, William Zera , b. December 01 1882 d. October 29 1918;  Benjamin Lamoni, b. June 30 1886 d. October 18, 1918; Loren, b. November 25 1888 d. Nov 29, 1888 and Loretta, b. November 25, 1888 d. December 29 1888.  All the children were born in Washington City, Washington, Utah.  The last two were twins and died in infancy. 

The Benjamin Lamoni Alexander Home in Washington City, Washington, Utah. Where Robert would have grown up.

            Robert went to school up to the  eight grade.  My Mother Mazie, his youngest daughter believes he worked in the mines for a time  in Pioche, Nevada and the Silver Reef Mine in Leeds, Utah in his young adult years.
            The Benjamin Alexander  family lived in Washington City, Utah, until at least 1889 as all their children were born  there.  
             Robert  married Annie Mariah Dobson  on October 04, 1897, in Circleville, Piute, Utah.  They had a son who was possibly stillborn or died upon being born.  He was born on July 6, 1898, in Circleville, Utah.  The next year on the same date of July 6 they had a second son, they named him Robert Randolph. They were living in Delamar, Lincoln, Nevada. He only lived until October of 1899 and is buried in Delamar.  Robert was most likely working as a miner during that time.  Their next child was Annie Orminnie and she was born on November 11, 1900, in Circleville, Utah.  She went by Minnie.  Wanda was next and she was born in Vernal on November 17, 1902.  
            The majority of the Benjamin and Catherine Malinda Kelley Alexander's family moved to the Uintah Basin.  They may of started out in the Vernal, because Catherine Kelley Alexander died in Vernal on February 17 1899.  She  is buried in the Maesar Cemetery near Vernal. Robert and Annie had a son while living in Vernal , named Alden Angus Alexander, he was born around March 4, 1905, he died in April and is buried in the Maesar Cemetery near his Grandmother Catherine Malinda Kelley Alexander and his Grandfather Benjamin Lamoni Alexander, whose body was taken to be laid by his first wife when he died in 1913.  

            After Catherine Malinda's  Death, Robert's father, Benjamin met and married a German convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  She was a widow who came over to the United States with her two living children. Her name was Marie (Mary) Kruger Schramm.  She was born January 21, 1858, in Angerburg, Ostpreussen, Preussen.  She was married first to Emil Richard Schramm  on November 20, 1885; and had three children; Paul Schramm b. October 10, 1886, Bertha Milda Schramm b. February 12, 1888, she died July 27, 1890, in Germany. and another daughter Margaret Schramm, born on August 24, 1889.  Marie  married Benjamin Lamoni Alexander, on May 17, 1905, in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Her name appears on his death certificate as his wife, his name is on the death certificate as Lamoni.  Picture is of Marie Kruger Schramm Alexander , she died in an auto-Pedestrian accident in Salt Lake City at the age of 81 on May 19, 1939. Utah digital Newspaper article. 

