ELIZABETH ELMIRA ALLRED AIKEN

(Excerpts from her life history)

I was the third child of Tillman and Stena Anderson Allred, born on June 13, 1877 at Spring City, Utah in a little log house situated in the south eastern part of the town.  There came to be eight children in our family.  As a family we were happy and congenial with one another.

The little log home where we were raised consisted of a room about fourteen by sixteen feet with a slant kitchen twelve by sixteen feet.  In the main room was a bed with a trundle bed underneath which was pulled out nights and placed back each morning.  We had a small stand with a lamp and each night a glass of water was placed there in case anyone needed a drink.  There was a nice fireplace in the east side of that room which we enjoyed sitting around during the winter, and in the summer Aurelia and I would often go to the south field and other wild roses to fill it.  In the kitchen there was a cupboard, table, wash stand, and a nice Charter Oak stove.  On the east side of the house we had a cellar where we kept our fruits and vegetables.

In those days we had no carpet on the floor but we scrubbed the floor boards twice a week; we scrubbed the kitchen floor every day.  We white washed the walls with clay that we got at the foot of the mountains about four miles east of our farm.

My father was a farmer, his farm was about three miles east of our home and up close to the mountains. It was called the flat, I suppose because it was quite a smooth flat piece of country.  Daddy was a fair, honest, hard working farmer.

Dad was a small man, about 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighed about 150 pounds.  But there were not many men stronger than him, or could do more.  He had real black hair, blue eyes and often wore a mustache.  He enjoyed sports of all kinds and was just a little bit conceited about what he could do.  I’ve heard him say he could chin himself many times with one hand; and not many men could “throw him” for his own strong father gave him lessons in wrestling.  I heard my grandfather say on his 60^th birthday that “he could out run, out jump, throw, or whip any man in the crowd.”  Perhaps this was boastful but we were a strong, active family.

We all loved to work.  In my mind I have wondered if dad’s early death was due to his over exertion and hard work.  He was always pushing and testing his strength and never let his body rest as he should have done.

My mother, Stena, was good at almost everything, a good cook, seamstress, quilter and knitter.  Mother never thought she was above feeding the cows, pigs and chickens or chopping wood when she needed it.  She must have enjoyed tearing things down and building them up again for I believe she moved everything on our place two or three times after dad passed away.  She moved the granary, the wagon shed, the chicken coop, the pig pen, and even the 50 by 25 foot barn.  She built a new fence almost once a year and dug up every rock that put it’s face above the ground.  (That was a good many for Spring City is noted for it’s rock beds.)  She always had a nice garden, raised chickens and gathered eggs to sell for six cents a dozen and sold homemade butter for fifteen cents a pound.  

As a young girl I can remember Indians coming to town on occasion.  They went from house to house with their papoose on their back and a sack in their hand in which they put the provisions they begged from the town fold.  Grandfather Jim Sanford (as he was called) traded with them and the Indians would stay for days in the old three room log house.  They traded deer hides for grandfather’s lariats, whips, bridles and quirts which he made.  Grandfather was a Indian interpreter and could talk to them almost as easily as to a white man.  

All the children in Spring City from first to eighth grade went to school in one room; with John Frank ALLRED as our teacher.  They were such wonderful days; I’ll never forget them.  All Mr. ALLRED’s students were good scholars, he taught them well.  He was kind when you were good but boy could he use the “birch” when he needed to.  We were taught reading, writing, spelling, arithmetic, language, hygiene, history, and geography; no art or drawing and “whoop” if you ever tried it, it was too bad for you.  I completed school when I was sixteen.  

At the time I turned sixteen I started to work.  I went to live in various homes and helped while the mothers then were confined to bed with their new babies.  I worked at this for twenty six weeks.  I usually earned around $1.10 to $1.25 a week.  I was what they called a nurse girl.  I went to Salt Lake City and worked in a beautiful home there for $5.00 a week.

While I was working in Salt Lake, dad took very sick so they sent for me to come home, which I did.  Shortly after returning home I became engaged and married Joseph Hyrum Aiken..  We remained in Spring City, where we raised our family.  Joe and I started out married life with very little.  I had four sheets, seven pair of pillowcases with crochet lace on them, and five quilts.  I bought two nice pillows from Purlina (grandfather’s third wife) and feathers enough for a feather bed.  Yards of lace I did crochet; I had lace on everything.  They used to say it was a wonder I didn’t have lace on Joe’s pants.  But I always enjoyed a nice home and surroundings; I tried to keep it clean as well as my kiddies.  I’ve never had help in my home except when confined to bed with my babies  

We had our pleasures and sorrows, our little boy, Coy, died when he was a year and eight months old, shortly after that, daddy died in Canada, August 12, 1902 and my brother Oliver died July 28, 1903.  My sister Aurelia also had great sorrow, for her two boys took sick with measles and died shortly after daddy’s death.  For some time our sorrow over balanced our joy; but through it all I am happy to say we never lost faith in the Lord.  If it wasn’t for our faith and hope in Him at times when we are called to lay our loved ones away, it seems we would not be able to stand it.  

Joe and I bought our first home in Spring City just one block from my mother.  It was there that my three boys were born.  We then moved to Joe’s mother’s home (Isabella Livingston Aiken.)  She was a widow and wished us to live with her and help take care of her, which we lovingly did until her death.  I have lived in five different homes in my life but the dearest one was this old Aiken home.  My children, Ethel, Forrest, Jane and Ina were born there.

