by

Gladys Williams Bradfield, Daughter

My mother was born at 16 St. Sirhoury on 6 November 1873, according to records, but from early years her birth was celebrated on the 25 October 1873 and her place of birth as Penmark, Glamorganshire, Wales. Her parents were Thomas Reese Williams and Sarah Price.

When she was five years old she, with her parents and brothers and sisters, sailed from Wales to America. She remembered a cousin of her father saying that they were going from the land of plenty to the land of nothing.

On board the ship she remembered the Mormon Elders giving concerts and how she would enjoy them. The family sailed from Liverpool, England, 19 October 1878 on the WYOMING.

The train had been in use nine years when they crossed the plains, and she remembers at one stop seeing Indians getting on the train and how frightened she was. When she saw pumpkins in the fields she thought they were oranges.

When she arrived at Elko, Summit, Utah, her grandparents were there to meet them with an ox team, and they went to Coalville, where they had, dinner at the home of one John Williams. He was no relation to the family. They then continued on to Rockport, where they were to make their home. (note from Carol Easterbrook Wolf, my Dad Harry Williams Easterbrook told me that the town in Summit Co. that they came to was Echo rather than Elko as Gay states in her history.)

Her father would work for one dollar a day grubbing sage brush. They lived in Rockport about one year and a half then they moved to Wanship, Summit, Utah. It was while they lived in this town that her two brothers, William John and Edmund Lorenzo were born. Her mother could never get used to the way people lived here in America. She thought they were funny. One time she tells of her mother cooking corn all day and couldn't understand shy it didn't come off the cob. No one had ever told her that one could eat it off the cob.

When her brother Edmund Lorenzo was six weeks old her mother died, leaving her husband and six children. The family were scattered around from then on. Gwen went to live with her uncle Edmund and aunt Emma Price. She lived with them for about four months. Her father then moved to West Jordan, Utah. She worked before she was married. She lived in Hunter, Union, Sandy and Midvale, Utah.

She was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints the day she celebrated her eighth birthday. Her testimony of the Gospel was a wonderful thing to her and to her children.

From the time her mother died until the time she married, she never knew really what a home was. She would live with her sisters and any one where she could find work. To use her own words she was "cuffed from pillar to post". When she was living in winter Quarters, her sister, Sarah Ann, being older, thought she knew so much more and wouldn't let her do the things she wanted to. In those days girls were permitted to attend dances quite young. One night there was a dance, and Gwen had planned on going. Her brother Thomas wanted her to do something for him, and being just a little on the stubborn side that night, she refused, whereupon, Thomas took her only decent dress and put it in a tub of dirty water. She wouldn't let a little thing like that stop her, so she took a dress that had not been ironed and folded it nicely, put it on a chair and sat on it, even bouncing up and down several times to get the wrinkles out. Then she put it on and went to the dance. Her sister Sarah Ann was too, too ashamed of her and proceeded to send her home, causing quite a commotion.

She had one staunch true blue friend, if ever a girl had one. His name was John Street. Their love for one another lasted throughout their lives. Many times he would try to get her to marry him, bat her answer was always the same polite refusal. Whenever they would meet they were always so happy to see each other. She could go to him for any favor at all.

It was while she was a youngster she heard that if one took a thimble full of dry salt before going to bed and not take a drink of water or speak to anyone,, one would dream of the man she was going to marry. She tried it one night, and suffered horribly. Her father kept talking to her, but she would not answer, and she was so thirsty and she nearly choked. But she stuck it out and had her dream. The man she saw was quite a pert looking fellow with a black mustache. A man she had never seen, so she forgot about it, to be reminded about it years later.

She used to work so hard for other women for a little of nothing. They would even send her, a little child, to the saloon to carry home their beer for them. She often said, "If I had been a drinking woman I sure could have had my chance then." But her ideals were very high. Even though she was unable to attend school she taught herself many of the finer things of life. She learned to read and write after she was taken out of school. She taught herself to read by having her husband read to her then she would remember the words and apply them to other reading material. I remember how she appreciated the electricity after they moved to town because she could read the books she loved at night. She read everything she could get her hands on that was good, she always said never clutter your mind with useless things or you would not have space for the things which were good. She was always reading the books written by the authorities that were available and she was an authority on them because her memory was so good.