            The next child was a girl, Amanda Catherine Alexander  born in Vernal on November 16, 1906.
            The six brothers decided  to homestead land in Duchesne County and named the place "Alexandria", it was later renamed Altonah. Some of the sisters also came to the Uintah Basin with their families.
When Robert and Annie came to Altonah.  They came in a wagon with a stove and all the other things they needed to keep house in it. Here they had a son Clarence Elmo born on June 26, 1909, in Altonah.  Their first boy to survive infancy.  Robert worked at whatever he could to provide for his family.  So again they left Altonah and went to Dragon, Uintah, Utah where he worked as a miner in a coal mine. Verda Charlotte was born there on  November 21, 1911.  I don't know if they were living in Vernal or visiting family, but Theo Alexander was born on April 28, 1914, in Vernal, Utah.  After Theo was born the family decided to go back to Altonah.
            The story goes that Robert put the stove down on the ground and built the house around it.   Robert had to go to Roosevelt for supplies.  One night when he had been to Roosevelt  something came up and Robert could not make it back that evening.  He was worried about Annie waiting up for him and perhaps he had been praying about this.  Annie had been  waiting for him with supper on the stove. She heard what she thought was a wagon come into the place.  She heard the words, "Annie go to bed." and the voice sounded to her like it was Robert speaking.  So she put the food on the table and waited but he didn't come in.  She then went out looked for him and neither he nor his wagon was there, so she finally obeyed the message she was given and went to bed and slept soundly. Robert  arrived home safely the next day. Milton Delamore Alexander was born in Altonah July 14, 1917.  The flu epidemic hit hard in Utah and other areas in 1918,  Three of the Alexander brothers succumbed to the flu. Woodruff Moroni Alexander and Benjamin Lamoni Alexander Jr. on on October 18, 1918, and William Zera Alexander on October 29, 1918.  They are buried in the Roosevelt Memorial Cemetery, in Roosevelt, Utah. During this time Robert and William Zera Alexander were trying to help others by bringing supplies to the homes of the afflicted.  William dared not go to the door for fear of getting the dread disease.  Robert would go and William would wait outside.  Robert lived and William died of that flu.  This was a hard time for the family especially hard because Amanda, Robert and Annie's daughter soon followed.
            Amanda Catherine died from Diphtheria on Dec 01, 1918,  She had been ill and had appeared to have recovered.  She did some laundry with her younger sister, Verda, who was helping her,  and after wards  became ill again. The day she died she talked to her father's brothers who had passed away and told them she was waiting for her father to come, he was out at a sheep camp, the family found him and brought him home. When he arrived home, She climbed into his lap and died on December 1, 1918. She was 12 years old. She was buried Dec 3, 1918, Roosevelt Memorial Cemetery near her Uncles.
            My mother, Mazie, found an old report card of Amanda's that showed straight "A's". When she was a little girl, she was kicked by a horse and it left a scar on her face.  Grandmother Annie kept Amanda's canvas shoes put away in the cellar.   My mother Mazie remembers seeing her down there holding the worn-out  shoes and grieving for her precious daughter. 
            Robert worked as a butcher in Fort Duchesne, some winters he worked in mines, like in Delemore, Nevada and Dragon, Utah. He bought a place in Altonah and lived there for several years.  This is where my mother, Mazie Alexander, b. May 21, 1920,  and her brother Parley Orlando Alexander, b. October 20, 1922. were both born. In all Robert and Annie had twelve children.
            While living in Altonah, Robert would lease other farm land to farm.  He grew grain and alfalfa.  He had cows, horses, pigs, chickens, and geese. Annie Mariah took care of the chickens and pigs.  Sometimes when they were in need of money, he would go herd sheep for a family named Chrystal who lived in a place they called Yellow Stone, which was just above Altonah.  Mother remembers visiting him sometimes when he worked on their sheep ranch and seeing two little brown bears in the trees. 
            There were some electric poles in the area and mother remembers one of the boys sitting on one slanted pole and getting a shock.  She  Later he  sold it and moved to Cedar View and built a home.  He bought his property from the state.  He divided some of the property up and gave some to my dad.  part of the property was the place where Uncle Howard and Aunt Minnie lived.  Dad sold his piece to Uncle Howard.
Robert used to butcher and cure the pork the family ate.
            Robert was well-known for his love of singing.    At Milton D. Corry’s funeral, Fred Brown told how after the dances at the church house. He would sing the song " After the Ball is Over. "
            Mom said that her parents came and stayed with her for a while in Chandler, Arizona in their older years. Grampa was becoming more senile; He would say things like; " Look can you see those horses in that corral.  .  While he was in Arizona, he enjoyed playing with Robert who was about four years old.  One night they were in this little bedroom  where there was a window on both sides of the room.  He said a black man came in one window walked over to their bed and went out the other window.   He also ran away once, the police brought him back. ,  He wanted to go home,  So Annie took him home on the bus.  Minnie tried to take care of him.  One day when she was trying to dress him, he hit her on the neck with the side of his hand.  After that they decided to put him in the home in Provo. He died with a heart attack while in the bathroom one day. It was June 25, 1955, three months after my birth.  (Julia)

            From Gae Alexander Snow also known as Rebecca Dobson; Cousin. 

            "I do have memories of Grandma and Grandpa. Probably not as many as Johna May, Theo, Natalie and Niel (the cousins in your family that are close to my age or older). I think your family lived near them longer than we did. I lived out there as an infant. My parents lived in the little cabin on Grandma and Grandpa's property for the first four years of their marriage. I was born in their house, in their living room -- the main room at the front of the house. We moved to Washington when I was a year old.        We came back every year for a few days to visit, and Grandma and Grandpa visited us twice that I can recall, once in Washington and once in Idaho (where we lived for a few years right after WW II before returning to Washington)."
            "Grandpa died when I was thirteen, I think, and Grandma passed on when I was about fifteen or sixteen -- I was still in high school, anyway. After Grandpa died Grandma came to Washington and lived with us for a while. She and I slept in the same bed. I remember how she had to inject herself with insulin every day, how much she loved Hop along Cassidy on television (which was such a new thing for us then), and how much she enjoyed going out for drives in the car. She was with us when my sister Faye was blessed, and I remember how she cried when my father blessed her. I also have some memories of Grandpa, who seemed like a little old blue-eyed, musical pixie to me. He was fun. It was sad when he got Alzheimer's (we think now that he had it, although at the time nobody knew about the disease). He stopped recognizing members of the family. I remember visiting him at the state institution in Provo, where he was sent as a last resort --and to my father's everlasting sadness-- when he began to get too rough and physical to be handled at home anymore. During that visit he called my mother Annie. Grandma was right there in the room, but he didn't recognize her as an old woman. He was back in the past. " Gae Alexander.

