History of SAMUEL COX
As written by his brother Edwin C. Cox and collected by Clarence Olsen, oldest
grandson of Samuel Cox.
His mother was born at Pilton, Somerset, February 3rd, 1803 and died the latter
part of April 1852. She was a school governess. She was a partial invalid for
many years and for the last two years had to be carried about. His oldest sister
Elizabeth became a school governess after her mother retired.
In those days it was the
custom that the aristocracy, gave the school children a feast during the Christmas
holidays and once during the summer. Each child took a plate, cup, knife, fork,
and spoon wrapped in a clean hankerchief and met on spacious lawns or on the
village green and marched to the school house where they ate from long tables
piled with roast beef, mutton plum pudding, cake, etc., and all sang grace ...
"Be present at our table Lord, Be here and everywhere adored, Thy creatures
bless and grant that we Thy bounty Lord we all may see. " After the feast
they had games, balloons, fireworks, etc.
As a boy Samuel Cox spent
some time with his elder brother Matthew in London who was a bell-ringer for
Big Ben. Boys wages at that time were sixpence per week. He went to south Wales
in 1855 at the age of eighteen to work in the coal mines. The shafts were only
about 24'' to 30" high. While there he was involved in an accident in which
he was badly crushed and was carried out of the mine as dead. However, he revived
but his nose was broken and his face badly cut. Thereafter he wore a full beard
to hide the scars. After he got well he went to work as a striker at a blacksmiths
shop swinging a heavy sledge hammer and he became very proficient at it and
it gave him the necessary exercise that made him very strong. He sent for his
brother Edwin who came and worked with him at 10/Od per week. He met Edwin at
the station and they walked nine miles over the mountains carrying his trunk
between them and taking turns carrying his bag. They worked at Rhymney for some
time, then Edwin left and went to Ebbwvale where he got work striking at 14/Od
per week. He then sent: for his brother Samue1 to join him, and when he got
there the only place he could find to board was with a Latter-day Saint family.
After trying everywhere
to find a more suitable place and being unable to find one, he said "I
don't care what he is and went to board with them in the village of Victoria.
The man's name was; George Gaisford. He was reading the Book of Mormon aloud
to the family and of course Samuel had to listen to it. He became interested
and invited Edwin to come and visit on Sunday and they were both impressed Mr.
Gaisford invited them to go with him to a meeting in the Chapel on the Tump.
They had to admit that the sermon was reasonable and fair minded but were still
quite prejudiced. However, not long afterwards he was baptized and in a short
while Edwin followed him into the waters of Baptism. They both had new suits
to celebrate the occasion.
One evening they went out
with an Elder to hold a street meeting. They stood under a high stone wall and
began to sing and pray. They were singing the hymn "Oh! Babylon etc"
when someone emptied a pail of garbage all over them from the wall and the crowd
gathered handfuls of dirt and threw it on them so they had to leave in a hurry.
They thought that was pretty rough treatment but were ready to go back a few
days later when they held another meeting.
While tracting one man
came to the door with a red hot poker and threatened to shove it down their
throats if they didn't clear out. One evening while out with an Elder Watkins
a mob 1ed by a minister began pelting them with pieces of sod and clods of dirt.
One large piece landed on top of Elder Watkin's head, knocking his high hat
down over his ears. It looked so funny that they had a good 1augh even whi1e
running for their lives.
At one time whi1e trying
to hold a meeting in the rain a gentleman loaned them an umbrella and opened
his windows so that he could hear what they had to say. But at the first mention
of Joseph Smith, he ran out, grabbed the umbrella and slammed the doors and
windows shut.
