Henefer, Utah
My mother, Rachel Hennefer Richins, was born in Henefer, Utah on October 30, 1861. Her father, James Hennefer, was born in Wordsley, Staffordshire, England on June 2, 1821. He died in Henefer, Utah on August 22, 1897. Her mother, Sarah Hulks Hennefer was born in London, England on November 25, 1823 and died in Henefer, Utah on August 19, 1880.
My mother spent her childhood in Henefer, Utah. Here she played and helped her mother as all small children do. As she grew older she had many boy and girl friends. Orson Oriel Richins was considered as one of her very best boy friends. People would often see them going to school together and after school they would sit on their favorite bench and pretend that it was a wagon. He would help her off the bench as if it were a seat in the wagon. He would walk home with her and he always carried her books for her. The Devil’s Slide was a favorite spot for all the young people. They would gather here for their picnics and it was a nice place to pick wild currants. Another delightful spot for fun was called the Witches Rock. In the wintertime all the young people would go sleigh riding together. The friendship of Orson and my mother grew into love and they were married in the Temple at Salt Lake City on May 25, 1881.
My mother had a wonderful memory so about ten years ago I asked her to write some of the events in her life that she remembered. The following is a narrative of things that happened when she was a child and during the early and latter part of her married life.
Mother remembered when she was about five years old her little brother, Edward Richard Henefer, who was two years of age fell into the fireplace and was so badly burned that he died nine days later. When Mother was seven years old, the Reorganized Church or the Josephites established their organization in Henefer. At this time Charles Richins was the Bishop of the Ward and to the sorrow of many, half of his ward joined the Reorganized Church. The Elders of this church were men by the name of Brand and Winter. James and Sarah Hennefer and their family were among those who joined the Reorganized Church and Mother was baptized into this church when she was eight years old. James then took his family and went to Council Bluffs, Iowa, which the Elders said was the land of Zion.
The family lived in (Iowa) and often went to Church. The children were very unhappy with their new religion and told their father that there was nothing to that religion. They had won, by lottery ticket, a house and vineyard in Council Bluffs but it turned out to be a small shack with a very small yard and only a few grapevines growing in it. They stayed part of the year and made do with what they had while they investigated their new religion further. They decided it was a farce, and since James and Sarah and the children were all homesick for the little valley in the mountains of Utah and for the true gospel, they all returned to the place they had left so many times before, Henneferville. This was the last move James and Sarah Hennefer made. Mother remembers crossing the Missouri River in a steamboat and also of seeing some big fish and fishing boats.
After their arrival in Utah, Grandmother (Sarah) Hennefer was very sick. She now had palsy and was becoming more helpless every day. Mother and her sister, two years younger than herself, took complete care of their mother and the rest of the family. After the family had been back in Utah for two years, Mother’s sister asked their father if she could be baptized into the LDS Church; he said he would talk to the Bishop and see if all of them could be baptized. This announcement brought joy and happiness to the family. James Hennefer gave the ground for the first Mormon Church that was built in Henefer. When Mother was twelve years old she was baptized by Robert Jones, the father of President Jones, who at one time was President of the Mesa Temple.
When Mother was a little over twelve, her oldest sister got married and moved to Grouse Creek. This left all the work and the care of a sick mother on the shoulders of the two younger sisters. When Mother was fourteen her older brother’s wife died and left six children. Four of the children came to live with their grandparents, so Mother and her sister took care of them for three years and seven months, at which time their brother married again.
By now Grandmother (Sarah) Hennefer had been sick for nine years. In the last few years she had become so helpless that it was necessary to feed and dress her. Mother was eighteen at the time her mother died, and although they missed her they were glad that God had seen fit to call her Home because she suffered so very much and for so many years.
Life with Orson Oriel Richins
Mother was twenty years old when she married Orson Richins. They had been married but six months when, under the law of polygamy, he married Caroline Fawcett. Mother’s first baby was born when she was twenty-one years old. In the fall of 1882 her husband was indicted for polygamy; it became necessary for him to hide out from the officers. At this time they were living in Edward Richins’ house on a ranch near Henefer. The officers kept watch over the house so closely that it was necessary for Mother to carry food to Father, who was hiding in the chicken house, in a horse nosesack so that the officers would not become suspicious of Father’s whereabouts. Later Father sold his property in Henefer and put Mother on the train for Mesa, saying he would follow. It was six months before Mother was able to let her folks know where she was. The officer questioned Sarah Richins but she would not tell them where Mother and Father had gone.
Mother lived in Mesa for seven years and two of her children were born there. In Mesa it was necessary for Mother to make a living for her family and she did it by taking in washing and nursing the sick. Father moved Mother from Mesa to Deming, New Mexico where they lived for a short while. From Deming they moved to Dog Springs, New Mexico and then into Mexico. Uncle Marland, Father’s brother, stayed with Mother while she was in Dog Springs. One afternoon as they were looking towards the mountains, they saw ten or twelve Indians on horses riding in single file on the rim of the mountain. Fearing that they were coming to the ranch, and as they had no cowboys there, Uncle Marland took Mother and the children and hid them in the bushes until he could get the horses and wagon ready. He then took them into Dog Springs where they would have some protection. However, they later learned that the Indians had passed the ranch without hurting anything.