Note from Arvella Easterbrook Wilberg, a granddaughter: When I was in my early teens and we first moved back to Cleveland, whenever I mentioned the name of my classmates it would send Grandma into digging out their family, then she and Mother could talk about the family, as she could remember the birthdays of different ones and connect them up. I always wondered what difference does it make, but now I know. Just the other day (1959) a friend of mine referred to my ability to remember dates of births and her sister, Norma Bracken, who used to spend considerable time with Fran, said, "Oh, she's like her Grandma." And it made me proud.

Back to Gay's story.

One time a group of women were having their fortune told by an old man and Gwen asked if he would tell her fortune. She was about fifteen years old then. He looked her over and said, "No, my child, there is too much trouble ahead of you to tell you. I will tell you this though, you will marry and have twelve children, eleven of your own and will raise one of someone else's from babyhood." Which fact was true. Her eldest daughter died leaving a family, and mother took the baby which was nine months old and she was with mother all the rest of Mother's life.

Shortly before she was sixteen years old her brother Thomas told her he had a friend he wanted her to meet. He said he was living in Scofield, and if she would let him he would bring him up some night. They were still living in Winter Quarters at this time. She was quite indifferent, she just didn't care. He promised to buy her a new dress if she would meet his friend. That was a different matter.

A new dress was really something. So she said he could bring him up. One night to her mortification and chagrin, Thomas brought the young fellow to the house. Poor Gwen was on her knees cleaning the cook stove, she was covered with soot and was in a sad state. The fellow's name was Harry Williams, and he fell in love with little Gwennie there and then, soot, ashes and all. It was something before they went steady with each other. It was just not done for Scofield boys and Winter Quarter girls, or visa versa, to keep company.

Finally they became engaged and planned on getting married in December. They had to send to the Courthouse for their application for a license. And it took quite a while for it to come. The happy young Harry got a house and furnished it, small though it was, with curtains at the windows and even groceries in the cupboard. Then he asked Gwennie to go with him to see how it looked. She wouldn't go. She would give no reason other than "I’ll not see it before we are married," and that was that.

They were married Christmas Eve, 24 December 1889, by S. Joseph Harkness, in Scofield, Utah. They had a wedding dance in the church house in Scofield, Utah. To this day that same building still stands. (195 ?). Her wedding dress was a royal blue in color and made with pleats on the side and plain piece in front and back with a Poliannee over it. She must have looked adorable. Just sixteen years old, her hair a golden brown and her blue eyes sparkling. Everyone remembers how sweet she was.

In the winter before her first baby was born, they lived in Winter Quarters. The snow was so deep there was no way of going to Scofield and visit. She got as for as Nelsons Store, there they told her to wait because the train was expected any minute. The store was full of men and she was a little bit self-conscious, so she thought she would start out. She was confident she would get to the "Y' before the train come. Every few yards on the track they had dug trenches for people to stand in just in case the grain come along. Gwen heard the train whistle and she looked for one of the trenches to get into. There was none in sight, so she ran as fast as she could to get to one. The train was getting closer and still no trench in sight so she dug holes in the snow with her hands and toes until she reached the tip of the bank of snow just as the train reached her and threw snow all over her. The men at the store realizing that she had gone before became frantic they followed the train down and found her just as she was crawling out of the snow. They sure gave her a scotch blessing.

They moved to Scofield and lived there for some time. Their first baby was born in April, 13 day of 1891. They named her Annie Catherine, and she was like a doll to the young mother, who worshipped her with all her heart. One day when Annie was a few months old, Harry was shaving to go someplace and he turned and called to Gwen, "How do I look with a mustache?" There before her stood the man she had dreamed of when she had taken the thimble of salt.

Another baby girl was born to them and they named her Sarah. She lived only five months.

The parents of Harry Morgan Williams, John and Janet Morgan Williams had taken up a homestead down in Castle Valley, and Harry and Gwen moved down there. An accident happened about this time that nearly cost Gwen her life. If it hadn't been for her faith and the Elder's administering to her she would probably have gone at that time. She and Grandma Janet were preparing to go to town. They had to harness a team and hitch them to the wagon. They got the horses hooked up and Gwen was in the wagon, and the horses ran away. They went around in a circle. Around and around. They ran into a log of wood and threw her out, and the next time they came around they ran over her wagon and all. Somehow Grandma Janet got her to the house and went after the Elders. Gwen says that when they blessed her she could feel the bones and muscles move in her body and she was all well.