They he1d meetings about twice a week and were abused and insulted nearly every
time. One evening they went to the Cardiff Road, climbed up on the pump platform
about four feet high and began to preach. A large crowd gathered and began to
shout and jeer at them. One man a doctor had a walking stick in his hand and
tried to hook it around their feet and pul1 them off the platform. He caught
Edwin who jerked the stick out of his hand and threw it away. The crowd got
so rough they had to jump off the platform and fight their way out. Grandfather
was struck on the cheek by a rock and received quite a cut. Their hats and clothes
were torn and ruined. Someone threw a rope around Edwin's neck and they were
going to hang him to a 1amp post, but Grandfather fought his way to him and
hit one of the fellows so hard under the jaw, that he was lifted entirely off
his feet and as he fell he spread his arms and took seven other men down with
him. Then Edwin got the rope off and doubled it in a short length and together
they fought their way clear and got away. This was the last meeting held there
that summer. Later they got work in the old Gentry Pit Mines and the seam was
18" to 20" high. This was in the winter of 1858. His brother Henry
came out to visit them while there and after some time joined the church and
was baptized by Edwin in the early part of 1856.
Leaving Wales he went to London where he got work as a wheelwright and whi1e in these shops he 1earned carpentering and painting. About 1870 he married Sarah Gane who joined the church about that time. On June 12th, 1871 my mother Sarah Marchant Cox was born and six weeks 1ater they sailed for America. They lived briefly in Ogden Utah where Samuel worked as a builder. He afterwards moved to St. George where he assisted in building the Temple and some of his handiwork is still to be seen. He was called to settle the San Juan country and was with the group who went through the Hole in the Rock. After some years through floods and other difficulties they became discouraged and moved to Price where he built a home and 1ived until May 1898 when he moved to Canada. He settled first at Aetna, moving to Beazer in 1905. Grandmother Cox died January 16th, 1915 at Beazer, and nearly two years later in the fall of 1916 he married Martha Ruda, a Swedish emigrant: and he continued living at Beazer until he died May 17th, 1926. During the last years of his life he spent much of his time making violins and teaching the Religion classes in the Beazer School. He always was an active church worker particu1ar1y in music and drama and wherever he went some of his handiwork was left to remember him by.
SAMUEL COX
Samuel Cox was born 7 Feb 1837 in West Cranmore, Somerset, England, the tenth
child of fifteen children born to Abraham Cox and Francis Beard. Four of these
died as young children having a large family of eleven to provide for. Father
Abraham kept the post office in their village and managed the postal service
in several villages between Dean and Shepton Mallet. Abraham was also a cobbler
- repairing shoes for his large family and for others in his community.
Mother Francis was the
school governess until ill health forced her to discontinue her teaching. Her
daughter Elizabeth, took her place as school governess. Mother Fanny's health
grew steadily worse until she was confined to a wheel chair. The family build
a four wheeled carriage that she could sit in and the children would pull her
around the village for a breath of fresh air. On a lovely Sunday morning on
the 25th of April 1852, she passed away at the age of 49. She was buried in
West Cranmore, Somerset. Her death was a shock to her lovely family. Samuel’s
brother - Edwin Charles Cox - referred to his mother's death as the greatest
calamity of his boyhood years A moving account of this experience can be found
in his personal record on pages 13 through 16.
In those days children
went to school at an early age, as they were hired out to work for the aristocratic
class while very young. The Cox children were given work at the early age of
7 years to help sustain the family. Samuel hired out as a footman for a Doctor
Moss at Hill Grove near the city of Wells about four miles from home. Edwin
tells of the child labor conditions of the area in his personal record on pages
5 through 20. Some jobs paid a six pence a week , which was about 12.5 cents.
At the age of 18, Samuel
left with a group of local men and went to Wales, where work was available in
the Iron and coal mines. Samuel wrote back to his younger brother Edwin Charles
telling him of the conditions there and encouraged him to join him in Wales.
In Edwin's personal history, Edwin tells of them working in the mines, blast
furnaces, blacksmith shops and where every they could find employment (pg.22-28).
They found lodging at the
homes of 1ocal families as they moved about the southern mountains of Wales.
When they selected better homes for lodging they constantly ran into Mormon
families. At first the weird tales they had heard about Mormons made them wary
of this strange religion. But they were impressed with the families and especia11y
the personal way they had of praying as though they were actually talking to
a real person. (Read Edwin's account of missionary conversions pg.29-31)
Samuel was the first to
join the church. He was baptized l8 Feb 1857. Edwin was not so sure at first.