Colonia Diaz, Chihuahua, Mexico
Soon after this Father came out of Mexico to move Mother, Uncle Marland, and the children down there with him. His second wife, Caroline, had been in Mexico for some time. Mother lived in Mexico for twenty-seven years. They had been here but a short time when one of the girls, Lillian, died. Father bought a ranch that they called the Richins’ Ranch and at first they would often eat only corn bread and molasses three time a day because they had little else to eat. Although the family was poor, the children were happy on the ranch. It was at this time that Aunt Carrie, Father’s second wife, died leaving three children: Oriel eight years old, Parley six years old, and Mary fifteen months old. Mother took these three children into her home and raised them as if they were her own children. The love and respect these children showed her is an indication of a job well done. A few months after Caroline’s death, Father married his third wife, a widow by the name of Sade Harper.
The Richins’ Ranch was located in Colonia Diaz where Mother lived until she left Mexico, many years later. In a few years’ time Father had a few cattle, horses, chickens and a nice garden. A number of buildings were also put up around the house. Conditions had become much better. However, my mother still worked hard from daylight until long after dark. My father was called on a mission to the Central States and he left his family to take care of themselves. My mother and the older children milked many cows and Mother sold butter, cheese and eggs. The money that she received from these sales was used to buy flour and clothing for her family. The Lord indeed blessed them while Father was on a mission. Mother prospered and they were all in good health. Mother often said without the help of Grandfather Richins (Charles Richins) she would never have gotten through the hard times in Mexico. Sometimes at night, if she became frightened because of roving Mexicans, she would get the children up and take them over to Grandfather’s. They lived about a half a mile from her house. When Grandfather became sick, he sent for mother an told her that he knew he was going to leave them and he wanted to tell her that she had been a wonderful daughter-in-law, a good wife to he son, Orson Oriel, and a splendid mother to her children.
When we became old enough to go to dances, mother never forgot to put a lamp in the window to help guide us home. Mother tells a story that always interested us children: She said that when she and her sister, Rebecca, were young they knew that blueing made clothes white, so one Sunday morning they decided to put some blueing on their faces before they went to Sunday School. They were very surprised when the blueing would not come off and they could not go to Sunday School with such blue faces. Mother was alone with the children much of the time while Father was freighting from Mexico to Deming, New Mexico. At night she would gather all the children around the supper table and have prayer before they ate.
Mother had many interesting superstitions. She always said when she heard a rooster crow in the front yard that they would have company that day and if two knives were found crossed it meant a quarrel. If one dropped a knife and a fork that meant someone was coming; if two chairs were found with their back together that also meant company. If one carried an ax through the house, it meant that someone would die.
One of the dangers of Mexico was the large number of rattlesnakes found there. One morning while they were all eating their breakfast, mother went into the pantry to get a pan of cool milk. As she reached for the pan she heard a buzz at her feet; looking down she saw a huge rattle snake. Fortunately she was not bitten. Rattlesnakes were found in the house a number of times and they were always in the door yard, around the corral and in the chicken houses. How lucky we were that none of us were ever bitten.
Mother often had strangers or friends stop by the house and she always asked them if they would like something to eat. We children often wondered how she would feed them when we .knew our supplies were so very low. Somehow she always managed to feed them even if it was only bread, milk, and cheese. Mother was always very good about letting us bring our friends home with us; they were welcomed if it was for the day or for several weeks.
One morning mother told Father of a dream she had had during the night. She said that in the dream she could see people getting their teams and wagons ready to leave. A Bishop stood up in the head wagon and told them that he was sorry that they had to leave because they had all worked so hard to make their home here. Of course Father just laughed and said that it was because mother was worrying too much about the trouble they were having with the Mexicans. About a week later Father came in and said that mother’s dream had come true-that all the Americans had been ordered out of Mexico and that they had to be out in a few hours time.
Exodus from Mexico
was in 1912, during the Mexican Revolution and all they took with them was what they could put in the wagon. It was hard to leave all their possessions behind them. They left their homes, their pantries full of milk, cheese, and butter, their cows, horses and chickens, and their gardens.
When they got to the United States, the government put them up in tents and gave them food until they could provide for themselves. My father took his family to Hachita, New Mexico. He took up a homestead about twenty-three miles from Hachita near the Mexican border. They lived there for about seven years and were doing very well when Father sold his place to the Diamond A Cattle Co. and moved to Red Rock, New Mexico. Father invested his money in a farm in Red Rock. They lived here three or four years but the project proved very unsuccessful. Father sold his place and moved to Virden, New Mexico where he bought some land and built them a home. Many of the people they had known in Mexico now lived in Virden.
