Friday, January 29, 2010

Betsy Lerwill History

    BETSY LERWILL (1838-1909)
    (July 20, 1838 - June 20, 1909, age 70)


    Betsy Lerwill was born July 20th, 1838 at East Down, Devonshire, England, the daughter of William Lerwill and Mary Rawle.  Betsy was christened August 12th, l838 in the Parish Church of East Down, Devonshire, England. East Down is a parish in the hundred of Braunton, county of Devon, 6 3/4 miles (north-northeast) from Barnstaple, containing 422 inhabitants.  The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry of Barnstaple, and diocese of Exeter, rated in the king's books at 18 pounds, 3 shillings, and 9 pence.  The Reverend J. P. Coffin was patron in 1800. The church is dedicated to St. John the Baptist.  At a place called Nortcote are several stones, probably commemorative of some British heroes slain in battle.  (Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of England, 183l edition, 2:69)
    Betsy was baptized on October 8, 1859 (some records give November 9, 1859).  She and James Tucker obtained the license to marry on May 26th, 1860 at Florence, Douglas County, Nebraska.  She received her endowment on December 1st, 1860 in the Endowment House at Salt Lake City and was sealed to James the same day.  James was the son of John Tucker and Susanna Blackmore.  James died June 19, 1925 at the age of 88 at Morgan, Morgan Co., Utah.  Betsy died June 20, 1909 (age 70) at Morgan, Morgan Co., Utah and was buried at Morgan 24 June 1909.
    Betsy and James were the parents of 12 children--10 girls and two boys.
    1.  Mary Priscilla Lerwill Tucker was born Jan. 3rd, 1862 at Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah and married May 17th, 1883 in the Endowment House to Charles Kingston.  She died Nov. 19th, 1939 (age 77) at Ogden and is buried in the Ogden City Cemetery.
    2.  Lydia Ann Tucker was born Aug. 28th, 1863 at Morgan, Morgan County, Utah and married Nov. 25th, 1885 in the Logan Temple to Fredrick James Muir.  She died Feb. 27th, 1944 (age 80) at Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah.
    3.  Susan Tucker was born Oct. 20th, 1864 at Morgan, Morgan County, Utah and married Aug. 14th, 1885 in the Logan Temple to John James Simmons.  She died Nov. 17th, 1940 (age 76) at Oakley, Cassia County, Ida. and is buried in the Oakley Cemetery.
    4.  James Henry Tucker was born Apr. 3rd, 1867 at Morgan, Morgan Co., Utah and married Dec. 3rd, 1890 in the Logan Temple to Rebecca Althera Tonks.  He died May 1st, 1935 (age 68) in Morgan and is buried in the Morgan Cemetery.
    5.  Emily Elizabeth Tucker was born Nov. 25th, 1869 at Morgan, Morgan County, Utah and married Sep. 23rd, 1891 in the Logan Temple to Gibson Asher Condie.  She died Nov. 4th, 1952 (age 82) at Alhambra, Los Angeles County, Calif. and is buried in the Rosehills Memorial Park Cemetery at Whittier, Calif.
    6.  Lucy Grace Tucker was born Oct. 30th, 1871 at Morgan, Morgan Co., Utah and married Aug. 25th, 1897 in the Salt Lake Temple to Edward Wheatly Jones.  She died May 16th, 1934 (age 62) at Byron, Big Horn, Wyo.  and is buried in the Penrose Cemetery.
    7.  Bertha Augusta Tucker was born Sep. 24th, 1874 at Morgan, Morgan County, Utah and married Oct. 12th, 1898 in the Salt Lake Temple to George Ernest Spackman.  She died Mar. 3rd, 1959 (age 84) at Farmington, Davis County, Utah and is buried in the Farmington City Cemetery.
    8.  Annie Tucker was born Sep. 13th, 1876 at Morgan, Morgan County, Utah and married Oct. 23rd, 1896 in Summit County, Utah to James Peter Clark.  She died Jan. 26th, 1950 (age 73) at Elko, Elko County, Nev. and is buried in the Carlin Cemetery.
    9.  Rose Lerwill Tucker was born June 28th, 1878 at Morgan, Morgan County, Utah and married March 8th, 1900 in Logan, Cache County, Utah to Charles Leroy Van Orden.  She died July 17th, 1950 (age 72) at Goshen, Bingham Co., Ida. and is buried in the Goshen Cemetery.
    10.  Lillie Lerwill Tucker (a twin) was also born June 28th, 1878 at Morgan, Morgan County, Utah and married Nov. 27th, 1901 in the Logan Temple to Willis Alvin Smith.  She died Dec. 30th, 1953 (age 75) at Bountiful, Davis county, Utah and is buried in the Bountiful City Cemetery.
    11.  Jenette Lerwill Tucker was born Aug. 24th, 1880 at Morgan, Morgan County, Utah and married Dec. 12th, 1901 at Morgan to Norman Andrew Gorder.  She died Feb. 7th, 1962 (age 81) at Ogden, Weber County, Utah and is buried in the Milton, Morgan County, Cemetery.
    12.  William Lerwill Tucker was born Mar. 29th, 1885 at Morgan, Morgan County, Utah and married Feb. 27th, 1907 in the Salt Lake Temple to Naomi Virginia Vincent.  He died Mar. 23rd, 1942 (age 56) at Morgan in a train accident.
    The obituary of Betsy Lerwill Tucker is as follows:  At Morgan, Morgan county:  Mrs. Betsey Tucker died June 20.  In the death of Mrs. Tucker one of the old identities of Morgan county, Utah has gone.  She went first to Morgan county in 1862 with her husband who survives her.  She was respected by all who knew her as a loving mother, a true wife and a friend to the needy.  She was born in East Down, Devonshire, England in 1838 and later heard the gospel preached by a Mormon elder.  She was baptized and came to America.  Here she met her future husband, James Tucker and they were married at Florence.  She was the mother of 12 children, ten daughters and two sons, all of whom were at her bedside when the end came.  She is also survived by 69 grandchildren and three great grandchildren.  The funeral which was held in the stake tabernacle June 24 was attended by a large number of people and the floral offerings were numerous and beautiful.  The speakers were Bishop Francis, Lydia Black, president of the Relief Society of the stake, Joseph Anderson, R. R. Fry, James R. Rawle, Charles Kingston, Willis Smith and Stake President Daniel Heiner, all of whom spoke in praise of the life of Mrs. Tucker.