They became deeply involved, however, when they saw the persecutions heaped
upon the missionaries and the local members. The local town square was a good
place to have public meetings on weekends, and both of the Coxes became stalwart
supporters of these functions.
One weekend the brothers
went with the missionaries and a few local members to hold such a meeting. They
stood up on the platform beside the town pump - about 5 feet above the ground.
Soon a crowd gathered filled with bitter hostility towards the little group.
Hundreds of people pressed into the square and the tenor of the crowd turned
ominous. Some of the agitators tried to jerk the speakers from the pump platform
with their walking canes. A bitter feud developed, with shouting and cursing,
and stones and sticks flying. One of the mob leaders produced a rope and lassoed
Edwin around the neck, jerking him off his feet. They began dragging him toward
a lamppost, shouting, "string the scoundrel up". Samuel, seeing, his
brother’s plight, charged though the crowd and gave the mobster such a
blow with his fist to his throat, that it sent the would he murder sprawling
into the crowd taking 7 or 8 of thc mob with him. Quickly Edwin pulled the rope
off his neck and doubling, it up, he made a whip with which he charged at the
crowd. With Samuel at his side, fists flailing they opened an escape route and
the small group of Mormons made it to a back alley. Here they ducked into the
safety of the home of one of the local members. The mob milled around the rest
of the night searching for them. Needless to say, that was their last street
meeting "for a while".
Samuel married Mary Ann—-
15 Nov 1858 at Tabor Chapel, Bryn Mawr Co of Brecon, Wales. They had two children,
Sarah Maria Cox, born l Feb 1861 at Briarhill, England and a son, Samuel Edward
Cox. Samuel left to find employment. Samuel wrote back to his wife but her mother,
who opposed her daughter's marriage to that Mormon, kept Samuel's letters from
her. Mother made her think that Samuel had deserted her and thus separated them.
Later, Mary Ann married a Mr. Williams, and the daughter, Sarah Maria Cox was
sealed to Mr. Williams. Sarah came to Utah where she married James Alexander
Boyack and they lived at Spanish Fork. Thc boy, Samuel Edward, died at sea.
Little is known of Samuel's
life for several years. He spent some time with the theatre on the Shakespearean
stage in London, England and continued in the dramatic and musical fields periodically
all his life.
Meanwhile the Lord was preparing his eternal companion.
Sarah Gane was born 17 Nov. 1833 in Shepton Mallet, Sommerset, to George Gane
and Jane Marchant. The family moved to London. When Sarah was four years old
she was given the great honor of being, a f1ower girl at Queen Victoria's coronation.
Her father, George Gane, was a palace guard and marched in the coronation parade
carrying a large banner. It was a very hot day and he suffered a heat stroke
and became very ill. He never fully regained his health. In 1841 Sarah's mother,
Jane Marchant Gane, suffered a stroke that paralyzed her. For the next ten years,
Sarah and her sister cared for their invalid mother until her death on 4 May
1850. In later years Sarah became an excellent midwife and practical nurse.
Much of this talent was developed as she cared for her mother during this time.
Sarah's brother, Joseph
Gane, was well known in London. He was mayor of Windsor three times and was
in charge of wedding arrangements when King Edward V11, the son of Queen Victoria,
was married in 1863.
After her parent’s death, Sarah went to work as a cook in a gentleman's
home. She met the missionaries and was baptized into the church the day after
her 36th birthday, on 18 Nov 1869 in London, England. It is quite possible that
Sarah was introduced to the missionaries by her sister Ellen, who was baptized
4 months earlier on 21 July 1869.
The following year Sarah
married Samuel Cox on 2 Aug 1870. (It is also possible that they met at church
in London where Elizabeth’s great grandfather, Piere Romeril was the Branch
President at the time and could have preformed the marriage.) Their first and
only child was born 12 June 1871 in London and they named here Sarah Marchant
Cox after her grandmother, Jane Marchant.