They lived on the farm when their third child was born. They named her Janet. Her mother nearly died when this baby was born. Doctors were not to be had, and lady nurses lived miles away. Mother told Dad to be prepared and have everything in readiness just in case she should take sick during the night. He promised he would. On the 30 September 1895 she took sick and Dad was roused out of bed to get the nurse. Of course he was prepared--His horses were out in the field one direction and the double trees and buggy were up in another field. He finally got them together and was on his way. He sent a neighbor lady up to be with Mother and Grandma. Before he and the nurse got there, the baby was born. Mother's strong constitution is all that pulled her through, that made up with her great faith and desire to live.

They had moved back to Winter Quarters when their fourth baby girl was born. This was on 7 March 1898 and the baby was named Myrtle. Shortly after her birth mother and Dad moved to another mining town, Sunnyside, Utah. On 22 January 1900 another girl was born to them. This one they named Mary Elizabeth. Then in 1903 16 July, Gwendoline was born. They now had a family of five girls.

During the winter of that year the coal mine in which Dad was working went out on strike and all the miners and their wives and family's were evacuated to a tent town miles below the town of Sunnyside. The State sent an army to evacuate the families, and they were very stern and rough. When the officer in charge came to Mother's home she was already to leave, having packed their belongings, saying, "Come on in and sit down, but I haven't enough chairs to seat your company." They lived in tent town all winter and suffered considerably. Later they moved to Cleveland, Utah, making their home there the rest of their lives.

It was hard going. There was little work to be had and wages were poor. They lived in a one room log house in the upper part of the lot of Dad's mother's. In April 21, 1906, they had another baby girl. They names her Vivian. A beautiful baby, according to Mother, smart and very bright at six months of age. They would travel from town to the farm, which was three miles, in a wagon. Vivian would clap her hands and squeal with delight at the horses. She was a joy to Mother. She was just past six months old when she died. In August of the following year they were blessed with the birth of a boy. On 9 August 1907. The first boy in a family of girls. The joy cannot be written that they felt for this little fellow. Dad was working at the Cleveland reservoir, and one of the men had come down for supplies, when he heard about the boy in the Williams family he called to see Mother. She was so proud of her boy. But a little disgusted that her husband had not been home at the time. She told her visitor that he was not to tell Dad about his boy. When this man got back to work he kept the news from Dad as long as he could then he told him. Dad dropped his work and took off for home. He was thrilled beyond words. His Boy!. Their Boy! How proud the parents were. However, their joy was short lived. Their baby boy died when he was only three weeks old. They named him for his father, Harry Morgan.

In October of 1908 on the 25th, on the day Mother celebrated her birthday, they had another girl. I am that girl, Gladys Violate, and I am proud and thankful for my parents. Proud of the wonderful things they did in life, and for the preparation they made for life eternal. Thankful I chose this couple for my parents. Sorry for the trials and hardships they had to go through. Thankful for my heritage. They were farmers and farming did not pay much. So there were many times that they had to go without the things they needed.

On the 13 April 1912 another baby boy was born to them. They named him Harvey W. He was a puny little fellow, due to the lack of nourishment Mother got. But he grew to be a big fellow and a son his parents were very proud of. Mother loved her family. This second boy of hers she loved so deeply. Her oldest daughter was married and had a son now nearly three years old. Gwennie was a grandmother. And a month after her Harvey was born, Annie had another son, so now she had two grandsons.

On 12 July 1915 another baby girl was born to them. She was named Frances Irene. Mother's eleventh child. She was a sweet little black haired baby.

In all these twenty years Mother had never been able to visit with her father, so when Fran was a baby she took her and Harvey and went to Salt Lake to visit with him. She was always thankful that she had as he died shortly afterward. Her brothers and sisters were far away and she seldom saw them.

In the years that she was having her family she taught each one the principles of the gospel. She taught them to pray, and to believe in them. She instilled in their hearts the testimony of the gospel that was hers. She taught through her actions as well as words. She spent much time in the Primary and Relief Society, as she was a teacher in both organizations. She won a prize in Relief Society for reading the Book of Mormon. She studied everything she could get to read. There was not a subject she could not talk about. And if she heard someone talk on a subject that she was not familiar with, she would search until she found what she wanted to about it. She was not a quitter.

Her friends were many. Small and large, old and young. She never turned anyone away from her door who wanted food. Many times she has shared her last with someone else.

In 1919 Mother and Dad bought a log house and had it moved to the farm. It was a two room house, with room up the stairs for bedrooms. It was like a mansion to Mother because it was hers. She would go about her work singing, and fixing to make things comfortable for her family.