    Betsy Lerwill (1838-1909) chronological events
1838 July 20    Born at East Down, Devonshire, Eng. to William Lerwill & Mary Rawle
1859 Oct 8    Baptized
1860 Dec 1    Endowed in the Salt Lake Endowment House
1860 Dec 1    Sealed in the Salt Lake Endowment House to James Tucker
1862 Jan 3    Birth of her first child, Mary Priscilla Lerwill Tucker at Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah
1863 Aug 28    Lydia Ann Tucker was born at Morgan, Morgan, Utah
1864 Oct 20    Susan Tucker was born at Morgan, Morgan, Utah
1867 Apr 3    James Henry Tucker was born at Morgan, Morgan, Utah
1869 Nov 25    Emily Elizabeth Tucker was born at Morgan, Morgan, Utah
1871 Oct 30    Lucy Grace Tucker was born at Morgan, Morgan, Utah
1874 Sep 24    Bertha Augusta Tucker was born at Morgan, Morgan, Utah
1876 Sep 13    Annie Tucker was born at Morgan, Morgan, Utah
1878 June 28    Rose Lerwill & Lillie Lerwill Tucker (twins) were born at Morgan, Morgan, Utah
1880 Aug 24    Jenette Lerwill Tucker was born at Morgan, Morgan, Utah
1885 Mar 29    William Lerwill Tucker was born at Morgan, Morgan, Utah
1909 June 20    Died at Morgan, Morgan County, Utah, age 70.
1909 June 24    Buried in the Morgan City Cemetery

Picture of William Lerwill, (1805-1885)

LerwillWilliam1855

William Lerwill (1805-1885), circa 1855

Picture of Mary Rawle (1812-1877)

RawleMary

Mary Rawle (1812-1877) circa 1860

Picture of James Tucker and Betsy Lerwill

TuckerJamesLerwillBetsy

Betsy Lerwill and James Tucker, circa 1880.

Mary Priscilla Tucker (1862-1939)

This is from a slide show that my parents did, with the help of others noted, in 1982.

