Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
I came back home to live. This wasn't always easy with five of us moving back home, but Mother, Father and Eddie were all very good to us and we were as happy as we could be there with none of our own things there. The children missed all of their play things most, but of course we could not bring the play things with us on the train. I soon got a job working in the Mapleton store for $1.00 per day, and was able to pay for part of the groceries and get a few things for the children for Christmas, so felt like I was helping to pay my way. Eddie made a nice sleigh for the boys and I got dolls for the girls and some dishes and a wagon for the boys so they had a happy Christmas. The Holidays were quite a happy time. I worked in the store all winter and until August, 1914, then I took the children and went for a visit back to Groveland. We stayed up there and visited for over a month, visiting with the Petersons, Grandma Warren and Altha and the other folks from Mapleton who had moved there.
In June, Burton, Welby and Evelyn had the whooping cough and as they were very strict on the quarantine then and as I was working, I had to stay at my sister, Ella's place. This made it very hard for Mother, as Evelyn was very bad with it. Every time she coughed, her eyes, nose and ears would bleed.
Late summer of 1914, I started keeping company with an old and very dear boy friend, Peter Jensen, and on March 24, 1915, we were married in the Salt Lake Temple. He had always been one of the crowd when we were younger and was my brother's steady pal and had been at Mother's home many times with Eddie while I was living back home. He had bought his Father's home, as his Father and Mother had built them a new home in Spanish Fork so they could be near church and old friends, so he and his brother, Allie, were living here in this big home when we were married. About a month after we were married, Allie got married, so we had plenty of room for all of us. Mother said at the time we got married, that marrying five was different than marrying one, and so we both had to make a lot of adjustments, but Pete had to make more than I did. We have lived together now 45 happy years.
My four children all married and have families of their own--all were workers in the Mapleton Ward. While living at Father's and Mother's the children all attended church regularly and have gone to church all their lives. Jesse used to say whenever he came to Mother's it was like a little bit of heaven in her home, and we have all felt the same way--it was always so peaceful.
We all had plenty of room in the Jensen home and I always tried to make a peaceful, happy home for us all. The children all had some one their age to play with just across the street at Halversons, all except Mabel, and I think two families could not have got along any better than we did. Mr. and Mrs. Halverson were good neighbors all the time we have lived here.
Mabel, Burton, and Welby were all in school by now. We all had plenty of room, for at Mother's we all had slept in one room and now we had four bedrooms. On January 3, 1916, a little boy was born to us and I don't think I ever saw anyone who loved a baby like Pete loved him. He would hold him, walk the floor with him and sing to him "Little Boy Blue." The years passed by and we bought our first car, a Jeffery, and more land, so we were in a debt for a good many years before we got our place free from debt. By then we had four more children. Alene, born June 27, 1920 (Pete called her Dolly Rose), Ruth, born July 16, 1922, Jena V, born May 5, 1926, and Stanley, born August 16, 1930. We all worked hard, especially Mabel, Burton and Welby, to help, and they were always willing to do anything that had to be done.
The years passed by too quickly. The children had their parties and did all the things young folks do as they grew up.
We planted a large peach orchard in 1920 and it grew up and made work for a lot of people besides the family, but we were happy, went to church and the ward outings and I started to work in the Relief Society as organist when Elmo was a year old in 1917, and worked there until I was released on March 14, 1939. I worked for years in the music department as organist, assistant organist and chorister--was also a visiting teacher for 21 years and was secretary to the genealogical society for a number of years.
Mabel was married to Lester Hansen in the Salt Lake Temple August 20, 1924. Mr. Hansen took them to the train to go to Salt Lake at 5 a.m. I went out while it was cool to dig potatoes for the dinner next day. I did not need any onions to put the tears in the potato eyes. Thinking of my first one to leave the nest for a home of her own.
Burton was married to LaRie Dibble September 24, 1929.
Welby was married to Mable Dibble November 14, 1934 in the Manti Temple. Burton and LaRie went to the temple the same day for their Endowments and sealing for husband and wife and the sealing of their two daughters to them, Connie and Maxine. I went with them. Evelyn went with us that day, too, to care for the children.
Evelyn was married to Fred Pomel December 30, 1929. They made their home in Salem and Evelyn died there March 30, 19 when her second baby was born.
The other three children made their homes in Mapleton, where they are living today.