Virden, New Mexico
Father passed away on December 16, 1926 and was buried in Virden, New Mexico. After his death Mother continued to live in Virden. She rented a room to a schoolteacher and boarded several other people. In this way she supported herself. She took care of her grandson (Sidney O. Wright) from the time he was two years old until he was married. She was very anxious that he have an education and her happiness was very great when he graduated from High School. After Sidney’s marriage, Mother went to live with her youngest daughter, Ena, who was married and living in Lordsburg, New Mexico. Mother felt that she would be of some help to Ena. She took care of the children and helped with the housework while Ena spent quite a bit of her time working in town.
During the last few years of Mother’s life her health was very good and her eyesight fair. She often said that when it was time for her to go she hoped she could do so without a prolonged illness that would cause hardship, worry and work for those she loved. It seems as if her wish was granted because during the night of April 10 she passed away without pain. The doctor who was called said that her heart had just given out. Ena was the only one of the children who was with our mother at the time of her death.
All of her children were able to attend her funeral, which was held in Virden on April 11, 1946. Her son, George, conducted the service, which was held in the Church. Her son, Orson, dedicated his mother’s grave.
At the time of mother’s death she had fifty-seven grandchildren, and forty-three great grandchildren. She had thirteen grandchildren serving in the armed service of World War II and one Grandchild as a Cadet Nurse.
"Life with Mother" by Mae Richins Bowers
Introduction
I am going to start my story back as far as I can remember in order to bring in the things my mother did and some of the outstanding incidents in the life of my mother.
The first thing I can remember my mother doing is holding me so I could see my Grandpa Richins. He was very sick and passed away in a few hours. I never forgot his face. I knew everyone was crying and I could not understand why. Mother took me in her arms and told me the reason. She had such a sweet way about it that it impressed on my mind so much that I never forgot it. I was about three years old at the time. When I was about five years old, Mother told me I was going to have a little brother or sister. I remember it was very cold; snow was on the ground and daddy was not at home. My uncle, Jessie Richins, and John Maybin, a very good friend of Mother’s, came and got Mother and took her to town. The men had toe sacks wrapped around their legs and feet. I wanted to go with Mother, but she told me to be good and I could come and see her and the baby. On the third day of January, 1906, my baby sister was born. We named her Ena. I know Mother had very few things for the baby, as I remember her washing something every day and I wanted to take the washing out to the line and help so that I could hold my little sister. Mother, even though she was busy, always had time to put the baby in my lap and help me with her. We had a big rocking chair that she used for the baby’s bed and cradle. I can remember that Mother fixed it so the baby would not fall out when I rocked her.
When I was about eight years old, Mother let me go to visit my sister, Mary, who was working in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico for a family by the name of Pierce. I was so happy when Mother got me ready to go. I stayed two weeks with Mary and while there she bought me a lot of new clothes [including a] very pretty red coat which I kept until I was forty-five years old. I loved it so and Mother said she loved to see me in it. I remember when I came home Mother took me in her arms and she cried over me. I didn’t know why, if it was me or my little red coat.
Another remembrance I had of Mother was when we made a trip to El Paso, Texas. She made these trips about once or twice a year. The women from Mexico would go to El Paso to buy clothes for the children, as clothing was so hard to get in Old Mexico. Each time Mother would make these trips she would take one of her children. I know I was very small when the time came for me to go, but I was so thrilled. Mother would put the new clothes she had bought on me so I could wear them around the room while we were in El Paso. Some of them did not fit very well because they belonged to my larger brothers and sisters. Mother would laugh at me all dressed up in them. Mother would also wear some of the clothes and rub the new shoes on the floor so they would look like they had been worn. The reason for making the clothing look like they had been worn was so they wouldn’t have to pay so much duty on them when they crossed into Old Mexico. It was a very long trip to take, as our only means of transportation was by wagon. Mother was very brave as she drove the team and wagon loaded with supplies and children through the flowing river. A number of women did this because the men didn’t go with them on these shopping trips. Here Mother showed her courage and that she was truly a western woman. On these trips the women would buy supplies to last from six months to one year.
Home Life
Every Monday morning Mother would take her cheese, butter, and eggs to market. She would hitch up her own team of horses. With the help of her children Mother loaded her wagon with the cheese and merchandise she was taking to the market. She would drive by and pick up Aunt Sade and she and Mother would go to town, driving the horses named Bess and Queen. We lived about two and a half miles from town.
Mother made our little home very happy and all was very clean. We had a big yard and I remember she would not let us use the broom to sweep it for brooms were very hard to get. But she made us a broom out of sagebrush, which was good for the yard and it had to be swept every day in the summer. First we sprinkled it with water. We had to pump and carry the water to the yard in buckets. We then sprinkled the water on with our hands, as we did not have a water hose.