The Coxes felt to gather with the saints in Zion. So when the baby was but one month old they set sail for America. The Captain of the vessel warned them that the baby would never survive the trip, but they had faith that she would be alright. The ship encountered a bad storm at sea and many were sea sick, but baby Sarah came through with no problems. The Captain said he liked to take Mormon groups as they always had a safe voyage.
THE COXES IN UTAH
Samuel and Sarah and baby Sarah Cox traveled to Utah by train. They did not
have a long stay in Ogden before they were sent out to pioneer other places
in southern Utah. They suffered the hardships common to early pioneers. Money
was non existent and commodities were scarce. Sarah tells of receiving a letter
from her brother, Joseph. He inquired about her life in America and asked if
she needed any money. Sarah did not te11 him of her need for money because she
remembered how he had tried to borrow her emigration money to stop her from
coming to Zion.
They went to Cedar City then on to St. George where Samuel worked on the temple.
In 1879 they were called with other families on a pioneer mission to settle
Bluff, in San Juan, Co. to establish peace with the Indians and protect the
southern settlements from bands of white renegades. There is an article from
the May 1942 Relief Society Magazine, pages 297 to 303, titled "A Mission
To End a War" which tells of many of their experiences. A copy follows.
In southern Utah, doctors
were seldom seen and hospitals were absent. Sarah Cox became an angel of mercy
to the sick and injured. She often rode horseback, being gone for 2 or days
at time to serve someone in need. She was an excellent midwife and practical
nurse. There was no night too dark or weather too stormy, no journey too lone
when she was needed.
Sarah Gane Cox took with
her to Bluff, a little wood "Charter Oak" stove to cook on. This was
considered quite a luxury, as most of the people cooked over the fireplaces.
Sarah Cox took that little stove with them wherever they moved and used it the
rest of her life. Later in life, they bought her a modern range, but she preferred
to keep her little "Charter Oak." They were often in fear for their
lives. T hey not only had to contend with Indians, but also with all the white
renegades who chose that out of the way and wild country to hide from the law.
Whenever they left the settlement, they would dig a hole in the ground and their
little stove, so that the Indians or renegades could not find it.
The Sun Juan river was
very unpredictable and often washed out the dams that they had laboured so hard
to build to irrigate their fields and gardens. Then the water would wash away
their land, gardens and everything within reach. It was very discouraging and
impossible to raise enough food to have what they needed to eat.
Their daughter, Sarah Marchant Cox, was around eight years old when they made
the rugged trip to Bluff. The sun and sand was so hot that little Sarah always
wore her sunbonnet. She would run a little way in her bare feet, then take off
her bonnet and stand on it to cool her feet, then run again.
Some time later, they were
among the first settlers of Price, Utah. Their daughter, Sarah, grew to young
womanhood. At eighteen, she fell in love and married Erastus Olsen on ___ Dec.
1889, in Provo Utah.
Erastus and Sarah were sealed in the Manti temple on the 21 of Sep. 1892. Nine
days later, their second son, Elmer, a year old, took sick and died. Three more
children were born in Price - Clara (1893), Gane (1894), and Murrel (1896)
Early in 1898 Erastus Olsen decided he was tired of trying to get enough water to farm with. So he persuaded the family including Grandpa and Grandma Cox to move to Canada. Before leaving Price, Sarah went to the store and bought among other things, two cans of baking powder to take with them. The store was giving tickets on that brand of baking powder just then. Sarah, joking with the storeowner, put her tickets in the box and hurried home. Some people were buying as many as one hundred cans of baking powder to try to win the prize, which was a large music box, which played 12 different tunes. The next morning one of the townsfolks rode by and asked Sarah if she was going down to pick up her music box? On finding she had won she saw to it that it was picked up before leaving town. For the rest of her life, she treasured this music box.