            Mother says that Grandfather Robert Alexander held the office of  a "High Priest" in our church. She said he taught a class for the young men and that he used to take very good care of the lesson manual. I believe he did and mother did afterwards, for I found some beloved manuals after my mother’s death.  
 Robert loved to sing and played more than one instrument.  Harmonica, Banjo, guitar.  He sometimes played the harmonica and the banjo at the same time.  He sang and played at the  square dances or whatever they danced, before mother's time.
             He sang for the babies to make them happy . Mother said they would start jumping up and down and once in a while one of them would lose their diapers.
Robert herded sheep and was gone during some of the time.  He herded sheep upon the mountains in back of Altonah.  Mother says they are the same ones that we can see from home in Cedar View, Montwell.    He worked in the coal mines before mother can remember it.   He worked in one called Dragon where he was when Verda was born. He did different things; he was a meat cutter in Fort Duchesne for a time.  His first love was being a musician.  They had cows and horses, chickens, and pigs at their home in Montwell. (Cedar View) and Altonah.  Robert always butchered a cow or  a pig or chicken, for their meals.  They always had plenty to eat. they never went hungry.  They sold the cream to a creamery.  This was how they got enough cash for cereal, sugar, and things like that.  Robert raised grain and he would take it to the mill and they would make flour and  cereal out of it.  The mill was run by a water wheel.  
             Mother made a cake for her papa's birthday and forgot the baking powder so it was a flat cake. Howard and Minnie came over and Howard told her it was really good.  Annie used to make him apple pies.  So she made a dozen that day.  
Robert was a very caring and kind man; He was very tender-hearted man and didn't like to see animals or kids or anyone mistreated.  The only time he spanked mother was with a willow on her legs because she frightened him. she had run after the wagon that Wanda and Jerry Rich were driving. They were hauling furniture and did not see mother run up and grab a hold on it .  Jerry had the wagon up against the post corral fence and decided to back it around.  Robert grabbed a hold of mother and spanked her with a willow on her legs.   That was the only time that she can remember getting a spanking.       Robert didn't  think girls should be around to see a chicken's head cut off so he sent them into the house.   Mother says he was very tidy and would help Annie tidy the house.
            In the winter weather mother and her brothers enjoyed sledding. Robert had a  sleigh  with a wagon bed with sleigh runners.  Robert had a place where he kept his cows and he would go back and forth in the sleigh.  The kids would tie their small sleighs to the back of the big one and go sleighing along.  Robert was very careful not to go too fast.
            It would snow about a foot or more and stay on the ground all winter long in Altonah. There were a couple canals that froze and sometimes they would go sledding on them.  There were haystacks from Alfalfa which Robert harvested.  

            Mother and I picked up a couple books of history of the people of that area.   It had history on the Alexander families.  The book is "Harvest of Memories 1905  to   1988," Histories of ; Upalco, Altonah, Mt. Emmons, and Altamont.  This book was compiled by a book committee of woman as listed on page VIII of the book.  Among the names are Melva, Allred, Violet Lott, and DeLaine Tidwell.

Grandmother Ella Gilbert Nielson

Personal history of Ella Gilbert Nielson

    

 Ella on right with unknown young lady.

I was born Oct 21 1885, in Gillespie, Fayette,Pennsylvania. My father's name was John Gilbert who came from Scotland on June 9 1874. He landed in America and settled in Pennsylvania. Julia Ann Federer became his wife the 27th of May 1879...(Ella writes that they had three children, Greenland, Chrstina and herself, however, another child was listed on family records as Andrew and in mortality records of Gillespie, Pennsylvania, I found a record of a Elexander Gilbert who died in Jan 1880 who is linked to John and Julia as his parents on census record. Julia was a twin, so the question arrises as to whether she gave birth to one or two children that passed away, one may of been stillborn or died shortly after birth, and one a little later. Julia Corry)

Mother died May 6 1887. I do not know much about this time. I was only 18 months old. Uncle Andrew Gilbert told me that the last time he saw my mother she was at Grandfather (Andrew) Gilbert's funeral and she had me in her arms. (He died January 1887.) 

After mother died, father let my Grandmother (Christina Aikman) Gilbert take us. She did what she could to take care of us , but she was not well, so father let me go to his one aunt's place to live and then later to another aunts.  

Christine Gilbert Ramage Robertson

Then there was a dear lady that tried to adopt Christine, but she would not consent to be separated from her daddy, and she cried out most of the time. The lady gave her everything to make her happy, but she refused to be her little girl, and father had to take her back home. He also had to hire help to care for us children.

