This paper was presented by Virginia Crookston at the Alleman Reunion this summer, August 2008. Tell her thanks for distributing it.
MY LIFE STORY
By
EMELINE ALLEMAN CROOKSTON
My earliest recollection was when I was about three years old. Mother had a large wooden cradle. I recall my brother George rocking me to sleep by singing "Now Let Us Rejoice in the Day of Salvation.”By
EMELINE ALLEMAN CROOKSTON
When I was five years old my brother Edwin was born. One afternoon, which was the 7th of September, Sarah sent Matthew, Annie and myself with my older brothers down in the south bend where they were building a fence. When we came home Mother had, to our surprise, a little new baby boy. A midwife had delivered him.
In the fall of 1899 my parents prepared with rejoicing co go to the Logan Temple and have their endowments and their nine living and three deceased children sealed to them. I recall well how we went in three covered wagons down Mink Creek Canyon. We stayed with an old couple by the name of Latterman on Fifth North Street in Logan. They were very nice to us. They had fruit trees. I recall Mother was afraid we would eat too many blue plums.
The 11th of October, 1899, I guess was about the happiest day of Mother's life. We all went to the Temple and were sealed as one family. On our way home it had snowed in the canyon and the road was muddy. It was hard for the horses to pull the load, so we had to get out and walk up the steepest hill, We didn't have galoshes, so Mother put same heavy home made men's socks over our shoes.
We lived in Lower Bern, about two miles from the meetinghouse. It was only a one room meetinghouse which was also used for our schoolhouse from the first to the eighth grades. I started school when I was six and was very thrilled with it. I loved to read from the big chart at the front of the room, John T, Rigby was my teacher. Our neighbors, the Buehler and Bienz families, and we would ride in one big bob sleigh to school. There were about ten or twelve of us. We had lots of fun.
I remember the day when I was baptized. It was Sunday afternoon on May 20, 1899, in Upper Bern in an irrigation canal. There were quite a number of others baptized that day.
My parents were immigrants from Switzerland and lived in poor circumstances. They had four small children, One died in Switzer~ land before they left. The others were J. Peter, Sarah, and Abe. Abe had a hard time to survive on the three week trip on the ship. They came as far as Evanston by train, from there on a wagon. The driver was partly drunk, so gave them a rough ride. They first went to Nounan and worked in a dairy. Later they moved to Bern and homesteaded the place where Edwin now lives. They built a one room log cabin with a dirt roof and floor. There several babies were born.
My father's sister came with them from Switzerland. Aunty Basy, we called her, She is the only relative I ever saw or knew outside of my Father's and Mother's own family. Basy had arthritis ever since she was eighteen years of age. She wasn't married and always lived with my father's family. She was a great help to my mother. She was one of the kindest, sweetest, patient ladies I ever knew.
Mother had all twelve of her children with a midwife to assist When the twins were born, Matthew and Annie, the old dirt roof would leak and my Aunty would hold the umbrella over the bed where the babies lay.
The year before I was born Father hauled logs from the canyon and had them sawed on all four sides and built a house. It is the one that is still on the homestead. At that time, it was by far the best one in Bern. I was the first child born in it, and I am the tenth child.
Father always had enough work for the children and kept them home. In the summer he made Swiss cheese. He didn't have enough feed for the cows, so he went to a small valley twenty miles from Montpelier called Ephraim Valley. There was lots of good feed and water there, He took cows on share from people in Paris and Montpelier and made cheese and gave them half. We milked about fifty or sixty cows.
Father took the boys and Sarah to the ranch and Mother always stayed in Bern with the smaller children and took care of the place there. She worked hard as she always had to chase stray cattle out of the meadow and fix fences. When I was about ten or twelve, I too went to the ranch and milked cows. Sarah got married so we hired a girl, Lena Bienz, who was my age, and we kept the house and milked the cows.
My parents were immigrants from Switzerland and lived in poor circumstances, They had four small children. One died in Switzer~ land before they left. The others were J. Peter, Sarah, and Abe. Abe had a hard time to survive on the three week trip on the ship. They came as rar as Evanston by train, from there on a wagon. The driver was partly drunk, so gave them a rough ride. They first went to Nounan and worked in a dairy. Later they moved to Bern and homesteaded the place where Edwin now lives. They built a one room log cabin with a dirt roar and rloor. There several babies were born.
My rather's sister came with them from Switzerland. Aunty Basy, we called her, She is the only relative I ever saw or knew outside or my Father's and Mother's own family. Basy had arthritis ever since she was eighteen years of age. She wasn't married and always lived with my rather's family. She was a great help to my mother. She was one of the kindest, sweetest, patient ladies I ever knew.