Elmo married Margaret Bertoglio October 16, 1941. They lived in Mapleton ten years and then as Elmo's health was so poor, they moved to Avondale, Arizona, where they still live.
Alene married Albert Starlin June 19, 1947 and went to live in Nebraska, but in September, they moved to Utah and bought a home in Benjamin. But now, March, 1960, they have sold their home and bought a home in California where Al's Mother and brother live. We feel awful bad about them moving away from us.
Jena V married Elden Warthen February 16, 1946, and lives in Benjamin.
Stanley is still home with us and both of us are getting old, so don't know what we would do without him. I have had a broken arm this winter, January 19, and he has had to do a lot for me and I do love and appreciate him. All the family has been very near and dear to me this winter, coming in and doing the work, bringing us things cooked and ready to eat. I think I never knew how much they have loved me or how much I have loved them until this winter while I have been so helpless with the heavy cast on my arm.
I have done much genealogical work the past thirty years, being the genealogist of the Perry family. I have computed over 1000 families for Temple work. I enjoyed this work very much and found time from my home work and families to do it until a few years ago when I had a serious sickness and had to give it up.
We have ever been a happy family living in this home, but now I am left without my dear companion again. On April 3rd, without any warning, my husband died. He was only sick about 20 minutes--died from a heart attack.
So I am here in this big home with my youngest son, Stanley. He is very dear to me, so good to help me in every way and I am very happy that I have someone to love and do a little for to make him happy too. It is very lonely, as Father was always a home person, never going anywhere, except we were with him as his eyesight and his hearing were so bad he could not go anywhere alone. The days and nights are somehow passing by. I have friends and a very dear family who see me often, and I will try in some way to be happy and useful to someone as long as the Lord permits me to stay here. Hope I can keep well and be able to take care of myself so I won't become a burden to anyone. Wish I had a few hobbies now to keep me busy.
On my birthday last November 29, as I was 75 years old, Mabel had a party at her home for all the family and the family were all there except Elmo's family who live in Arizona. We had a very nice time there and I sure do appreciate my family doing things for me. Had some pictures taken of Father and me, also all the children and the grandchildren, and all the boys and girls who have married into my family. They are a very dear lot of people. The pictures bring back happy memories.
[Does anyone have these pictures she is talking about? I would love to be able to share them here.]
Now the family have all been together again for Father's funeral, all except Mabel's children were here. It was a very sad time, but still nice to have them all at home once more.
Stanley and I live on in the dear old home with its happy and sad memories. The children come often and Elmo and family came home for a visit in the summer of 1960, but by this time Ruth and her family had moved to California, leaving as soon as school was out in May, 1960.
Elmo and Margaret and their two small children came for a visit in 1961. They came before June 30 in time for Glenna's wedding. Margaret and the children stayed up until after July 24 when Elmo came back for them. We had a nice visit and on August 20, Ruth and Al and family came for a visit. They arrived here at 6 o'clock on Sunday morning. That afternoon about 3 P.M., we received the sad news that Elmo had died of a heart attack. Tuesday, the brothers and sisters all went to Avondale, Arizona for his funeral. Mable and I went with Al and Ruth. The funeral was on Wednesday and on Thursday Al and Ruth went back to California. They had only five days with us, very sad ones. I stayed with Margaret for two weeks before coming home. The rest of the family left after the funeral.
Time passed by and in the spring of 1962 when school was out, Eldon and Jenna V and family moved to Wendell, Idaho.
On September 22, 1962, Stanley was married to Nancy Neff and they moved away to a home of their own and so I was alone, all alone, again. Mabel and Les have been home all this past winter, for which I am very grateful, and I have done much visiting with her and she has taken me to the meetings and to town whenever I have needed to go. I have letters from the ones who are away and see the rest of the family who are here often, and I am well.
Soon must we come to the night,
With the day of our toiling done;
A step and the waning light,
Dies with the setting sun.
Only a little way
And then where the twilight creeps,
The dreamer has known his day,
And the soul of the dreamer sleeps.
What have I done with this life of mine,
This life God gave to me?
What have I done with his gift of speech,
These eyes with which I see?
What have I heard with these ears of mine,
Of good and set it free?
What have I done as I've gone my way,
What have I done with me?
How have I succored the ones in need,
How have I spent the years?
How many times have I brought home smiles,
How many times caused tears?
Father forgive me when I have failed,
Help me to set things right.
And let me leave the record clean,
My heart might stop tonight.
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