THE FAMILY 1N CANADA
The 189O's, produced mass immigration to Canada and in 1897, the Erastus Olsen
and the Cox families moved to Canada. They made the trip by train to Lethbridge
Alberta and took their horses and other belongings with them. There was no train
from there to Cardston in those days. So the last 60 miles of the journey had
to be made by wagons. Their first year in Canada was spent in a little log cabin
in Cardston, just east of Biglow home. There Charles was born and 27 days later
he died.
The next year the families moved to a small farm in Aetna. Grandpa Cox built a little rock house across the street from the Olscn home. So Grandma Cox could trot back and forth to see that everything was taken care of. Erastus improved the farm by planting a row of trees along the windward side. They were all kept busy in the ward, Grandma Cox was president of the Relief Society. Grandpa Cox led the choir and helped put on plays in the M.l.A. where his daughter Sarah was Young Women's president. Sarah loved to take part in plays and to teach young people how to act in the plays.
Three more children were
born to the Olsen's - Ray (1900) died when 3 days old, Myrtle (1901) and Melvin
(1903)
The people of Aetna found a true friend in Grandma Cox. She was a devoted Relief
Society, president, practical nurse and mid-wife. Everyone called for her to
deliver their babies and to look after anyone who was sick or had an accident.
She never expected any pay but gave her services to all who were in need of
them. She was called on at any time of the day or night. Everyone thought a
great deal of her wherever she went.
The farm was small and
land was high price, and difficult to obtain. So in 1905 they bought 480 acres
of land 13 miles south west of Cardston (1 mile west of Beazer). Sarah Cox was
at once put in as YWMIA President (1905 and Erastus was president of the YMMIA
(1905) Grandma Cox was placed again in as Relief Society President and Grandpa
Cox was asked to lead the choir and be the ward drama director.
Samuel Cox organized Beazer's
first Dramatic Company and was the first director. Samuel and James B. Wright
built a stage in the newly built church house in 1907. A back drop and side
wings were made for the purpose of putting on plays or theatres as they were
called. He painted scenery on one side and covered the other side with wall
paper.
Under the direction of
Samuel Cox began a period of dramatic presentations that kept the local people
entertained and enthused and put Beazer on the map theatrically. They gave many
would-be thespians their turn before the footlights. After playing to the home
audience the troupe would pack their props and costumes; and go by wagon or
sleigh to some of the surrounding towns. Some of these towns would exchange
their plays with Beazer in return. Beazer’s first 3 act play of record
was entitled "Handy Andy".
An interesting incident
happened in a play called "Ten Nights in a Bar Room." The night that
Beazer took this play to Aetna, one of the props was a plastic imitation beer
bottle to be used in the play was forgotten. So a real glass bottle was substituted.
The actor, John Wright was cautioned to wield it lightly. But he forgot and
came down hard with the usual blow on Horace Brandham's head. Horace dropped
like a ton of bricks. Surprisingly, soon he came up grumbling about his sore
head and went right on with his speech. The best part of all, the audience knew
no difference, thinking it was all part of the show.
Grandma Cox was a small
woman, hard working and extremely active. She continued to practice as a practical
nurse and mid-wife, caring for the sick as she had done every where they had
lived. She brought more than 300 babies into this world without the aid of a
doctor. However when her daughter went into labor with her tenth child, Carl
(1906) she felt very apprehensive and pleaded with Erastus to take her to the
dcoc0or in Cardston. Later a doctor made several visits to Beazer but could
find nothing wrong, and was astonished when he heard she died.
Sarah Marchant Cox Olsen
died from complications of childbed fever three weeks later on 25 July 1906.
She was buried the next day in Aetna. Beazer Ward lost a talented actress and
a loving and caring Mutual President. She died at the age of 35 leaving 7 living
children from 23 days to 17 years of age.
1t was a frightening time
for the children, the country was new, and many nights they huddled in their
beds listening to the howling of the wolves. The family had a young colt and
at night they would lock it in the fenced hay stack yard near the barn. One
night they lay in their beds listening as the wolves killed the colt right in
the stack yard.