Mother had so much to do. We milked a lot of cows, then the milk had to be cared for, made into butter and cheese; chickens to take care of and a big family to sew and cook for. Once a year she would take me and the rest of them small children and go shucking corn. This was a great time for us. I can see Mother sitting with a big tick putting in new corn shucks. She was always pleased when she had all our beds fixed with new mattresses. Mother would have us sew carpet rags in the evening and she would see which one could make the largest ball. She always made our work seem like play when everything looked hard. Mother would always show us how to do a thing and say, "There is always the right way to do everything and the easy way." She always had little sayings for everything, which made you remember how it was to be done and you never forgot it. I can see her putting new fresh wild grass hay under our carpets every year, which was done in the spring. I can still smell it, it was so clean and soft and nice and we always had clean curtains to put up when the spring house-cleaning was done.
Mother always had so many chores to do. There were so many cows to be milked that all the children had to learn to milk as soon as we were old enough. I loved to watch Mother make cheese. I can see her now chopping up the curd in a big tub and putting the curds in a press with large weights on top of it. Every thing was so heavy, and every night the cheese had to be turned and trimmed. Mother would cut the big pieces off and give them to us as we would crowd around her when she trimmed the cheese. We looked forward to the evenings and the cheese trimming as much as children nowadays look forward to bringing home of candy. This cheese was as good as candy to us, for very little candy came into our home. Some of the small children helped Mother with the churning which she would prepare at night or early in the morning. She had a big round churn and in the summer would wrap it with wet sacks and put us on the north side of the house in the shade where the churn could be kept cool, while we were doing the churning. Each child had his or her duties to attend to.
Mother had so little to do with, but she always made the best of things, using make-shift for everything she could. In spite of the big family Mother had to care for, she always had all of our clothes clean and on Saturday night after we were in bed she would shine our only pair of shoes. She did not have shoe polish to shine our shoes with so she would turn the stove lid over and use a rag and get the black stove soot from the lid and rub on the shoes. After she had polished the shoes they would all be in a row for us to put on Sunday morning. All our work, mending and sewing was done on the weekdays and Mother would never allow any of us to sew on Sunday. On school days our lunch had to be put up, beds made, and dishes washed before we went to school. We had to walk two and a half miles to school. We always had plenty of time to get to school in the mornings as we had to get up early to get our work completed before we left for school.
I was always glad when the 24th of July came, for that was the only time I can remember Mother taking time away from her many duties to play and enjoy us. Mother would take us to a big grove of trees where they were having a celebration. She would put up a real nice lunch and we would spread it on the ground and eat with our close friends. Mother would play with us, swing, run and jump. She also took part in the races and games with the other women. Mother was fast and active and I remember that she won first place in some of the games and races. Mother always liked to see her children have a good time. My older sisters and brothers were always having parties and Mother would work so hard to have things nice for them. All the young people loved to come to our ranch, with it’s many big trees and large swing. The young folks loved to come and have a good time.
Exodus from Mexico
We were very happy in Colonia Diaz, Mexico. We worked hard, but we had lots of nice things and we all loved our home. We left home, in 1912-the Mexicans were at war and many Mexican bands were on the plunder, killing people and fighting among themselves. This made things very unsafe for the American people living in Mexico. The Church and The United States Government advised us to go to the United States for safety and to take enough supplies to last about three days. They thought things would soon blow over and we could return to our homes. We left for the United States in wagons.
It was very hard on Mother to leave all she had behind. We learned later that the Mexicans burned our home down twenty-four hours after we left. Leaving Mexico meant more hardships for Mother. Father and Mother had to make a new home. We lived in a wagon and tent for three or four months. Mother had to cook in a wagon and tent for three or four months. Mother had to cook over a campfire, but she was always happy, still in hopes that we would go back to our home in Mexico.
On our way out to the United States we stopped at the Corner Ranch for about two weeks and then the United States had us all go to the border town of Hachita, New Mexico. There Mother set up house keeping in two tents and I remember we had a box which Mother used for our clothing. This box was also used for a table. My older brother, Orson, has this old box now. Mother loved this box very much, as it meant so much to her and she held many cherished memories of it. Father made a checkerboard on the lid and he and the boys would play checkers, passing away many hours. Mother kept this box in her home until she rented it; later she sold this home.
Mother made our tent home as homelike as possible. She made beds from orange crates-also chairs and cupboards. After living in the tents for three or four months, Father then moved us to a place called Old Hachita, about six miles from Hachita in the mountains. There was a small house there; our family and my older sister’s family lived in this house. We were still hoping we would soon go back to Mexico. Mother took in washings while there and she also cooked for a woman, Mrs. Dearing, who ran a boarding house. We lived here almost a year and then Daddy took up a homestead about twenty miles from Hachita near the Mexican border.