Then when I was 4 years of age my father married again. My stepmother, (Annie Givens Gardiner Gilbert), was a good housekeeper and kept us children clean and well clothed. She was Scotch and taught me her language or her scotch twang which was a terrible embarrassment to me. When I started school it was such a handicap that I did not learn my own language, and would have welcomed a mouse's hole to crawl into to get away from the fun I created in the school room among the students.
So my education was hampered from the start. I rebelled about going to school to face that uproar, but it didn't seem anyone cared whether I went to school or not so I was out of school most of the time.
We did not have order when women taught school. There were big boys who were almost grown (compared) to us small first graders all in one room. And the teacher who taught was a woman related to the rich farmers so the poor didn't get much attention. We changed to different schools. 

     My brother never attended the country school where I mostly attended. I had to walk about two and a half miles to school over high snowdrifts in the winter so I rarely went in bad weather. The other school was called the Troy Town school. We had a man teacher, and when he had trouble with the children, he would send one out to get a willow.
     
      He never used it that I remember. Another threat or story he told the children was there was a graveyard up on the hill, and that seemed to make them think. I was in the first grade when I went to his school.I can still remember a big chart with our lessons, we had the alphabet on our page with all its forms and other patees with beginners' reading and spelling and also numbers. Books were scare. We had a slate and pencil to write with and a wet rag to erase with.
     The Steamboats passed up and down the river; we had our schoolhouse built high upon the hillside, I mean at a safe distance from the high water. The school house was on the opposite side of the hill from my home so this hill I am talking about separated my home from the river. 
     
     The river was the Monongalia River which at that time was the main transport by steam shipment of coal and commerce and passengers, by steamboats, tugboats, barges, and all such commercial purposes. There were locks spaced to level off the swiftness of the force of water so that it could be used safely. The river generally froze over completely in the winter. 

     This usually closed the mines and until the ice broke up we walked across it many times. Otherwise we went in what we called a rowboat or skiff. When the river was clear of ice we could go across the river in this manner to visit relatives that lived on the opposite side of the river or go on excursions on different occasions. 

     Our relatives came to us from West Virginia by passenger boat. They lived in Gladsville, (Gladesville?), and we went down the river to Pittsburgh by boat. Since we left there, a new railroad was put clear through our side of the river to Brownsville, Pa.

My father worked the coal mines from the time he was eight years old. His father would take him to work with him. They would go down into the mines before it was light and stay until after dark. So when his father and brother came to America, coal mining was their occupation here in America too.

Father bought nine acres of land and on this piece of land built our home. We, as I remember, had lots of vines on the hillside, a big raspberry patch, a large garden plot and some bees at the end of the house; there were about fourteen stands. They were gentle bees because they did not sting him when he took the honey. There were a few fruit trees. We kept a cow. We went to a farm and bought butter and milk.

     We would go up into the hills and away out in the country to pick fruit; fruits in their seasons. We alway had plenty of jams, jellies, and bottled fruits, and we had our own honey--and we always had a fat pig to kill.

     We went to the Presbyterian Church to Sunday School once in a great while, also to their picnics. They invited us to go in the summertime. We did not belong to any church. 

     In Scotland my step-mother was a member of the Protestant Church. I suppose my father was too. My mother belonged to the Baptist Church, and all her people did, (1) but one uncle was a Methodist.  I was, my father was too. 

     Mother's father was training to become a Catholic Priest in Switzerland... The Priest that was over him continually drained him for all the money he could give him, either to borrow or otherwise. His mother died about this time, and he was about to bury her, and the priest demanded more money from him. So he quit the Catholic Church there and then and got another minister to finish the funeral for her.

    My father (John Gilbert) joined the Church  of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  My Uncle Andrew Gilbert joined too, and moved to Richfield, Utah. But he had asthma there so he moved to Winterquarters, Utah, because the coal mine was a help if not a complete cure.

    It was because of Uncle Andrew that father joined the Church and moved to Winterquarters, Utah.   Many other converts did too.  It was there that my sister (Christine)(2) met her husband and my brother (2) (Greenland) met his wife, and I met your father Niels Nielson. I married your father (Niels Nielson) in 1903.  We loved each other very much.

 His father's family lived there (James (Jens) and Christine Marie Smith Nielson).  

The altitude was 9,900 feet above sea level, and in our times the Doctor said I would have to leave the high altitude on account of my heart.