    MARY PRISCILLA TUCKER (1862-1939)
    by Florence Kingston Nielsen
     Mary Priscilla Lerwill Tucker Kingston was born Jan. 3rd, 1862 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, the oldest child of James and Betsy Lerwill Tucker.  Her parents had come from England in 1860 to join the saints in Zion.  In 1863, they moved to Morgan, Morgan County, Utah and were among the first settlers there.
     Priscilla, being the oldest of twelve children, had many duties to perform and much responsibility.  She never could leave the house when a child without a baby to care for, or some crocheting to do, as all those pretty girls must have lace on their underwear.
     Her mother was a fastidious housekeeper which meant the child's schooling was neglected rather than their home duties.
     Later the washing, ironing and sewing was the responsibility of the older girls, there being ten girls and two boys.  The girls did the chores also, such as milking and feeding the animals.  Priscilla's lot was to milk the cows.  The boys were taken by the father to do the farm work.  James Tucker's father, John Tucker, was a tailor by trade and James learned to be a shoemaker or cordwainer as it was known in England.  He soon set up a shoe shop.  Mother says she was twelve years old before she had shoes not made by her father.  At an early age she was required to walk to North Morgan and tread the heavy machine and used to claim it hurt her stomach and felt that was the cause of her much suffering all her life of a weak stomach.
    Priscilla Tucker's name may be found in records in the first organization of the Morgan Stake Young Ladies Mutual.  She, being one of the officers.  She used to remark that Eliza R. Snow was the officer who came from Salt Lake at that time.
    In 1883 she married Charles Kingston in the Endowment House.  Father Tucker was a little concerned about this union at first, as the two had been raised under entirely different environments.  Charles, only four years,  previously had come from England and was a member of the church three years.  His conversion was sincere, however, and four years later on May 20th, 1887 he filled a mission to his native country, returning June 6th, 1888.  He left Priscilla with two small children, a boy and a girl.  Hazel died of diphtheria, Oct. 1887, and three months after on Jan. 15, 1888 she gave birth to twin girls, Florence Ruth and Betsy Vilate.  When Charles returned they moved to Rock Springs, Wyo. to earn money for a home, as they had sold their equity in the Croydon place to pay for the mission.
    They then went to Grover in Star Valley, Wyo.  Mary Priscilla was chosen President of the Primary and I remember her putting two or three of the children on a horse with her to get to the church house.  They moved to  Evanston in 1897 and eight years later moved to Ammon, near Idaho Falls, Idaho.  There she was President of the Relief Society.  In Feb. and March of 1908 there was an epidemic of measles and many children were developing   pneumonia afterwards.  Mother was a very capable nurse with these childhood diseases, and so was called out all hours of the day and night.  While wading thru deep snow she contracted a sickness that nearly cost her life, being sick   in bed four months and weighing only 80 pounds.  Though raising ten children to maturity she undertook the raising of two grandchildren.  Her youngest daughter died leaving two small children who had also lost their father the  same year--1925.  She was in poor health for many years but gathered many names in her later years and did the temple work for both Kingston and Tucker ancestors.
    Her prayers were always that she could live long enough to raise the two grandchildren.  They were Beverly and Arthur Maw and were 14 and 12 when she died Nov. 1939 making her age 77.  She was buried in the Ogden City Cemetery.
    The following about Mary Priscilla Tucker was written by her daughter, Betsy Vilate.  "I well remember when the railroad was being built which joined the East and West coast.  The men from South Morgan who helped with the work had to leave home real early each morning as they all crossed the Weber River by boat or barge, there being no bridge at that time.  The railroad work brought many rough characters into the valley.  One morning after my father had gone to work and before the rest of us were up, a hard knock sounded on the door.  My mother called very loud to me saying, "Priscilla, get up and tell your father a man wants to see him."  I have often wondered since how a girl of six would not have answered that he had gone to work.  But I distinctly remember putting a heavy black shawl around me and going out the door to find the man had gone.
    Richard tells a story that all the Morgan girls dressed up in their best to meet the train that Charles arrived on as the news had spread that he was expected.
    Mary Priscilla was rather small in stature with black hair and brown eyes."
    Deseret News, May 1933, Married in Utah Fifty Years Ago
    Mr. & Mrs. Kingston
    Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kingston of Ogden celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary May 17, when a program was given in the Taylor ward recreation hall.  All of the living children and many of the grand children were in attendance.  Mr. and Mrs. Kingston were married May 17, 1883 in the Salt Lake Endowment House.  Mrs. Kingston was formerly Miss Mary P. Tucker of Morgan.
    Eleven children have been born to them, eight of whom are still living:  Mr. Charles W. Kingston, Mrs. Jesse H. Nielson, and Mrs. Bruce Olsen, Idaho Falls, Idaho; Richard J. and Clarence Kingston and Mrs. Horace Holley and  Mrs. Abram McFarland, Ogden; Lillian Kingston of San Francisco.
    Mr. Kingston has filled several important Church and civic positions:  United States Land Commissioner in Uinta County, Wyo., appointed by U. S. District Judge Riner; Register of the L. S. Land office at Evanston, Wyo. for  two terms, appointed by Pres. William McKinley, the appointment being re-affirmed by Pres. Theodore Roosevelt at the assassination of President McKinley.
    While register of the land office, he was requested by Elder A. O. Woodruff, in behalf of the Church, to go into Big Horn county in northern Wyoming and look over certain lands with a view to establishing a Mormon colony there.  While on this inspection trip William F. Cody "Buffalo Bill," heard of his activities and sent for him making an unsuccessful attempt to sell him a large tract of land and irrigation canal.  His report to the Church authorities was favorable and a colony was established.
    The first year of the colonies stay was not very successful and they found themselves facing winter badly in debt and with very poor prospects of surviving the winter.  Again Mr. Kingston was sent to the colony and on learning the plight of the people induced a railroad to resume operations on a grading and give the Mormon settlers work for all available men and teams.  This incident was the means of saving the colony.  The district is now a flourishing settlement.
    Mr. Kingston's Church activities have been many and varied.  He served as stake president of the M.I.A.; as High Councilman in the Star Valley Stake; second counselor to the president of Woodruff Stake; counselor to the bishop of the Rock Springs ward, president of the High Priests quorum of the Bingham Stake; High Councilman, and president of the High Priests quorum in the North Weber stake.  He was also stake genealogical representative in North Weber Stake for twelve years.
    While in the stake presidency of the Woodruff stake he gave the name Lyman to the town that now bears this name, in honor of Francis M. Lyman.  This name was suggested at the request of Bishop Samuel Brough, it being   necessary to rename the town because of a duplication on post office records, the former name being Owen in honor of A. Owen Woodruff.
    Mrs. Kingston has been a loyal mother of eleven children which speaks for itself.
    Deseret News, obituary, Tues., Nov. 21, 1939, p. 22
    for Mary Priscilla Kingston