Hachita, New Mexico Homestead
Father built a long one-room house and Mother made us such a nice, happy home. She put up wagon covers and part of an old tent to make the girls and boys rooms of our own. She fixed box stands in our rooms and put up pretty little curtains. She made rugs from rags to go beside our beds. It was no time at all until Mother had things looking home like again. It did not make any difference how little we had to eat, Mother would always put on a nice white table cloth which had been made out of flour sacks. These were bleached very white and starched and ironed nicely. She would say if you serve what you have in a nice way it always tasted better and everyone would enjoy it so much more. Our ranch was about half-way from Hachita and Corner Ranch and the ranchers and cowboys always stopped at our place to rest, eat, or spend the night. Mother always made everyone welcome, fixing them a meal any time of the day that they came by.
We children were sent to Hachita to school and Mother and Father would come every week in a wagon to see us and attend their Church on Sunday.
Red Rock, New Mexico
Mother’s health broke while on this ranch. There was so much trouble on the Border with the Mexicans and Mother worried so much she had a nervous breakdown which caused her to have stomach trouble. The Doctor advised her to stay away from the ranch, so Mother started a boarding house in Hachita. She worked very hard and worried over Father on the ranch and the trouble on the Mexican Border. She finally got Father to sell the ranch and they moved to Red Rock. There she lived in a two room adobe house and again she made a very pretty home out of the old things that she had.
Father took very sick and had a stroke so they sold the farm at Red Rock and they moved to Virden, New Mexico. They bought a lot there and Father started to build a house but he never was able to complete it for Mother before he died. Mother finished the little home. It was nice and comfortable. It had three rooms and a porch; it was the nicest home that she had ever had in her life. Here she and grandson, Sidney, lived until Sidney married and then Mother went to Lordsburg to live with Ena. She helped Ena raise her three children which made her very happy. She lived to be eighty-four years old. Mother spent a very useful and happy life with her children.
"Events in Mother’s Life" by Ena R. Mitchell
Mother has told many times of the worries and various experiences she and her children went through while living in Mexico. Some of the experiences are of things that happened in going to and from the ranch to the little town where the children attended school, church, and other activities.
Living in Mexico was primitive. People had to learn to make things for their needs, and to care for their sick. Imagine the worries and responsibilities they had in raising families as they had no doctors and no one of any reliable knowledge for administering medicine.
I remember a prolonged illness of my older brother (Orson) who had typhoid fever and at times seemed beyond recovery. Mother was told to give him milk which had been freshly milked from the cow every two or three hours. By giving him this milk it would be his only chance to recover. The milk had to be given as soon as it was milked so that the child could drink it while still warm with the animal’s heat. Mother has told many incidents about getting up at various hours of the night and going down to the cow corral to milk a cup of fresh milk. She did this so often that when the cow saw her enter the gate she would get up so Mother could milk her. Mother said at two and three o’clock in the morning she often saw wild animals walking on top of the corral. The corral walls were made from adobe.
The ranch that we lived on was infested with snakes, especially rattlesnakes. Many snakes came into the house, which made it necessary for all of us to be constantly on the watch. We were very nervous for fear we might step on one. Mother also had trouble raising baby chickens when we first moved there, as the snakes would eat them almost as fast as she could hatch them.
From Mexico we moved to a ranch in the United States near the border. As the ranch was near the Mexican Border, many nervous and dangerous days and night were passed. While living on this ranch my father and brothers never left the house without strapping a belt of bullets around their waist and carrying their rifles. Guns and ammunition were always kept in the house where they could be reached quickly. Even when going to and from the fields, guns were taken with them. The reason for being prepared was that we lived so close to the Mexican border and Mexicans often crossed into the United States, stealing and murdering the white ranchers who were living along the border. Many nights we children were not permitted to undress. No lights of any kind was permitted to be lit in case of drawing some ruthless Mexican that may be near who had molested or killed another rancher. Mother lived in this constant fear-fear for her life and for the life of her family from 1913 to 1922, at which time Father sold the ranch.
I remember many nerve-racking incidents and hours of worry Mother went through during the years spent on the ranch. Father, realizing the danger of his family, asked the United States Army to be encamped below our ranch. A small detachment was stationed five miles above us at the Home Ranch, a large cattle company headquarters. Father’s request was not granted as the Cattle Co. was more influential. Of course the soldiers patrolled each day to the Mexican border below the ranch, but this offered little protection for us. Many nights a group of soldiers camped at our ranch when expecting uprisings and attacks from the Mexicans. Many nights we have all sat outside in the dark, the children close to Mother, thinking she cold protect us from any harm. In the dead silence we could hear Mother offer up a prayer to God for our protection. Because of our faith, I know that our prayers were answered many times. We would sit staring into the darkness and imagine we could see objects in the dark. The soldiers would load their guns, which made a loud click, and it would send chills up and down our spines. In the process of loading the guns for action, they would rush to the embankment of the water tank and lay on their stomachs waiting for whatever may appear. I was a young girl but the noise of the loading of the guns in the stillness of the night and the sound of the soldiers advancing for an attack will never leave my memory.