Every year Joe went sheep shearing, with about 35 other men, all over Utah, Wyoming and Montana.  They left Spring City the last of March and returned in late July.  Joe was considered to be one of the best shearers in the group, and he did his work well.  He started shearing for 3 cents a head but through the years they were paid about twenty cents per head.  Joe could shear form eighty to one hundred a day ( with crude hand clippers).  When Joe was gone during the summer my boys and I would be left to do the farming and taking care of the cattle and horses.  Springtime meant cattle to be herded, cows would calf, pigs have litters, and mares have colts, all to be taken care of by us.  There was also ditch digging, watering, and a garden to put in, a corral to be cleaned, the hens to be set and a hundred other things to do along with my spring cleaning.  In later years, I sometimes wonder how I did all that I did.  Washing, ironing, cleaning, cooking, patching, knitting, sewing, making quilts, carpets, rugs, and carding wool.  There were also chores like cleaning the milk pans and separators, polishing the stove every morning, scouring the knives and forks with fine sand to make them shine.  I mopped every day on my hands and knees.  

When I was in my teens I wrote a town newspaper with news of Spring City and sent it each week to Salt Lake where grandfather Allred and other men were serving time in the penitentiary for polygamy.  I also worked outside my home as Spring City town registrar for 13 years.

Recreation for us in Spring City consisted of sports events and dancing.  I loved to dance and my brothers and sisters loved to dance; there was a dance almost every Friday night.  Our family also visited a lot with one another, we’d go to each others homes for dinner, to play cards and games or work together.  We would sew, quilt, pick fruit, card wool, make little notions and many other things.  

Our kiddies began to grow and leave us.  Lowell and Forrest herding sheep after completing high school.  Ursel went to Castle Dale and worked for Joe’s brothers.  (My sister Clarissa and her husband Bert were living there where Bert worked as a carpenter.)  Ursel then entered Brigham Young Academy but contracted influenza and passed away October 24, 1918; he was one of the first victims of that disease.  I was pregnant at the time and grieved so, that my baby who was born June 12, 1919 only lived until July 6^th.  Ethel then left home to work soon after.

Joe’s brother John became gravely ill while he was living in Castle Dale, so Joe went to take care of him.  John was so bloated from infection that he measured 60 inches around the waist and was helpless.  Jose took care of him but also became infected through a small cut on his finger.  Their brother Sam, who was also living there, brought them back to Spring City.  John was so large and helpless they made a 2x4 bed to bring him into our home.  He stayed in the bedroom and Joe was put in the living room.  For two weeks I nursed them both and never went to bed; I just sat on the floor with my head on Joe’s pillow.  John passed away August 22, 1926.  The day he was buried Joe was operated on; they cut an incision 3 inches deep in his shoulder and another in his right breast.  A tube ran from one incision to the other which was used for drainage of infection.  I’m sure in saying a full quart of puss came from him and continued to do so until November.  He also had four other incisions in his arm and side.  Joe was never well again after that.  The following June we received work that Joe’s brother Jim was ill, so Joe and Lowell went to Idaho to get him.  We took care of him in our home until his death October 26, 1927, a year and two months after John’s death. Joe tried to sheer sheep and work on the farm after that, but was never in good enough health to do much.  He passed away November 26, 1937.

      With all the children grown and married and Joe’s death, I was left alone in the old Aiken home.  I went to my children in Salt Lake for what I thought would be a short time, but I continued to stay and go to work there.  I sold the property in Spring City and bought my home on 48^th East 27^th South for $900.  It had two rooms onto which I added more, doing most the work myself (except for the electricity).  No one will know the heartache I felt leaving my home, friends and family at that age in my life to live alone in Salt Lake.

I worked in a nursery school and serving center for a time.  I then went to work at the General Hospital as a nurses aid where I cared for about 35 men.  I also worked in various homes doing cleaning and nursing the sick.  

My mother still lived in Spring City and she became ill early in the year of 1945.  I went there to help my sister Clarissa take care of her for a short time and then she came to Salt Lake to live with me.  My brothers, sisters and I took turns taking care of mother but her condition deteriorated due to age and she passed away February 5, 1957.

(Her own life history ends here.)  

Grandma’s later years were productive ones.  She helped to raise grandchildren and great grandchildren.  She was actively involved in the lives of her family and loved helping them and being with them.  She was a great influence for good in all our lives.

She loved her heritage and was a faithful record keeper, genealogist, and temple worker.  Because of her many of our kindred have had their histories kept and their temple ordinances performed.  She filled many church callings during her life and to my knowledge always helped in one all through her life, even in her very advanced years.  

Blessed with extremely good health, she was able to do work people 20 years younger could not do.  For example, she roofed her home in the wee hours of the morning at age 80 (so neighbors or ward members wouldn’t see and do it for her).  She valued her independence.  She was even hired  while in her eighties to take care of a neighbor lady who was almost bedridden (grandma called her the “old lady” and yet that woman was ten years younger than grandma).  

She filled her free hours by keeping very busy with her hands.  She made over two hundred beautiful quilts in her life.  She kept a lovely home and yard, and always had good things ready to eat for all the family that came by to visit.

Although she lived alone for 39 years, she was seldom without company.  There was a constant stream of visitors to her little home on 27^th South.  Neighbors, ward members, friends, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, brothers, sisters, and even distant family members loved to visit her or perhaps come to learn about their genealogy.  (She was a faithful record keeper throughout her life and had a remarkable memory).  People loved to be around her because she loved life, lifted people and served the Lord.