    OGDEN--Mrs. Mary Priscilla Kingston, 77, wife of Charles Kingston and well known L.D.S. church worker, died late Sunday at the family home, 3655 Kiesel Avenue, of a heart attack.
    She was born January 3, 1862, in Salt Lake City, a daughter of James and Betsy Lerwill Tucker, pioneers of Morgan.  She spent her early life in Morgan, moved to Evanston, Wyo., shortly after her marriage to Mr. Kingston, later moved to Salmon, Idaho, and later to Taylor, Utah.  For the past 11 years they had resided in Ogden.  Mr. and Mrs. Kingston observed their golden wedding anniversary six years ago.
    She was active in the Mutual Improvement Association in Morgan L.D.S. Stake, and later was engaged in Relief Society and genealogical activities.  At the time of her death she was a member of the Ogden L.D.S. Twenty-Second ward.
    Surviving are Mr. Kingston, the following sons and daughters:  Mrs. Luella McFarland, Richard J. Kingston and Mrs. Estella Holley of Ogden, Charles W. Kingston of Bountiful, Mrs. Florence Nielsen and Mrs. Mary Olson of  Idaho Falls, Idaho; Mrs. Lillian Fisher of Burlingame, Cal.; Clarence Kingston of Taylor; 48 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren; also the following brothers and sisters; William Tucker and Mrs. Nettie Gorder of Morgan.  Mrs.  Lydia Muir of Pocatello, Idaho; Mrs. Susan Simmons of Oakley, Idaho; Mrs. Emily Condie of Carey, Idaho; Mrs. Bertha Spackman of Farmington; Mrs. Lillie Smith of Bountiful, Mrs. Rose Van Orden of Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Mrs. Annie Clark of Carlin, Nev.
    Funeral services will be conducted Wednesday at 1 p.m. in the Ogden L.D.S.  Twenty-second ward chapel by Bishop M. B. Fox, with burial directed by Lindquist & Sons Mortuary.
    Friends may call at the Kingston residence Tuesday and Wednesday.
    Poem written by Charles Kingston age 80 after the death of his wife Mary Priscilla.
    Again I sit in the apt. in the old furniture seat.
    The shadows and sunlight chase each other, over the carpet at my feet.
    But the sweet briers arm, has wrestled upward in summers that have past.
    And the willow trails its branches lower than when I saw them last.
    They strive to shut the sunlight out of the vacant room.
    To fill the house that once was joyful, with silence and with gloom.
    And many kind remembered faces, within the door way come,
    Voices that awoke the sweeter music of one now gone.
    They sing in tones as glad as ever, The songs she loved to hear.
    They braid the rose in summer garlands, The flowers she held most dear.
    And still her footsteps in the passage, Her blushes at the door,
    Her timid words of maiden welcome, come back to me once more.
    And all forgetful of my sorrows, un-mindful of my pain,
    I think she has but newly left me but soon to be back again.
    She stays without perchance a moment, to dress her dark brown hair.
    I hear the rustle of her garment, her light steps on the stair.
    Oh fluttering heart control thy tumult,
    Lest eyes profane shall see,
    My cheeks betray the rush of rapture,
    Her coming brings to me.
    MARY PRISCILLA LERWILL TUCKER (1862-1939)
    (Interview with her son, Clarence Kingston, 25 July 1977)
Marilynn - Next we are going to talk about Mary Priscilla Lerwill Tucker Kingston.  She was born 3 Jan 1862 at Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah.
    Do you know any thing about her early life?  She was baptized in Aug of 1871.  We don't have the complete date.  I notice she was born in Salt Lake City and their next child was born in 1863 at Morgan, do you know why they  moved from Salt Lake to Morgan?
Clarence - Yes, he was in Salt Lake doing work as a shoe maker and ZCMI opened up a store in Morgan and the shoemaking job was available in Morgan.  Since his friends and ones he came from England with him were in Morgan he moved to Morgan when Mary Priscilla was a baby born in 1862.  Her mother, Betsy Lerwill, had ill health from the time their second child was born and it was up to Mary Priscilla to look after the family and do the work around the house as soon as she was big enough and old enough to take care of it.  She was taught by her mother and her mother had a high chair with arms on it that was needed because she was partly crippled and she used to give orders to Mary Priscilla and their older girls as they got old enough what to do and how to do the work and the responsibilities were divided as much as possible by the group, but Mary Priscilla being oldest of course lead the group in house keeping and in everything else.  They were taught many things in the home, mainly to be faithful to the church, pray night and morning, and take care of their religious duties.
    When she was a teenager, the girls used to dress up at times to go down and meet the train and see who came through on the train.  The Union Pacific for that short time made the trains go from coast to coast, and the girls used to dress up every time the train came through about once a week to see who was on the train.  Maybe somebody would get off at Morgan.  While she was there one day Charles Kingston got off the train and the girls of course were  complaining of the aristocrats and thought he was pretty smart and Priscilla said, "I think he's pretty nice," and it was that acquaintance that she made then and later they went together and were married.  Now when Priscilla got married of course she started raising a family.  She raised a family of ten children but she would do all the sewing.  She made all the clothes for the family on a sewing machine, and it wasn't an electric sewing machine.  There was no electricity in those days.  We used to have the treadle machine and because of her model sewing she wasn't able to take care of all that responsibility of the treadle and also I can remember day after day sitting there running that treadle on the sewing machine while she sewed the garments and made things for us.  