Arvella Easterbrook Wilberg adds:

In 1914 her daughter Janet was married (she's my mother) and she has a son just a few months older than Frances. Myrtle went away to work and in 1917 she was married, so now there were only five in the family at home. The first World War came along and with it came that dreadful epidemic of flu. It was just about Armistice Day 1918 that Janet's husband, Andy, came down for someone to come back and help out with the sick. Both Myrtle and her husband had the Flu and their first child was just a little tyke; Janet had two little boys and was expecting her third child in February, but was caring for little Frank between feedings. It was a wonder that he even lived for they took him back to Myrtle to nurse. Daddy's brother, George also had the flu and though he didn’t want to come near Mother there was no one to care for him. So between them all it was too much for Janet alone.

One night the doctor looked at Janet and told her she had the flu eyes and throat and that by morning she would have the flu, and if she did in her condition there wouldn't be a thing he could do for her. Though she had all the symptoms, she was determined she was not going to get the disease, and she did not! When Daddy came down for help, Mary came back to help out. She was afraid to death of the disease and one day she was sitting on the kitchen table, swinging her feet and eating an apple saying, "An apple a day keeps the Doctor away", but for her it didn't work that way. When she got it, it proved fatal. Of course that was a terrible shock to her mother, for Mary had been such a help to her and she was sort of special.

(Back to Gay's story) I must go back a few years before I continue on with the story.

After moving to the farm, things were a lot easier for Mother and Dad. They seemed to have more things that they should have. They got a cow and chickens and some pigs for their own use. it was easier for Dad now because he didn't have to go so for to work. Gwen spent some of her time with Janet so Mother just had the three younger children home now. Dad would go to the mines in the winter to earn a little more money.

Her oldest daughter now had four children the baby being born on 19^th June 1920. Mother went to stay with her. The next March 30, Annie got sick and passed away. Mother took the baby home with her and she lived with Mother all the time after that.

This baby's name was Mary Elvertis and Mother gave her the love and devotion of both grandmother and mother. She would, figuratively speaking, fight at the drop of a hat for her. It was Ver, as everyone called her at home, who stayed with Mom and Dad after everyone had left home. Mother enjoyed her and she always said that when Ver was grown up and married or able to care for herself then her mission on earth would be finished. This became her desire.

Mother also took John or Jack as we called him, to live with her when Annie died. Two more never made any difference to her. She was always willing to share and give to everyone.

The first winter on the form, Mother made a ruling and she always kept it. We were to have home night once a weeks So every Wednesday after the chores were done and supper work hurriedly over we would gather around. There she would toll us the stories of the Gospel. The stories of her family life and faith promoting stories that will always stay with us. One especially we never tired of hearing was the story of her two brothers getting lost, when they were little. She would make popcorn balls and candy and laugh and play games and everything that children loved.

Mother was afraid of the wind. From childhood I guess. When the wind would blow she would get deathly sick and have to go to bed. We were like lost souls then because Mother was the light and life of our lives.

Mother at threshing time was a happy, jolly, busy person. When the threshers come they stayed there until the grain was all finished. Sometimes it took four days, Never less than three meals. Mother was in the heights of her glory to cook for those hungry men. She would bake bread, pies and cakes, and meat until the cupboards would be full. Always she saw to it that she had a new oilcloth cover for her long table. I remember sometimes it was a nice white cloth cover. As she served the dinner to the men folks she would talk and joke with them, and they would ask her opinion on the political affairs of the day. One time she surprised her thresher men by serving an old-fashioned plum pudding with dip and they never got through talking about it.

One of Mother's thrills for the kids was blindfolding them and putting them all in a one horse buggy and taking them for a ride and giving them a picnic up on the old canal bank.

With this same old horse and buggy she would take us children to school and come and get us at night. The snow would be so deep one could hardly plow through.

In 1927 Grandmother Williams became ill and had to come to live with Mother. Grandmother had always loved Mother, and Mother had returned the love as a daughter. But now Grandmother was old and practically bedfast, she was very unpleasant to Mother and caused her to be unhappy. This was about the time Mother's health began to be bad.

In 1928 Grandmother died. Mother had aged during the time she was caring for Grandmother. She was troubled with hr breathing, and for several years one could hear her breathing almost a block away. The Doctor asked her to have her goiter out, but she wouldn't consent. By this time her neck was getting so large and possibly through thyroid condition she gained an awful amount of weight.

I must say though that even though she had not been feeling well and had the care of Grandmother, she never lost her sense of humor, and her love for the Gospel and her testimony was ever growing.

In 1929 Mother fell down and hurt her leg and sent for me to come home and help. Harvey had been real good to help and she was so proud of him. It took some time before she could get around again.

