Sometimes when I think back on my own pioneer ancestors, I think of how committed the women had to have been. Their lives were already not easy -- not compared to the luxuries we have today anyway. And trekking across the plains to an unknown wilderness must have been absolutely frightening. Not only did they walk or push handcarts or drive ox pulled wagons, they minded their children, made fires, cooked food, repaired clothing, washed clothes and dishes and dirty faces, gave childbirth, nursed babies, gave medical aid, and a host of other tasks. I cannot help but wonder if I would have survived the trek. If I had been one of those women, would I have just given up and died along the way? I wonder.
My grandmother as a baby in 1892 I have not found histories of any of my direct women pioneer ancestors (at least not in their own words), but I do have an abbreviated life sketch of my grandmother Lora Harmon Thompson in her own handwriting. She was not born until after the settlement of Utah, but she descended from pioneers who came across the plains in some of the earliest companies. Her father's family was called to settle in Price, Utah, which was still very much a frontier town in the 1890's. She told stories of how her mother and father tried to bring culture and refinement to their little town.
While she watched her father do elegant carpentry work in his wood shop and set up a General Store, she watched her mother take care of the needs of 11 children, cook and clean and sew, plus help run the General Store with her older children. Her mother supported her children in their school work and made sure at least some of them learned to play the piano. Everybody learned to sing, especially my grandmother who was often asked to sing for the customers in the store.
When my grandmother was just 6 years old, her father was called on a mission to the Eastern States. She was the 6th child and still very young when he left. She had younger siblings, too. The older sisters took on the assignment of running the store. The older brothers made deliveries and stocked goods. Her mother had to do everything else as well as look after the younger children.
My grandmother decided that she, too, could help raise money to send to her father on his mission. She decided that she would no longer sing for free. She started charging a nickel per song. Little Lora ended up sending $100 to her father while he was on his mission. (He kept a record because he was so proud of her!) Pretty good earnings for a 6-7 year old just before 1900.
I admire the women pioneers who did so much to tame the wilderness and make it a culture-filled place to live for their posterity!
Here is a Women's Chorus version of "Come, Come Ye Saints" to enjoy this Pioneer Day.
While she watched her father do elegant carpentry work in his wood shop and set up a General Store, she watched her mother take care of the needs of 11 children, cook and clean and sew, plus help run the General Store with her older children. Her mother supported her children in their school work and made sure at least some of them learned to play the piano. Everybody learned to sing, especially my grandmother who was often asked to sing for the customers in the store.
When my grandmother was just 6 years old, her father was called on a mission to the Eastern States. She was the 6th child and still very young when he left. She had younger siblings, too. The older sisters took on the assignment of running the store. The older brothers made deliveries and stocked goods. Her mother had to do everything else as well as look after the younger children.
My grandmother decided that she, too, could help raise money to send to her father on his mission. She decided that she would no longer sing for free. She started charging a nickel per song. Little Lora ended up sending $100 to her father while he was on his mission. (He kept a record because he was so proud of her!) Pretty good earnings for a 6-7 year old just before 1900.
I admire the women pioneers who did so much to tame the wilderness and make it a culture-filled place to live for their posterity!
Here is a Women's Chorus version of "Come, Come Ye Saints" to enjoy this Pioneer Day.
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