She would buy sugar sacks, 50 pound sacks that were left over and make shirts and underwear for her children and maybe get a pair of overalls that were too big, because she could have some left over and make smaller overalls and make the money go that she had.  While Charles  was on his mission, the baby, Hazel, took sick and died, and of course father was in England.  He was pretty disappointed and he was homesick and wanted to come home.  But he got a letter from mother and she said, "I'll take care of things here don't worry about me.  You fill an honorable mission and wait until you get an honorable release before you come home.  I'll take care of things at home."  She made this statement.  In all the time he was gone, she was given a little help from the Elders quorum.  She got five dollars one Christmas.  One of the elders made a statement, "I'm not going to take any money of mine and take it for Charles Kingston kids to raise.  I've got all I can earn of my own."  So she made her living on her own.
Marilynn - Do you know what she did to earn her living?  Was it farming?
Clarence - They had a farm and some milk cows and she used to churn butter and about all they had was butter and  eggs.  So she did that while she was there and while she was there the one girl died and she gave birth to a pair of twins while he was still in England on a mission.  So when he left she had two children and when he came home she had one die and had three.  So she had done that all by herself and taken care of the finances and everything else to get by with that.  Then we moved to Evanston and father got a job at the land office at two hundred and fifty dollars a month.  That was a terribly high wage in those days.  Then the sheep business started losing money on sheep and had big losses on the desert with sheep, and he went broke.  Mother said "I've got to have at least a hundred dollars a month to take care of this family.  She was a shrewd business woman and if she had the hundred dollars a month why she could take care of that family pretty well, she thought.  He said, "I'll spend a hundred and fifty dollars to pay my bills and give you the hundred dollars a month.  When she took that hundred a month and sent all the kids to school that were old enough, dressed them and kept them fed and had money left over.  Then she decided it was about time to buy a cow so she bought a cow, started milking the cow and was selling milk to the neighbors because she had extra milk.  She made the cream into butter and we always got skim milk to drink.  She would skim it off the pan and all she would leave us to drink was skim milk because she had to have the butter.  And the neighbors came and started to buy milk at five cents a quart and she said, "Well this is pretty good.  I'm going to buy another cow." So she bought another cow.  This first cow she had was a Jersey cow.  She decided a Jersey cow wasn't the kind, so she got a Holstein cow.  They gave a lot of milk without much cream, and she sold that to the neighbors and kept the Jersey cow for us to make butter and drink.  And she said now I can take this money that I get for the milk and buy enough hay to feed the two cows which she did.  And she had the two cows and us kids milked them and took care of them so she was able then to take care of the two cows and have all the milk and butter that we needed in the   house and some to sell.  The feed for the cows was furnished out of the sale of milk.  She was always a shrewd  business woman.  When father had a sheep herder come in at one time, and they said, "We got so much coming," and father said "Well, I don't have the money right now and he turned to mother and said, "Have you got the money?" and she said "Yes, I've got it."  She went to her dresser drawer and took out the money.  They were given forty dollars a month from her food money to herd sheep, so she gave two months pay for the sheep herders.  Now during the time that we were in Evanston there was a man in Star Valley who was poisoned by his wife and they had a trial and they didn't have a court in Star Valley so they came to Evanston to have the trial.  The people in Star Valley were acquainted with father and mother.  There were no hotels to speak of and so Mother said, "Bring them here in our home and we'll take care of them here."  And when they got there she said, "Now we've got to remodel this home.  If you men want to get in here and help remodel the house and the upstairs and everything else while you are here between court trials we will let that go as part of your board and room while you are here."
Marilynn - "Was this the jury?"
Clarence - No, the witnesses.  The witnesses helped remodel this home and she had the home then that she was able to get and sell when we left Evanston for about twice the price that we would have got otherwise.  In 1905, of course,  father decided to move to Idaho Falls and take us there because he wanted his boys to work on the farm and have some work to do and mother was willing.  They had a baby, the youngest baby Priscilla, just started to walk, and went to Idaho Falls.  Mother was there and because she was used to farming she was able to over see the farm and tell the boys what to do.  Richard and Charlie, of course, were old enough and they had horses, and cows to milk and first thing you know we had got a bunch of chickens.  We had eggs to sell and milk to sell.  One year she had hens.  She'd set a hen and when she was about ready to hatch she'd let the one hen hatch the eggs then take the chickens away and put more eggs under so she would get two litters out of these hens.  One year that I can remember she had five hundred baby chicks from under the hens.  