After Sarah died, the Coxes continue to live with and care for the Olsen family.
The next year (1907) Samuel bought the east 80 acres of the farm and built a
home on it. Later he moved this home down into Beazer across from the school
house so they could be nearer the school and church where they were janitors
for many years. They continued to care for the three youngest children until
the baby Carl became 6 years old and Grandma Cox suffered a slight stroke. She
was indeed a hard worker and when friends cautioned her about working too hard,
she had a favorite answer. "When
I die I’ll have the satisfaction of knowing I didn't rust out. " The
next year she suffered another stroke that left her bedridden. On 23 Jan. 1915
at age 81, grandma suffered a massive stroke and died.
Friends came from far and near to spend the days and nights with her. Many friends
from Aetna came by, sleigh to help out while she was bedridden. They recalled
the many days of service that Sarah had freely given. She was indeed a well
loved woman.
It was very cold and snowy
and Samuel built a double cement underground vault for the two of them. He put
a lighted lantern in to keep it from freezing until it was set. As a young man
he had seen the bottom fall out of a casket and the body fall to the ground.
He wanted the best for Sarah. He bought some maple wood and with the help of
his friend, Mr. Cahoon, they built a beautiful well finished casket. The Relief
Society sisters lined it with satin and lace and covered the outside with white
velvet brocade. The handles and breastwork were of finest silver. It was said
to be the most beautiful casket anyone had ever seen. A beautiful resting place
for a choice daughter of Heavenly Father. Samuel used his carpenter tools wherever
they were needed. He helped build and paint the school house. He was the janitor
of the church and school. He taught religion classes in the school for many
years. While he encouraged drama and music with the adults, he also had a spot
for the children. He taught them how to make wooden swords and toy canons and
drilled them ready for the Dominion Day parades.
Samuel Cox was a master
of the violin and loved to entertain. He took a dry apple box and shaped and
glued the pieces together to fashion a good looking violin. He made toys. bedsteads,
tables etc. and carved the dog heads on the arms of his hg easy chair that he
used to sleep in. Eldon remembers seeing him sitting in his chair with one hand
over each dog's head and nodding off to sleep.
Marta Margareta Ruda worked
in the Swedish mission office. One of the missionaries played matchmaker and
brought her to Canada to marry Samuel. She spoke little English and Samuel could
speak no Swedish, hut she learned the language well for one of her years and
they got along fine. She was very hospitable, accommodating person and she continued
to care for Erastus’ three younger children. Marta was a lovely person
and we all loved her. She found it very hard to understand the careless ways
of the people in America. She was a staunch Latter-day Saint and had taken care
of the missionaries in Sweden. She enjoyed going to the temple and was a fine
cook and homemaker. She enjoyed caring for cows and chickens. Marta was the
school janitor from 1927 to 1934 and they say that she kept the schoolroom spotless.
She received $105 in 1927, which was later raised to $150 a year. In the Dominion
Day Celebration of 1933, Aunt Martha sang the national anthem of Sweden in Swedish.
On 25 Feb 1935 Marta died of heart problems.
Samuel made his own casket
many years before he died. At the age of 89, Samuel Cox died on the 17th of
May 1926 and was buried in Beazer, Alberta. His love and service to all will
long be remembered.
Erastus Olsen was much loved for his devotion to his calling as Young Men’s
President. On 24 Oct. 1910 he was released and then sustained as ward clerk,
where he served for the next 12 years. There were lonely years for Erastus after
his wife died in 1906. Erastus married Johanna Katrina Jensen Scott - a widow
and long time friend from Aetna on 15 April 1915.
Aunt Hannah was born 14
April 1874 in Hjorring, Denmark. In 1897 at the age of 12 she sailed with her
parents from Copenhagen to America. They settled in Spring City, Utah. In May
1897 they left Utah by covered wagon arriving in Canada 6 weeks later. Hannah
drove the cook wagon all the way. Hannah is the mother of Vinnie M. Scott Beazer
and Winifred M. Scott and Harry who was killed at age 13 in a haying accident.