Mother had all twelve or her children with a midwire to assiSL When the twins were born, Matthew and Annie, t.he old dirt. roof would leak and my Aunty would hold the umbrella over t.he bed where the babies lay.
The year before I was born Father hauled logs from the canyon and had them sawed on all four sides and built a house. It is the one that is sti 11 on the homestead. At t.ha t time, it was by rar the best one in Bern. I was the first child born in it, and I am the tenth child.
Father always had enough work for the children and kept them home. In the summer he made Swiss cheese. He didn't have enough feed ror the cows, so he went to a small valley twenty miles from Mont.pelier called Ephraim Valley. There was lots of good reed and water there. He took cows on share from people in Paris and Montpelier and made cheese and gave them half. We milked about fifty or sixty cows.
Father took the boys and Sarah to the ranch and Mother always stayed in Bern with the smaller children and took care or the place there. She worked hard as she always had to chase stray cattle out of the meadow and fix fences. When I was about ten or t.welve, I too went. to the ranch and milked cows. Sarah got married so we hired a girl, Lena Bienz, who was my age, and we kept the house and milked the cows.
Later Father bought Crow Creek, a large ranch where there was plenty of feed for the cattle. My brother Abe homesteaded there and when he got married, lived just across the creek from us. His wife, Lizzie Buehler, Lena and I would go fishing on Crow Creek. This was before automobiles, so there weren't many fishermen around. This was our main sport; we loved to go fishing. We always came home with a good mess of native rainbow trout.
It was too far to go to Sunday School or church, so on a Sunday we would go visit our neighbors about a mile or two away, the Books ranch, the Wells ranch, and the Wilkes at the half-way; or else we had them come visit us.
We would get snow in the mountains until about the latter part of June. The boys would go horse back to get some snow and we made some of the best ice cream you could wish for.
There used to be lots of sheep herders on the forest reserve and there would be sheep men around. They would bring us some mutton. Once in a while we would be invited to a sheep camp for dinner and once in a while they would have their wives stay with them a couple of weeks.
We would also pick wild berries and strawberries at the edge of the meadow. They were small, but very sweet and good flavored. We could usually get enough for at least a dish. Then there was a beautiful spring of water a fourth mile from the house where wild gooseberries grew. We also got serviceberries in the mountains.
Lots of times we would go on a hike with my brother. I recall one time Lena and I had new shoes. We wanted to go to the top of the Snow Drift Mountains west of our house. We could go horseback to the foot of the mountain, then hike to the top. It was a strenuous hike and we almost wore out our shoes. Matthew and Edwin were with us. We always had to be back in time for milking as we each milked about twenty or twenty-five cows.
I recall when the haying season was on and the boys didn't have time to milk. Lena and I milked most of them. I remember one evening I milked forty-three cows. This was the most I ever milked at one time. Father would have the calves tied and the cows ready so I could just go from one cow to the other. He would also empty my milk buckets. I think I milked more cows than anyone else.
Father made the best Swiss cheese. In the fall he would always take a wagon load to Logan to sell. He would bring back a load of fruit, mainly apples and pears and some prunes and plums. He always took one of the boys with him. They would be gone about a week. We children would anxiously look for them to come back and run to meet them. Father would pick us up and give us a nice apple. We had shelves in the cellar and we laid them out so as to keep longer. In the evening before we went to bed, Mother would give us all an apple.
We had very little canned fruit. We had a small garden and berried. I remember our Christmases were very meager. The ward had a children's party with a community tree where about one or two presents were hanging on the tree. I remember I received a picture album once and another time a pretty cup and saucer. Santa Claus would come and give each their present, also a bag of candy and nuts. Sarah would make us each a new dress for Christmas.
I remember so well one Christmas my sister Annie, about ten, and I seven, received the first nice doll. An old trapper by the name of Will Adams lived down by the river, who used to come around quite often. He played Santa Claus. He had a big bag on his back and a Santa Claus mask. He liked Sarah and when he came up from the barn, Sarah said, “oh, look, girls! Here comes Santa Claus!" We were so scared we ran and hid under the bed. We bawled and didn't want to see him. But we each got a beautiful, large doll; one dressed in pink and the other in blue.
When my sister Annie was about thirteen years of age diphtheria came in our community and very severe cases in our family. It took the lives of my sister Annie and my brother Benny, seven years of age. Annie died on the 17th of June and Benjamin on the 1st of August.