Of course, we killed the roosters to eat.  She went to town to get a market for these eggs.  She wanted a little more money than other people got for eggs because about the only place else to go was to the store to trade it for groceries.  Well she did that for a while, but then she went to a chinese restaurant.  Of course they need eggs to serve as eggs and ham with their breakfast.  She made a deal with this Chinaman to sell eggs to him for $4.50 a case which is .15 cents a dozen.  Well that was a pretty good price in those days so she made that arrangement and went to Idaho Falls.  I used to take a buggy and take two cases at a time and bring home nine dollars to mother on these two cases of eggs or sixty dozen eggs.  By that extra income and the cows she was able to take care of the family and send us to school and make our clothes, not buy them, but make her clothes.  Every worn piece of clothing we had was cut in quilt size and made into quilts so with ten of us sleeping we had to have plenty of quilts and bedding.  We never had any heat in the house except a coal stove and that would be in one room, maybe the kitchen and one in the front room.  The bedrooms were cold so she piled the quilts on and had them all made and they were ready.  She kept up sewing and raising these chickens.  She got to be ill and the doctor said, if we stayed there, she wouldn't live over a year and you better get her to a warmer climate so she decided that maybe that was the thing to do.  She got rid of her chickens and got rid of everything she had there and went to Farmington to stay with her sister, and she nursed her back to health.  In the meantime we gathered everything and moved down to Taylor.  Father bought a place in Taylor and she moved up.  When she got to Taylor her health started improving and she decided that she had to have some more finance to keep things going because things were tough and the farm wasn't paying too much.  So she went into the turkey business.  She raised those turkeys under the turkey hens and had turkeys as many as 300 turkeys a year just raised under hens.  The dogs got in and they'd get the turkeys and kill the turkey hens and eat the eggs.  She had the boys go out and make crates so that they were protected and kept under cover.  She started selling those turkeys.  Instead of selling them on the market to the butcher shops she got a trade of selling them to the people.  Ogden Paint and Glass Company had a practice of giving turkeys to all their employees for Christmas and Thanksgiving.  And, of course, for Thanksgiving she'd have a bunch ready for them and would sell them to them.  They reserved some for Christmas because they were fresh and better than you buy at the stores.  For years they bought these turkeys.  She saved quite a bit of money.  In those days it was quite a bit of money.  Father was working in the federal land office -- office in Ogden and people would have mortgages to sell and she'd want to buy these mortgages with the extra money she had.  So he'd come home and he'd say well so and so's got a mortgage for sale.  I remember one time he came home and said, "Now this lady's got a mortgage she wants to sell and get the cash."  Mother said what kind of discount?"  "Well, I think this is well worth the money."  Father said "I don't think I'd ask her for a discount, because she needs the money."  Mother said, "Well if she don't want to give a discount on that mortgage, why she can just keep it.  Because I'm not going to spend my money and pay full price for a mortgage."  Anyway the lady discounted the mortgage 10 percent.  She got 10 percent plus the interest on  the mortgage and she accumulated quite a lot of this kind of stuff and finally bought a house up on Kiesel Avenue and one out on Eighth street.  Father one time was short of money and he said, "Now I need some money, how about lending me a couple hundred dollars?"  And she said, "Your credit's good at the bank.  My moneys not for loan.  You go to the bank and get it because you can get it there and pay them back.  And this money is mine, I'm going to keep it now.  When we retire its both of our money and it will be our retirement money.  But I'm not going to spend a dollar of it till either you retire from your job and we're both here to use it ourself."  When retirement time came, she had a nest egg that was able to take care of their retirement.  Had she not had it, they would not have had much.  There was no such a thing in those days as social security or anything else.  But she had the money and the income from this real estate to take care of them when they were older.  Father, of course, had a little bit.  When they got through after she died and he went from place to place visiting with the family, he was able to spend most of this money.  The rest of this estate was divided between the ten children.  We got three hundred dollars a piece from what was left after she had got what they needed and after father had spent several years after her passing away, about seven or eight years.  Now that's the main things I remember about mother.
Marilynn - Well it sounds like she was a very resourceful woman.  I notice she was the oldest of twelve children and she had a twin sister and she had twins herself didn't she?