 In July 18, 1905 Julia was born.  We named her after my mother (her name was Julia Ann  Federer).  People were always telling about my mother whom they loved very much.  Julia, my daughter was like her for every one loved her.
 My next child was James Clifford, he was born on Aug 3 1908.  He was very fair complexioned and such a sweet contented baby.  He died when he was 10 months old lacking 7 days. He died 28th of May 1909.  Our next baby was a girl.
  We named her Elva Christine.  She was born January 9th, 1910.  She was dark complected like Julia.  Then came Thora Ella, she was born Nov 3, 1911.  She had dark hair at first, but later it turned a very pretty blonde.  John came next.  We named him John Gilbert, after his Grandfather Gilbert, and he was like James and had a very fair complexion and white hair.  After a short time we came to a strong desire to move on the farm which your daddy had bought about two years before in Cedar View, Duchesne County, Utah.  I had never seen the place, but anything was better than raising my children in a mining camp, and it was beautiful to us.  Your fathers family tried to persuade him not to make the move, but we had the homeland and we both were anxious to get on the land, which we did in 1916.



We didn't have much to start with, just a team and a wagon and what we could put in the wagon.  We started with a real pioneering job the moment we left our home in Winterquarters, Carbon Co. Utah, but I never could be sorry, in the move the Spring of 1916, although, we went through such a lot of hardships.
 Leroy was born 24th of March 1918, and there wasn't even a floor in the one room home.  But we thought we were rich with such a nice black-headed addition to our other lovely  family of 3.(Elva had also died.)  When you don't know what the hardships are before you, you keep trusting in Him from whom all blessings flow; and Father in Heaven blessed us with his own measuring stick. Glen Edward was our next lovely son, but he was very delicate and he was born Aug 7 1920.  After he was out of his babyhood he just didn;t seem to get along good and gave me a lot of care and worries.  We had a lot of sickness with all of them, tonsilitis, measles and mumps, all children's diseases.  John was sick for a long time.  Leroy had a sickness we feared also.


Stanley was our 8th child, 5th son.  He was a big healthy baby and was never sick or if he was at all he came out of it in a hurry.  Stanley was born Nov, 29, 1922.


Irene came after Stanley.  She had enlarged tonsils, earache, a lot of sick spells.  She was born Nov, 6 1924.  Calvin came next, he was a very even tempered and completely contented if he was taken care of properly, and a good baby like Stanley.  And then if some unavoidable neglect he was still wonderful.  When he was six months old, Jules had to share Calvin's attention from Mama.  Julia died 5th June 1927, and the doctor said I would have to nurse him to save his life, which I did.  But it wasn't long until those two babies were sitting side by side holding their bottles with their fat chubby hands, hardly giving anyone trouble.  Calvin was born Nov 12 1926, And Jules Clifford Perry was born June 4 1927.  Their was six months difference in their ages,  Julia, his mother died shortly after he was born, and he spent his life with us for a little while, or until he was 4 years old.


The came Joseph Federer.  He was born 23 Sept 1931.  He was our seventh son, a strong healthy baby boy, except he was born with  (enlarged) adenoids and he got worse as he grew older.  While he slept foam would work out of his mouth.  I thought it was snuffles and I kept vicks in his nostrils until the doctor examined him.  He said he had enlarged tonsils.  He never got over his troubles until both tonsils and Adenoids were taken out.


Jules and Calvin were very much attached to each other.  His father remarried and took him home, and the separation from me and Calvin was very hard on Jules. (Loyal Perry married Thora, Julia's sister and Ella's daughter.  Ella was very unhappy when Jules was taken from her).




Now I will give a sketch of my husband Niels Nielson.


Niels Nielson was born in Richfield, Sevier Co. Utah, June 8 1883 to James and Christina Smith Nielson.  He attended school in Richfield.  When he was 16, his father moved to spring Glen, Carbon Co, Utah, on his brother's (Cris Nielson's )farm.  They farmed their farm a short time, and then moved to Winter Quarters.  This was the first time I ever saw him when they visited the Gilberts.  They had settled in Richfield and had been neighbors and good friends at Richfield.  So Naturally they stopped for a few days to visit as they passed so close to them.


Grandfather Nielson had worked in Winter Quarters previous to this, but had not moved his family there.  He had been seriously injured in the mine when he first worked there and was in a Salt Lake Hospital for sometime.  They moved there when Niels was old enough to work in the mine.  We got better acquainted and soon after we started to go out together.  We were married June 17 1903.  We loved each other very much and our married life was very happy.  He worked  at a great many jobs.  Finally to get along better he took a Scranton School Course.  After that he was able to get paying jobs.  So from common jobs he began to climb up- better jobs-first fireman, then engineer, then mechanical job and technician.  He learned mechanical work from William Stevenson.  They became good friends.  Also this man was an Englishman who later sent for his family to come from England and they made their home in Winter Quarters.

James Clifford Nielson 
We moved from Winter Quarters to Sunnyside in 1905.  We lived there 18 months and moved back to Winter Quarters.  Shortly after that move we lost first James Clifford.  He was born Aug 3 1908 and died 28th of May 1909, 

and then Elva Christina was born Jan 9 1910 and died April 9 1910.  