One night after we had finished our evening meal we heard shots above our ranch. Mother immediately blew out the light and Father and Orson, my older brother, got their guns and we all went outside the house to wait for any developments which might happen. A few minutes later we heard the clatter of a racing horse. Then, as the horse seemed opposite from our house across the field, we heard in the dark stillness a man call, "Help! Help!" Father and Orson realized it was a white man in some kind of trouble-being pursued by Mexicans. Orson felt he should saddle his horse and try to assist the man. In the darkness of the night Orson saddled his horse and mounted it with rifle in hand and headed out to assist some one in trouble. Mother, with tear-stained face and a prayer in her heart, kissed him goodbye. A short time later we heard one shot ring out in the stillness of the night. Mother was frantic with fear, as she was afraid that the shot might have killed her son. Father said that it did not sound like Orson’s gun had been fired. Not knowing what danger Orson had ridden into, Father thought it best to go for help. The only means of transportation we had on the ranch was a wagon and a team of horses. We were soon on our way to drive the five miles to the encampment of soldiers. The wagon seemed to make more noise than usual as it rattled along in the dark and still night.
Mother, Father, Ether, and I rattled along staring into the darkness expecting anything to happen. We had to go by the place where the first shooting had occurred. Father seemed deeply worried, as he kept a keen watch on all sides. He did not know what our outcome would be. Before arriving at the encampment of soldiers we met eight of them on horses making a night patrol. It was about twelve o’clock at night and they said one of the soldiers had not returned to camp. Father related the happenings that had occurred earlier in the evening and the soldiers were anxious to assist in an effort to know if Orson was all right and to try and locate the soldier. Father turned our wagon around and with the eight soldiers, two in front, two on either side of the wagon, and two at the rear, we hurried back to the ranch in hopes Orson would be there. Upon arrival at the ranch there was no sign of Orson having been there, so it was decided to go toward where we had heard the last shot. The soldiers and Father thought it advisable for us all to stay together as it would not be safe to leave Mother, Ether, and I at the ranch alone. A short time after we left the ranch we met Orson and Ras Thygerson with his family in their wagon with the wounded soldier, Lee Sanders. Lee had been shot through the hand and one leg. He was carried into our ranch house and the soldiers dressed his wounds by lamplight. It was now about 3:00 a.m. The soldiers asked Father to take Lee to Hachita in the wagon for further medical attention. Orson said after leaving the ranch he heard a shot ring out which seemed near him. He came to a fork in the road and he stopped his horse and offered up a prayer asking which road to take. It was later learned if he had taken the other road it would have taken him directly to Lee. Lee said that he would have shot Orson if he had come on that road because he would have thought it was his attacker returning to kill him. Orson had gone straight to Thygerson’s ranch and they hitched up a team to their wagon and Sister (Judith) and her small children rode in the wagon expecting danger at any minute. When Lee heard the approaching wagon he knew someone was coming to his rescue. They found him lying under a mesquite bush. He had dragged himself as far back in the bush as possible to conceal himself from his attackers.
This is just a few of the many nerve-racking things Mother went through while living on the ranch. She often said that it was no wonder she lost her eyesight. She wore her eyes out staring into the dark in fear of the many dangers that might come to her family.
In 1920 Mother had another added sorrow and responsibility when Ireta died from influenza, leaving two children-Sidney Wright, two years old and J. L., six months old. The raising of the children was left up to Mother, as their father left Hachita and contributed very little towards their support.
Three months after Ireta’s death, her baby J. L. died and was buried next to his mother in Hachita, New Mexico. Mother had the full responsibility of raising Sidney, receiving no contributions from his father for his support. Sidney grew to be a fine young man, always respecting Mother. Mother enjoyed Sidney and received much comfort from having him in her home.
Mother lived on the ranch from 1913 to 1922 when she moved to Duncan, Arizona, where I attended high school. Mother was in poor health, and she had been under Dr. Stoval’s care for some time. She suffered from diarrhea caused from a germ in her intestines and high nervousness. Mother said she would not live on the ranch so Father sold it. He took what little he received from the sale of the ranch and invested it in a farm at Red Rock. The farm Father bought was very sandy and the purchase turned out to be very unprofitable. Father and Mother lived at Red Rock for two years. They were unable to make headway, as Father’s health was very poor. Father underwent an operation for hernia, and after the operation, never regained his health. They then moved to Virden, New Mexico. They lived in one room of Father’s half-sister, Aunt Bea Smith’s house until their home that they were building was completed. After Father’s death, Mother went ahead and completed the house, as they had planned. Here, she and Sidney lived until he graduated from High School.
Mother’s health was not too good and she had to have an operation for the removal of a cataract in 1933. After the death of Sister (Judith) in 1937, Mother seemed to grieve for her very much. It was thought advisable for Mother to move to Lordsburg and live with me. Mother agreed to this and rented her home. She lived with me from the summer of 1938 until her death on April 10, 1946.