Clarence - Yes.  When we were living in Evanston, Wyoming my brother Richard was stricken with pneumonia and the doctor came and he said, "There isn't a chance of saving his life.  He is not going to live."  Father thought it was about time to go out and hunt a cemetery lot to have him buried in.  Mother said, "No I'm not going to give him up." So she continued to doctor him with hot packs and poultices and pulled him through.  He came out of it.  She was  the type of a person who home nursed and home doctored a lot of people.  She went to people's homes from time to time when they had illness.  When our daughter Maxine got lumbar pneumonia, we sent for a doctor and he came here.  He said, "I can't decide what this is, if it is Spinal Menengitis or what it is."  But mother and father came out and mother looked at her and said, "Why she's got pnuemonia."  And she started to hot pack her and when the doctor  came, he said, "I'd like to have a consultant."  So my wife called another doctor, Doctor Smith, and they came out and went into the kitchen to consult about what was wrong with her.  All the time mother was doctoring her for  pneumonia.  She hot packed her and everything.  By morning she had her relieved of that conjestion and we took her to the hospital and she was operated on for Lumbar pneumonia.  But anyway it's a puss formed in the lungs.  It was that type of pneumonia.  They had to take and drain that puss out of her lungs.  But mother diagnosed the trouble and had her practically on the mend when the doctors came out here to decide what she had.  Richard was cured of pneumonia, but every time he got a cold, it settled in his lungs because his lungs were weak.  He went to New Zealand on a mission and he got pneumonia down there and of course he was a long way away.  We didn't know it till he was cured.  But all the saints fasted for him and prayed for him and he came out of it.  And after that he never had any lung trouble.  Mother was always going from place to place helping people with the sick.  She was president of the Relief Society in Ammon, Idaho for several years until we moved away.  She worked in the Relief Society, worked in the Church in many positions.  She was capable and able in all times to make decisions and was a very religious type person.
Marilynn -- Now she and Grandpa worked in the Salt Lake Temple a lot, didn't they?
Clarence -- Yes, they worked together in the temple.  They made trip after trip and had to make it down there on the train.  They would go to Ogden by horse and buggy and we'd take them in.  They'd go there and stay a few days  while they were going to the temple and come back.  They continued that until they had done about 5,000 endowments in the temple for their relatives or friends.  Father had a girl friend who was named Mary Ann Wass, and when they came to Salt Lake he wanted to be sealed to her because she had died and never been married and he thought that that was the thing to do.  He thought that he would go to the temple, so Mary stood for her and he was sealed to her in the Salt Lake Temple.  They lived in Evanston, Wyoming then, and father wondered whether she (Mary Ann Wass) had accepted it.  He had one wife and then sealed to another so he wondered and wondered; so while he was wondering one night when he was in his bed he saw through the wall, and saw twelve women.  Those twelve women mother had done the work for in the temple.  These twelve women he saw were dressed in white.  They started at one end of the block and walked clear through the block and when this girl friend of fathers got right across from the window she looked over at him and smiled and went down the street to the corner.  He said he was just positive as he was wide awake and he saw that through his spiritual self without anything keeping the view from him.  There were twelve women that they had done the work for dressed beautifully in white and he said that they just marched along.
Marilynn - - Can you tell us any church positions that you know that she had.
Clarence - - Well, she worked in Relief Society after she came to Taylor.  She hardly missed a meeting and was a      visiting teacher.
Marilynn - - Then can you tell us about when she was Relief Society President?
Clarence - - From 1907 to 1909 I would think as near as I can remember.  Ammon Ward at Ammon Idaho in the     Bonneville Stake.
    MARY PRISCILLA LERWILL TUCKER KINGSTON
    by Marilynn Kingston Stevenson, written 25 Apr 1982
    My memories of my Grandma Kingston are many.  To me as a young girl she seemed very old, as I guess all grandmothers do to their grandchildren.
    She was a small woman and seemed in poor health much of the time.  She was not able to get out of bed in the morning without a hot drink of some kind.  My Grandpa Kingston would get up and fix her a cup of Postum or  peppermint tea which would help her gain strength to start the day.
    MEMORIES OF MY MOTHER by Richard James Kingston
    I have always thought of my mother as a beautiful woman.  I recall one day I had not changed my dirty overalls before going to school.  Mother happened to be down town shopping and passed the schoolhouse as recess was on.  The children were playing and she saw me with my ragged overalls and said, "Young man, you march right ahead of me, and I'll see to it that you get some clean clothes on.  About this time as I was lagging behind resenting her correction, we met two men who gallantly tipped their hats to mother.  As I was lagging behind pouting, I was just in time to hear this conversation, "Mr. Chapman, who is that woman?"  "Oh, that is Mrs. Kingston, said Mr. Chapman. "Well," said the other, "that is the finest looking woman in this town."  I recall that I almost ran to overtake her soon enough that I may take her by the arm that Mr. Chapman and his friend may know that I belonged to her.  I have always regretted not having told mother about this story until years after. . . .
    Important Events
    by Grant and Marilynn Kingston Stevenson
1862 Jan 3        Mary Priscilla Lerwill Tucker was born Jan. 3rd, 1862 at Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, the daughter of James Tucker and Betsy Lerwill.
1871 Aug    Baptized Aug. 1871 at Morgan, Morgan County, Utah.
1875 Oct 17    Rebaptized and reconfirmed Oct. 17th, 1875.
1883 May 17    Endowed May 17th, 1883 in the Endowment House at Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah.