After that Niels quit Winter Quarters work and went on the railroad.


We were about to move to Scofield where we moved after he took the railroad job to Richfield or some other farming settlement when he got bumped off his job. Because of a slump in his work the board was down past him so he was without a job so he went back to Winter Quarters as a yard foremen.  From this job they put him on the boxcar loaded, and from then on remained steady until 1916 when we moved to Cedar View, Duchesne, Utah.  He went back to Winter Quarters to work to pay his taxes during the terrible siege of flu that hit the country and got the flu.  But he was fortunate to recover while a great many died.  We did not have the flu at home on the farm.


Later on he went to Castle Gate, Carbon Co. to work and there he had pneumonia and almost died.  He had gone five months without coming home to see his family, and John and LeRoy did not know him.  So he decided he would never go away and stay that long again.  But he still had to go after that many times to keep things going until we got a dry herd of cows.  He tried to get me to move back, but I refused to move my family to a mining camp.  (While we lived in Sunnyside his mother wrote him and asked him to get me to come and stay with her.  So he sent me back to Winter Quarters for a visit.  I was there for a while and then he came and stayed as long as his work would allow, and we went home.  We got a message to come at once, that she was dying, but before we could get on the way, we got another wire that she had passed away.  

She died July 18 1906 on Julia's first birthday.  She was buried in Richfield, Utah).


On the farm in Cedar View, Utah, it was very nice.  The children seemed to enjoy it in spite of our hardships.  We always had plenty to eat after the first two years.  Church was about a mile away.  We knew all the people.  We had a school in Cedar View for the first few years, and then they began to centralize schools and put on buses to take the children to school.  This destroyed the growth of Cedar View, and it never amounted to much after that.


Julia died while we were in Cedar View just after the birth of her first child.  She died with Albumin, and I took care of the baby and raised him until his father remarried.  Julia married Loyal Perry and then he married Thora four years after her death.  
     We had five children born in Winter Quarters, Utah, and six were born in Cedar View, Utah.

When the depression hit the country in 1933, we had moved to Midview that was between Bridgeland and Myton down on the river in Duchesne.  We rented Indian Land there, and then in 1936 Niels was bit by a poisonous wood tick and died with Rocky Mountain Fever.  He was buried in the Roosevelt Cemetery.

1. (George Andrew Federer who was born in Greensboro, Greene, Pennsylvania, worked as a miner and later as a  preacher in Morgantown, Monongalia, West Virginia. I have done extensive research on Ella's mother's mother's people who appear to have also been of the Methodist faith-Thompson Line "Preston County, West Virginia Online History Book" Julia Corry).

2.  Christine was married to Tom Ramage April 4, 1900, he died on May 1, 1900 in a Coal Mining explosion.  She had a child named Thomas John Ramage, b. Jan 12, 1901, later she married Oscar Robertson and had more children.
3.  Greenland F Gilbert married Margaret Jane Jenkins b. August 12, 1883, they had three children; Joseph Howard, John Hughie, Greenland Hollie. Greenland died on Nov 14 1907.  He is buried in Scofield, Carbon, Utah.

The Aged Tree

 

This aged tree stood alone, branches barren and misshapen reaching up into the sky;  overlooking the beauties and spaciousness of the canyon.  It reminded me of a sentinel on duty, ever watching. I was awed by it as we drove through Bryce Canyon in 2004; and so I pulled out my camera and took a picture to preserve a memory.

     That day I was with Barbara Corry my sister-in-law, Beth Coffman my husband's Aunt, and Iris Corry, my husband's step-mother.(who basically raised him since he was six, his first mother, Florence Decker Corry  died from a brain tumor at the age of 43, in 1954, when he was five).       

     It was a fun trip.  We enjoyed the beautiful canyon sites, the friendship and a pleasant meal at Ruby's Inn. 

     Both Iris and Beth are gone now.  Iris Parker Corry left us in May of 2007 at age eighty-nine, two months old and twenty days.  Beth Corry Coffman left us last year April 23, 2010; eighty-eight years old, Two months and seventeen days.   They have moved on to eternal realms, old friendships to renew.  Their aged bodies left in the grave while their spirits roams freely amongst family & friends past.  Perhaps, there are times when they are checking in on us, to see how we are doing.  

     Someday, they will return and take up their bodies, when Christ comes again to the earth.  The Ressurrection day will be glorious and joyful.  Those that come forth will have their bodies renewed .  Perhaps, and I do believe, that this tree that stands barren today, will once again be graced by beautiful branches and plentiful green leaves, where it can continue to look over the horizon and grace the canyon with its majesty.  We are all eternal beings.

Picture on left is me, with my mother, my sister Natalie is standing in the background watching. We were probably in front of our house in Chandler, Maricopa, Arizona. I am wearing the Nielson Christening or Blessing gown. This picture was probably taken by my Uncle Joe Nielson as I found his name on the back of the photo. I thought that was cool.