In all of Mother’s hardships and tribulations she always had a kind and pleasant word and was very devoted to her children and all her grandchildren. Mother left many pleasant memories to us all, and I miss her more each day. It is wonderful that we hold memory of our dear mother and her being of such an upbuilding and strong character. Her motto was, "If we could not see or say any good about anyone, silence was bliss." Regardless of how old I may get I shall always remember and do the teachings that Mother gave me. Each day of my life I am thankful for the wonderful teachings she gave me, as I use them every day of my life.
"Memories of Mother" by Rebecca Richins Sanders
As I have read over the story of Mother’s life, it has brought back many memories to me. Today is her birthday; she would have been eighty-five years old. On her birthday last year we had a cake with eight-four candles on it. It was a pretty picture to see the small grandchildren help her blow out the candles. For the last nine or ten years, Mother’s Birthday was the day all her children and grandchildren have tried to get together to show her their love, honor and respect. Oh how she loved to have her family and friends come to see her.
Her life was full of rich experiences and sacrifices for her family and friends. She was always ready to help anyone who was more unfortunate then herself. Many people have come to Mother for council and advice, and the young and old called her Aunt Rachel.
Mother did not get to attend Church very much, but she loved the Gospel and taught it to her children, telling them to do what was right and if they would they need not be afraid to face anyone in the world. During all her hardships and trials I never remember her finding fault with the Church. All the sacrifices she made for the church were made willingly.
When Father and Mother first lived on the ranch in Mexico and when the Mexicans were stealing and frightening the ranchers, Mother had quite an experience. One night when Father was away from the ranch, Mother had gathered the children around her and had prayer; the younger children were put to bed when six or eight Mexicans rode up on horses. One of them came to the door. Oriel, who was about ten years old, went to the door and asked him what he wanted. The man said he wanted wagon grease for his sore hand. Oriel told him where he could find it, and later they came back and asked for bread, which Mother got for them. Then they asked for eggs, butter, and a pan to fry the eggs in. Mother gave them all they asked for and they made a fire near the woodpile and cooked their supper. Then they ate and when they finished they came to the door again and asked if we were alone. Oriel told them yes, we were. Mother offered up a prayer for our protection. The Mexicans said to Oriel, "Heap good boy and heap good woman." They all got on their horses and left. Father met these same men about a mile from the house and they stopped him and told him what a good boy and woman he had.
I remember one time when there was a crazy Mexican running around the country. Mother and the children were taken to town until he could be found. They found him on top of our house, and he had been inside the house and had filled all the fruit bottles with water. On the ranch there were lots of quail. Father made a trap and caught them and Mother would make a quail pie. They were so good. No one could make quail pie like Mother! Mother also made us a delicious plum pudding. When she baked bread, I liked to pull off the top crust and eat it with lots of butter on it. My, it was good!
When I was about five or six years old I remember one Christmas Eve finding Mother crying. I asked her what was the matter and she said that she did not have much to give to Santa Clause and she was afraid we would not have much for Christmas. I remember hanging up my stocking and on Christmas morning this is what I found in it: four pennies and a hand full of raisins. I was so happy because I had so much money, and I kept it a long time. The next Christmas we got an orange, apple, and candy, but best of all, I got a large china doll. Its head was black and it looked like hair. It was so pretty. My sister, Judith, got one that had yellow hair. They were our first dolls, and how we loved them. Parley and I were playing one time and I did something to make him mad, so he took my doll, ran out to the wood pile, put it on the block, and chopped it’s head off. I grabbed up my doll and ran to Mother crying. She said she was sorry about it, and glued the head on but my doll was ruined. I had to be so careful when I played with my doll after that.
I remember Mother always found time in the afternoon to teach us to sew, knit, and crochet. She helped us make our doll clothes, and she taught us to cook. One time she helped me make doughnuts for a fair and how proud I was when they won first place.
One day four or five men were down at the ranch rounding up the horses. Mother told me to go to the corral and open the gate so the horses could go in. I played on the gate in the hot sun for a while and then went into the house and told Mother I was sick. In a few seconds I went into some kind of a spell and Mother carried me to the front door and put me on a chair and she put her hands on my head and blessed me through the power of the Priesthood her husband held. When I came to I asked her what I was doing sitting in front of the door; she told me that I had been sick and that she had blessed me. I was sick for a few days and Mother made me stay in the house.
One morning we children were milking and Mother was at the house getting breakfast and skimming the milk, getting the cream ready to churn. One of the cows we called "One Teat" got out and was a little distance from the corral. I went down in the hollow to get her and coming back it seems as if I was forced to look back. There in back of me was a sick coyote coming closer to me all the time. Mother heard me calling her, and as she ran out of the house she got a hoe that was by the house and ran after the coyote and drove it away, never thinking of the danger to herself, only to help. Mother thought the coyote was a mad one.