1883 May 17    Married and sealed May 17th, 1883 in the Endowment House to Charles Kingston.
1884        Moved to Croydon, Morgan County, Utah.
1884 June 26        Charles William Kingston was born June 26th, 1884 at Croydon, Morgan Co., Utah.  He married his first wife Vesta Maria Stowell May 17th, 1906 in the Logan Temple.  She bore him six children.  He married Amanda Lavenda Newman May 17th, 1906 at Logan, Cache Co., Utah.  She bore him eight children. Charles William died 29 Nov 1975 age 91 at Salt Lake City and was buried Dec. 2nd in the Bountiful City Cemetery.
1886 May 20        Hazel Kingston was born May 20th, 1886 at Croydon, Morgan Co., Utah.  She died Sep. 30th, 1887 (age 16 months).
1887 May 20    Charles Kingston was set apart for mission to England by John W. Taylor (returned 6 June 1888)
1887        Moved to Morgan, Morgan County, Utah in 1887.
1888 Jan 15        Birth of twin girls, Jan. 15th, 1888, Florence Ruth Kingston at Morgan, Morgan Co., Utah.  She married Jesse Hans Nielsen June 11th, 1908 in the Salt Lake Temple.  She bore him nine children.  She  married Almon Dell Daniels Brown Aug. 15th, 1958.  Florence died Jan. 24th, 1981 (age 93) and is buried at Brigham City, Box Elder Co., Utah.
1888 Jan 15        Birth of twin Betsy Vilate Kingston, born Jan. 15th, 1888 at Morgan, Morgan Co., Utah.  She married Charles Henry Owen Sep. 15th, 1910 in the Salt Lake Temple and bore him seven children.  She died May 24th, 1931 at age 43 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah and is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.
1890        Lived in Rock Springs, Wyo. about 1890.
1891        Moved to Auburn, Uinta County, Wyo. in 1891.
1891 Apr 21        Richard James Kingston was born Apr. 21st, 1891 at Auburn, Uinta (now Lincoln County), Wyo.  He married Minnie Eliza Jensen Oct. 23rd, 1919 in the Salt Lake Temple.  They were the parents  of three children.  He married Donna Estella Child Wilson Sep. 9th, 1957.  He died Oct. 8th, 1971 age 80 at Ogden, Weber Co., Utah and was buried Oct. 12th, 1971 in the Ogden City Cemetery.
1893        Moved to Grover, Uinta County, Wyo. in 1893.
1893 June 5        Estelle Lucile Kingston was born June 5th, 1893 at Grover, Morgan Co., Utah.  She married Horace Holley Nov. 12th, 1913 in the Salt Lake Temple.  She bore him seven children.  She died Sep. 29th, 1971 age 78 at Ogden, Weber Co., Utah and was buried Oct. 2nd, 1971 in the Ogden City Cemetery.
1895        Moved to Afton, Uinta County, Wyo. in 1895.
1895 Feb 26        Birth of Lillian Kingston Feb. 26th, 1895 at Afton, Morgan Co., Utah.  She married Ephriam Poulter, Dec. 19th, 1917 in the Salt Lake Temple.  They had one adopted child.  She married John Gordon  Fisher Feb. 14th, 1939.  She died Dec. 6th, 1976 aged 81 at Ogden, Weber Co., Utah and was buried Dec. 9th, 1976 in the Ogden City Cemetery.
1897        Moved to Grover, Uinta County, Wyo. in 1897.
1897 Mar 26        Clarence David Kingston was born March 26th, 1897 at Grover, Uinta Co., Wyo.  He married Viva Witt Mar. 20th, 1918 in the Salt Lake Temple.  She bore him six children.  He died Dec 17th, 1990 at Ogden, Weber Co., Utah and was buried Dec 20th in the Washington Heights Cemetery at Ogden.
1898        Moved to Evanston, Uinta (now Lincoln County), Wyo. in 1898.
1898 Dec 27        Birth of Mary Elizabeth Kingston Dec. 27th, 1898 at Evanston, Uinta Co., Wyo.  She married Bruce Milford Olsen Nov. 22nd, 1917 in the Salt Lake Temple.  She bore him six children.  She married second James Paul Reed Oct. 1st, 1952.  She married third Ira Oliver Fisher Aug.    15th, 1958.  She died Jan 29th, 1989 age 90 at Idaho Falls, Bonneville Co., Ida. and was buried Feb 3rd in the Rose Hill Cemetery at Idaho Falls.
1901        Moved to Morgan, Uinta County, Wyo. in 1901.
1901 Mar 24        Birth of Luella Agnes Kingston Mar. 24th, 1901 at Morgan, Morgan County, Utah.  She married Abram Mattson McFarland Jan. 8th, 1919 in the Salt Lake Temple.  She bore him six children.  She died July 28th, 1967 at Ogden, Weber County, Utah, age 66 and was buried July 31st in the Ogden City Cemetery.
1903        Moved to Evanston, Uinta County, Wyo. in 1903.
1903 July 14        Priscilla May Kingston was born July 14th, 1903 at Evanston, Uinta County, Wyo.  She married Vernon Oborn Maw Aug. 18th, 1922 in the Salt Lake Temple.  She bore him two children.  She died Dec. 2nd, 1925 age 22 at Taylor, Weber County, Utah and was buried Dec. 7th,   1925 in the Ogden City Cemetery.
1905        They moved to Ammon near Idaho Falls, Bonneville County, Idaho in 1905.
1910 June 5        They moved to Taylor, Weber County, Utah (the Church census lists them in the Taylor ward in 1914 and in 1920, and in the Wilson Ward in 1930).
1930        They moved to    8th Street, Ogden
1935            They moved to 3655 Kiesel Ave., Ogden, Weber County, Utah (The Church census shows them in the Ogden 10th Ward in 1935).
1939 Nov 19        Mary Priscilla died Nov. 19th, 1939, age 77, at the family home at Birch Creek, 3655 Kiesel Ave., Ogden, Weber County, Utah.  The cause of death is listed as Coronary Thrombosis due to Artereo Sclerosis.
1939 Nov 22        Buried Nov. 22nd, 1939 in the Ogden City Cemetery, under the direction of Lindquist and Sons Mortuary.

Lerwill Family

This blog is dedicated to the research, stories, history and pictures of the Lerwill family that are my ancestors. I will focus on the families of Betsy Lerwill (1838-1909) and her ancestors. Betsy married James Tucker and I have a separate blog for the Tucker ancestry: http://tuckerresearch.blogspot.com/
If you have questions about this ancestral line, or additional pictures, stories, and history, please send an email to me or make a comment so I can add the information to this blog.
Chris Stevenson cjsteve@gmail.com