My dad wore this blessing gown as did other siblings of his. My uncle James Christian Nielson wore it. We have his picture of him in it.The next picture is me, when I was about seven. We were living in Idaho at this time on a farm my dad was homesteading. We went to school and church in Acequia, Minadoka, Idaho.





My dad and Mom are in the third picture. These are the two people who gave me life. Yeah, raised me up from a baby and placed my feet upon the earth. John Gilbert Nielson was born on August 28, 1915. He was born in a place called Winter Quarters, Carbon, Utah. when he was two the family moved away and lived in a place between Roosevelt and Neola, known as Cedar View or Montwell. It was while living here that he met my mother who had moved from Altonah, Duchesne, Utah where she was born on May 21, 1920. They married young and had ten children. I was number seven.






My Mom

Mazie Alexander was the 11th child of twelve born to Robert Angus and Annie Dobson
Alexander in Altonah, Duchesne Co. Utah, on May 21 1920.
Mother says she was born in a tent while her family were staying at Aunt Roxanna F. Hall, Alexander's Ranch. Uncle William Zera Alexander, her husband, passed away 2 years earlier, with the flu of 1918. She was blessed on September 5 1920 in Altonah, Duchesne, Utah. She had
dark hair and blue eyes, and her dad's loving disposition.
When mother was four years old she started a house fire. She had been watching her brother Clarence light a string on the curtain and then put it out, while her mother read a story to her. It fascinated her. Later when her parents were gone shopping in Duchesne. She lit a string but was too afraid to put it out. Aunt Verda ran to the ditch for water with the pail. She yelled to her brothers and they tried to put out the fire. The boys had to get up on the roof and pour water down the chimney.
When her mother came home she was understandably upset. My Mother remembers sitting in a high chair while her mother placed new red sandals on her feet she remembers her saying " I hadn't ought to give these to you." Later on they lost the whole house to a fire while another family was staying there. In one of these fires they lost several family pictures.
Mother was baptized in a canal in Altonah on the 14 of Oct 1928. The man that baptized Mother was a Mecham, who was a widower.
Mother remembers going to school on their horse 'Maude' who had carried every child in the family at one time to school. Maude was dark gray with white hair. She was quite old and tired of carrying all the children up to Mother, who was the eleventh of twelve. Maude would untie herself from the school hitching post where several other children also tied their horses in the morning. Then Maude would stand there until it was time for Mother to go home; as mother tried to climb upon her she would back away. Then Maude would turn her head and look at mother and when she tried again she would trot off. Her brother Clarence came after her one day because she couldn't catch the horse. She was crying her eyes out. He put her on his horse and took to the Lake Fork River where her mother was picking berries. Her dad retired the old horse after that. Maude was about twenty-eight years old. She went to a government pasture where other people also retired there horses.; eventually, the government stopped the practice.

As a young girl Mazie excelled in spelling and running. She tapped danced,and was a 4H club
member.
During her life, she had some very special faith promoting experiences. These experiences also helped to build my testimony and strengthen my faith as well. One time she stayed to play with friends, following a 4h club meeting, she climbed on 'Ponchito',( the horse that took Maude's place), and headed towards home, it was pitch black when she climbed on the horse. She had to go one direction for a block and then turn left for a time, since it was so dark, this was frightening to her so she prayed to Heavenly Father, as she rounded the next corner, she saw a light ahead of her and thinking it was a headlight from a car on a road, she pointed her horse in the direction of the light. she went straight for about three or four miles. She then went around a hill and on to her place. The light stayed in front of mother and guided her home all the way. It was still there, when she arrived at home and went to the corrals and took the bridle and the saddle off the horse. The light was still there when Mother went into the house and to bed.

Mazie suffered injuries to her back on two occasions and for most of her life had back problems and resulting pain. One time mother was with her friends, Elnora and Cecilia Thompson after a 4H club meeting, in the middle of town. Mother climbed upon a pole fence and the pole she stood upon was loose and she fell and hit the back of her head on the next pole down which knocked her out. She came to while they were dragging her through the wood pile and then she went unconscious again. When she came to the next time she was on a bed at her friend's house and her mother was ringing cold cloths out and putting them on her forehead.