When Samuel Cox married Aunt Martha, Carl the youngest of the Olsen children came to live with them for many years. In 1922 the Olsen's sold their farm to his son, Clarence who had just brought his family back from Creston, B.C. and then Erastus and Hannah moved into Cardston.
The children of Erastus Olsen and Sarah Marchant Cox are:
Clarence born 21 Dec. 1889 Md.23 Dec 1908 Mary Jane Broadhead Md.24 Oct 1925
Eliz. Ada Smith Creed
Clara May B. 14 May 1893 Md. 16 Jun 1920 Allen Cullen Ryan
George Gane B.26 Jul 1894 Md.29 Sep 1916 Annis Verena Ockey
Murrel Edwin B. 19 Sep 1896 Md.22 Jun 1933 Alta Cheney
Myrtle Francis B.18 Jan 1901 Md.12 Jun 1928 Hubert Samuel Gill
Melvin Seren B.30 Sep l903 Md.25 Mar l924 Gladys Sarah Wright
Carl Emer B. 2 Jul 1906 Md. 18 Oct 1932 Francis Dorothy Davis
While living in Cardston. Erastus enjoyed walking down main street and visiting
with everyone he knew they attended thc temple frequently. He had a fall as
he stepped out of the car one night. This caused him to have short spells of
unconsciousness. The spells came oftener as he grew older. Otherwise he enjoyed
good health. In July 1948, Hanna took a light stroke and was ill for several
months. The next spring they moved back to Beazer, into a house beside her daughter.
Vinnie Beazer. She lost the use of her right arm and hand. But was determined
to overcome this handicap. She got a small sponge ball and practiced squeezing
it every possible moment and finally did regain the use of her hand. Erastus
received national notice through an article in the Readers Digest in 1956 in
which he claimed to he the only man living whose father was born before 1800.
That challenge was never refuted. Erastus enjoyed life his flowers and working
in the yard. He was honest and always said that he would rather have someone
owe him money than for him to owe someone else. As Erastus grew older, concern
for his well being increased. In Beazer, he could no longer walk down town and
visit in the stores. Aunt Hannah did not want him to walk along the creek for
fear of him falling in and drowning. But he often walked the 2 blocks to the
post office and picked up the mail. One day he turned up missing. The community
was alerted and a search party spread out over the little village. They finally
found him in a grove of cottonwood trees trying to cut a ring, around the bark
of the tree - to kill the tree with his pocket knife. He hated with a passion
the fluffy down that drifted from the trees in the springtime and wanted to
kill all cottonwood trees.
Erastus was bed ridden
for several years before his death. He was determined to live to bed 100 years
old but he didn’t make it. He died in the Cardston Hospital on 14 Dec 1957
age 94 years. He was buried in Aetna beside his first wife, Sarah Marchant Cox.
Hannah continued to live in the home next to heir daughter. She was an ambitious, hard working woman, very independent! One crisp autumn Saturday, the church priesthood had just finished sawing up the winter’s supply of wood for the church. Someone mentioned that we should go up to Aunt Hannah's and Vinnie's (also a widow) and saw their wood for them. The boys had only a hand saw to cut up several loads of wood. They had been helping at the church sawing that morning. But Aunt Hannah met us at the gate. "We do not take charity!" she said, "The boys can saw our wood by hand." Bishop Eldon Olsen said, " You and your family have always helped the church and other people all your life." Aunt Hannah agreed. Eldon continued, "How did you feel when you were helping others?" Hannah answered, "We have always felt good when we helped other people. We were always blessed." Eldon said, "But someone always had to let you help them in order for you to receive those blessings. Right? Well we need those blessings now. You don’t have the right to deny those blessings to us." So we sawed up her wood and Aunt Hannah stood by with tears of gratitude rolling down her cheeks. In later years, she expressed her love and appreciation for many acts of kindness, she had received from the ward. Hannah died 3 July 1972 age 98 years.