My children loved to spend a few weeks every summer with their grandparents. I wanted them to know their grandfather and grandmother and their aunts and their uncles. They have said that the time they spent with them were some of the happiest days of their lives. When one of my little grandsons was told that Grandma had passed away he said, "I am glad I went to Lordsburg to see her three days before." He always called her "Tiny Grandma" and me "Big Grandma." Mother loved to have her grandchildren and great grandchildren come to see her. She always had some little thing for them tucked away-candy, cookies, or some other little gift. Mother was living near her daughter, Judith, when Judith’s children were small. They all loved her for what she did for them and they loved to go to her home. She was devoted to her family and made thousands of sacrifices for them. Although she has gone to Eternal Rest, her spirit will long be with us. As a mother she gave her best. No one could ask for more.
My own mother died when I was very young, leaving the three of us, my brother Oriel and my sister Mary and myself, in the care of Aunt Rachel. At this time she had a very large family of her own, but you could never tell any difference between the children. She loved all the children and treated them all in the same way. I think I was cared for more than any one else because when I was a very little boy I had my leg hurt and required months of special nursing. Aunt Rachel would get up all hours of the night and take care of me. With all of her other work I sometimes wonder how she ever stood up to it. My father was sent on a mission and Aunt Rachel was left to take care of all of the children, and she also had the care and responsibility of the Ranch. She worked all day and most of the night and when Father came home the Ranch was in better shape than when he left. She was the hardest working little woman I have ever seen in my life and I truly loved her as much as if she had been my own mother. I know she was loved by all.
I dearly loved my sister-in-law, (Aunt Rachel, we always called her). At the time of my dear mother’s death in 1926, Henry and I went to their home in Red Rock and stayed with Orson and Rachel a day or two. They came back home with us and stayed two weeks. We appreciated their love and kindness very much at the time of our sorrow. Aunt Rachel was always very kind and sweet to me and my children. I often wish they had called her Grandma, for they loved her as she took the place of my own dear mother.
When they moved to Virden they stayed in one of our rooms in our home, and we were very happy to have them with us. They were here only a short time when my brother, Orson, passed away. Dear Aunt Rachel raised three families, also a grandson. We loved to have her in our home. She was a friend to every one and was loved by all who knew her.
I have always felt very close to Grandmother, as she lived in our home since I was a small child. My mother was away from home working every day and my brother and I took many of our kid troubles to her. She was always loving and understanding, listening to our troubles. Times when we felt we were very badly abused, Grandmother would talk to us and explain things whereby we could understand and things were not so bad as we first thought.
Grandmother always taught me to respect my parents and made me realize how much they really meant to me. She told me many times never to do anything that I would not be able to tell my mother and by keeping this in mind I would grow up to be an honest and dependable man. This has been my motto and I hope I can always live up to her teachings.
I know she never liked to see Sid and I argue. She would take my hand and say, "Don’t quarrel." Sid said that when he wanted to go to a dance he didn’t know where she got the money, gut she always had enough for a dance ticket for him. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and that brings sweet memories of Mother for Sid. Since a small boy, he has given her a Valentine box of chocolates every Valentine’s Day. After we were married I suggested getting something she could use, for she couldn’t eat many of the chocolates. But Sid said, "No, I’ve always given her chocolates and she expects it. She enjoys giving them away." She always saved us a couple of pieces no matter how long it was before we saw her again.
The following are a few of the things I remember about Rachel. She was a sweet, faithful, prayerful, unassuming woman. She would attend her Relief Society Meetings. At times of sickness and death she was always called upon to help. She was always very freehearted, giving things to people who needed help. She had a sweet smile for everyone. She was a great one to help other people who were in trouble, yet she kept her own troubles to herself. One was a better person for having known Rachel.
I believe that some of the happiest times of my childhood were the two weeks in the summer that my brother and I spent on the ranch near Hachita with our grandparents. Of course, the train ride itself was a thrill. For children from the city, the ranch was a place of fun and adventure. As I look back now, I realize that grandmother made all this possible. She always had time to tell us about interesting things that had happened to her and her family. The tasks she asked us to do were more fun than work. To go to the garden and get vegetables for the table was fun because we could eat all the delicious tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots we wanted. We always took a salt shaker with us. I also remember the flower garden Grandmother had on the south side of the house and how nice it smelled in the cool of the evenings. It was fun to ride in the back of the low wagon to jump out now and then, and how we would run to catch up again!
It was always pleasant to conclude the day with evening prayer and a nice supper, then games, reading, or stories until bedtime. As I grew older and my grandmother would visit with us in Douglas, I became conscious of her as a person. I realized that she was a grandmother with a wonderful personality and character. She was so willing to help in any way she could. For my hope chest, she made me crochet inserts that I put into a pair of pillow cases and a sheet. I realize now that this was a lot of work and a strain on her eyes. I have them today, after twenty-one years and I shall give them to one of my children when they are married, and I know they will be proud of them and will cherish them as I have.
I know my mother has inherited her faith, her kindness, her goodness, and her desire to help and be of service to others from her mother, and I hope that as a daughter and granddaughter this heritage may also be mine.