Mother was in a play when she was a young woman, in which she played the maid. The story was about a woman who had people coming to dinner. She went out and gathered mushrooms. Just to be sure they weren't poisonous toadstools she fed them to the dog. The dog seemed okay and dinner was served. The lady asked the maid later about the dog. The maid said the dog had died. The quests and lady were very upset and thought they were going to die, until they asked the maid if the dog was in pain when he died. The maid replied that the dog died instantly when the car hit him. Mother once played the part of Mary for a Christmas play also as a young woman in Mutual. Mrs. Scogings one of the leaders liked to put on plays. A Mr. John L. Parry asked mom to play Mary. My mother would ride a horse ten miles to school many a day when she lived in The cedarview area
Mother also liked to Tap dance. She learned how during a school P.E. class. One time she and another friend Vida Carruth (Clark) stayed after school to perform a tap dance for the Lion's club. After which they went to the movies. While they were at the theater watching the matinee, they were having a boxing match on the screen and her friend Vida kept screaming at the person she wanted to win which may of attracted the attention these two young men that sat behind them. The girls went outside of the theater at the end of the movie to wait for Vida's sister to pick them up. There must of been a misunderstanding, because the sister never showed up. Home was much to far to walk so the girls decided to go to the school to sleep for the night. This school was located behind where the bus garage is now located. Up on the hill past where Roosevelt Jr high in Roosevelt, Utah is today. It was red brick building.
After the movies the young men, followed the girls in a car. This frightened the girls. One of the guys said where do you live? Mother said "Right here." and walked up onto the porch of a house. Later they went to the school and slept on a couch all night. This room where they slept was over the gymnasium. They went to school the next morning. After school they rode the bus home.
Mother was about 5 feet 2 inches in height. She is a very compassionate human being. Often going without to see that her ten children had what they needed. She worked hard. She married young and had her last child at age 42. She had dark brown hair and a wonderful happy smile. She tried to make everyone feel comfortable and see that their needs were met.

Mother fell in love with dad when she was thirteen years old. The first time she remembers seeing him was when He was swinging on one of the doors of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, that used to be in the Cedar View (Montwell) area. This church was about a half a mile from where you turn off the Neola Highway on to the Cedar View Road. They had dances for the people almost every Saturday night. Mama said some individuals would get drunk at the dances that they held there. The Church had a strong stand on not drinking, but there were those who didn't always adhere to this. My father's, father, Niels Nielson was called on my the local authorities of the church to keep the rough crowd out of the dances. Mother said they had benches along the sides of the Church where the dances were held for people to sit on . Mother said one time she went to sit down and found herself on the lap of an older man, who wrapped his arms around her and wouldn't let her leave at first, this was a great embarrassment to her. Eventually, this church was struck with lightning and burned to the ground. Mama felt it was because some individuals had little respect for the sanctity of the church.


This is a picture of Flora Parry and my Aunt Thora Nielson Parry, standing at the window of the church with another women. Thora is in the middle.
John Gilbert Nielson & Mazie Alexander were married on February 13th 1936 in the Salt Lake City Temple.

My mother is a woman of great faith and love, many of her ancestors were active in the early church days and had a hand in bringing this church forth out of darkness and into light. She is related to the prophet Joseph Smith, and others who served the lord during the beginning stages of the restoration
of the Gospel to the earth. Always willing to sacrifice and give to others. Her love is unconditional, all ten of her children knew they were loved. She had borne her sorrows patiently and well, she has had many trials, many disapointments and challenges. They struggled all their lives to put food on
the table and care for their offspring. Mother stayed home for most of my life, only working for a short time in Idaho at the potato factory, when we were in extreme need. I am glad that she was home for us. We had family prayer in our home, good conversations around the table,I remember picnics to
the desert when we lived in Arizona.. She loved to read and visit with family and friends. hugs and kisses were nightly fare and I love you's too. She had had out of darkness and into light. She is related to some of the Prophet Joseph Smith maternal relatives through her Gee line. Their were many faithful individuals who served the lord during the beginning stages of the restoration of the Gospel to the earth. Always willing to sacrifice and give to others.
Her love is unconditional, all ten of her children know they are loved. She had borne her sorrows patiently and well, she has had many trials, many disapointments and challenges. They struggled all their lives to put food on the table and care for their offspring. Mother stayed home for most of my
life, only working for a short time in Idaho at the potato factory, when we were in extreme need. I am glad that she was home for us. We had family prayer in our home, good conversations around the table,I remember picnics to the desert. My mother would ride a horse ten miles to school everyday when she lived in The cedarview area. She loved to read and visit with family and friends. hugs and kisses were nightly fare, at our home.

The following song is one that Robert Angus Alexander used to sing when his wife was taking care of another family, she would go into the homes of women and tend them for ten days or so after they gave birth. She would also assist the doctor at the time of birth.

Where is my Mama?
Where can she be?
I'm so awful lonesome
Lonesome as can be.
Papa is broken hearted
Mama's left us alone.
So if you see my Mama,
Tell her to please come home.

My mother also sang this little ditty.

Rheumatism, Rheumatism,
How it pains, how it pains.
Up and down the system,
Up and down the system,
When it rains, when it rains.
(This is sung to Frere Jacque.)