In the winter of 1930 they moved to town in Grandmother's old house. Mother enjoyed this because she could get to church often and attend to her Relief Society. I must say here that Mother was a Relief Society teach and for several years she visited the South Flat homes, she and her partner would go in her little ole buggy with Old Doll, and she always enjoyed it.

June 1931 was one of the happiest days of mother's life. One she had been waiting for a long time. It was the 3 June 1931 that she and her husband and family, excepting Janet, went to the Salt Lake Temple and were sealed to each other. She was so happy and so excited, no bride could feel more happy than she. (At this writing, July 1959, Janet has been to the Temple and had the sealing work done that of herself to her parents and her daughters also herself and her husband.) Another 3^rd June in 1938 she was very happy. She again went to the Temple to be with Gay when she was married. She looked so sweet that day.

Mother’s birthdays were always remembered. I was born on the day she celebrated her birthday and in later years we would have great parties together. Wesley Jensen of Cleveland had his birthday the same day too and he usually was invited as were the Ericksons, Louis and Russell. Mother always loved to have a family dinner and invite the family out of town to come. Her cookie jar was always full at this time so the kids could have their fill. (Her cookie jar consisted of a five gallon honey can and a five was always full at this time so the kids could have their fill. (Her cookie jar consisted of a five gallon honey can and a five gallon Borden's matted milk can. The one was filled with ginger snaps and the other with my favorite raisin and sugar cookies. One time Mother decided to have Thanksgiving dinner and invite the whole family. There were only the four of us at home at that time, Harvey, Fran, Ver and I. We had a large turkey and all that went with it, and had dinner ready at the appointed time and nobody showed up. Harvey went to Edens, Fran went somewhere else and Ver and I, and Mother and Dad ate a lonely Thanksgiving dinner, Mother said she would never prepare another dinner again. I don't know whether she did or not.

The years of mother's life were well spent. She decided one I time that she would learn to embroidery. I guess she had never had time when she was raising her children. So now that they were all gone she did these little things. One of her first pieces she gave to Janet Gay. And I know Janet Gay treasures it very much.

I remember one time Mother was very sick and had to stay in bed for quite some time. I was home caring for her. I guess I made her feel very helpless because when Fran came to see her she bundled her up and took her home with her and gave her something to do, and Mother got better faster.

After I got married I wasn't around Mother too much so I don't know about the little happenings in her life. We visited with her and Dad as often as we could but that wasn't very often. I remember when I told her that I was going to have a baby. She and I took a walk up through the fields and I told her then. I can almost feel her arms around me now as I write this as she put them around me then. She was so happy for me and she talked to me for a long time.

On 24 December 1939 Mother and Dad celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary. The family was altogether for a dinner. Mother had always wanted a blue dress something like her wedding dress. So she was presented with one. A blue velvet dress, and was she happy!

On September 16, 1941 her first great-grandchild was born. Joyce Easterbrook, the daughter of Harry Easterbrook and wife Barbara. She was quite proud of this baby. In October of the same year she went to Salt Lake City to see her brother, Don, who was ill. On the way home she must have caught cold. She kept getting worse all the time. In November they wrote to me and told me to come home to see her. Mother and Dad had left the farm in 1940 and had gone to Cleveland town to live so Harvey could live on the farm. He had gotten married in May 1940. So when she became so ill Gwen took her to Castle Dale with her. I will never forget Mother the night we came that night she got up and come into the kitchen. Her hair now was as white as the snow, but still had a curl like an angel. Janet Gay whispered in my ear and said, "Isn't Mom cute?" She was so sick. Her arm from her neck to her elbow was black and the pain was most terrific. But all the time that I was there she never once complained or made any outward emotional sounds of pain. Janet Gay would sit by her bed and sing to her and Mother would tell her stories.

On the 26 November 1941 Mother died. The doctor was called and he did everything in his power to help her, but the Lord had called her home. Her mission was finished on this earth and a good mission it was too. I truly believe the Lord could say to her, "Welcome home my good and faithful servant." She was a faithful and ever-loving wife, a wonderful kind and gentle mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her first great-grandchild was blessed the following fast day on 7 December 1941. Also Pearl Harbor Day, we all felt that it was good that she didn't know of the country being at war again for she had so may of her grandsons served in the Armed Forces of the United States.

May the Lord bless all her family to always remember her and to try to walk in the steps she set before them. She was buried in the Cleveland Cemetery on 29 November 1941.