Previous to this, in the year 1899, Mother lost two little girls, Elsbeth and Marie, ages six and four, within two weeks apart, from malaria fever. This was before I was born. You see my mother and father had lots of hardships. But in all their trials, they would acknowledge the hand of the Lord. They never had a photograph of these girls. But I remember well I had a dream where I saw a photograph of these three girls. When I described them in the morning to my mother, she wept.
Courting Days
I guess I was about thirteen or fourteen when I first had dates. I think Ezra Kunz was my first beau and I would go to ward and school dances with him. We had to go in sleds so there were usually several couples go together. We surely had good times as everybody exchanged partners and everyone would dance--square dances, waltz and two-step, tucker dance, and polka. The tucker dance was a mixer where someone would clap their hands and the girls would move ahead marching a while and change partners.Chris Petersen would play the fiddle and someone the piano. Matthew also played the violin, so the orchestra didn't cost much. Young folks from the surrounding towns would come to the dances. I had several boy friends. In the summer of 1917 I met my future husband on Crow Creek.
Byron Crookston was a forest ranger for the Caribou Forest. He stopped at our ranch quite often and I began to think he was a very nice fellow. He was quite timid and so was I, especially when I had to go change my clothes to go milk cows. I would leave him sitting in the front room and I’d go to the laundry room to change. Then I’d crawl out of the back window and out to the corral so he wouldn't see me in the old clothes.
Byron didn't very often come to the corral, but one time he offered to milk, He wasn't used to milking, so was very slow. I guess I milked three cows to his one, so he didn't offer any more.
We used to go horseback riding and our love for each other increased. In September of 1917 he had to leave for the Army. We went to Bern together as I wanted my mother to meet him. The next day I saw him off at Montpelier, It was surely hard to part as we both felt we were meant for each other.
I had a call to go on a mission to the Northern States and left home on October 3, 1917. Sarah went with me to Salt Lake City where I went through the Temple and had my endowments. I was set apart for my mission by Apostle Rudgar Clawson. We also attended conference. I left Salt Lake City on October 10, 1917.
Some of My Missionary Experiences
It was my first long trip on the train. Bertha Hymas from Bear Lake Stake was going to the Eastern States, so we had a berth together. Chicago was my headquarters. There were six of us lady missionaries and four elders in the company. I stayed in Chicago several days and had district conference. Then I went to Council Bluffs. Sister Ellsworth, the Mission President's wife, went with me.We had district conference there with ten elders and five lady missionaries. It was the West Iowa Conference. Sister Florence Child and I were assigned to Boone, Iowa. There was a small branch and two elders also labored there. I had the experience of speaking on a street corner and drew a pretty good crowd.
Sister Child was released and left for horne on the 7th of December. I was alone for three days, then Eletha Simmons carne to be my companion. We went tracting a lot and made lots of friends.
One day we witnessed a cyclone. It was one warm summer afternoon. We were out gathering in some of our Books of Mormon as we were to be transferred. Suddenly some dark clouds appeared. We decided to go to Strobel, one of the families of Saints, and do a little sewing. It got almost dark and Sister Strobel hollered, "Oh, a cyclone!"
We looked out of the window and saw timber and stuff flying in The air. We were only about a block away. It lasted only a minute, but blew houses away. It took the porch off the house we had planned to go to, just before we decided to quit.
Hollomans, a family of Saints with two little children, were in their home which was moved off the foundation over against another house and a huge tree fell where their house had stood. It picked a cow up and carried it a block, but left it unhurt. It only passed through a corner of the town, but destroyed everything in that part.
Another unusual coincident happened while on my mission. One day as we carne in from tracting at noon our landlady said she had heard that a train of soldiers was corning through Boone from the West. My youngest brother, Edwin, was at Camp Lewis in Washington. Sister Simmons and I thought we would go see if anyone we knew could be on it, as the train would stop for about ten minutes.
We watched them line out of the car one by one like cattle. To my happy surprise, here came Edwin. He spied me about the same time I saw him, I heard him say, “Oh, here she is.” The lieutenant told him to step outside the line and we had a short and enjoyable visit. He was on his way overseas to France.
I labored in Boone, then a short time in Des Moines, Iowa, when I received word from my bishop, Robert Schmid, that my mother was seriously ill. They thought it best for me to come home. This was truly a very hard thing for me to do, as I so much enjoyed my mission and hoped to stay for two years.
I arrived home on August 13, 1918, Mother got well again and was able to go to Logan to the Temple. In February, 1919, I also went to Logan.
The war ended on November 11, 1918, This was the happiest news I had ever heard as my sweetheart and my brother Edwin were in the Army. We knew that they with all the rest of the soldiers would be released to come, home.
On March 12, 1919, Byron and I were married in the Logan Temple. This was indeed the happiest day of my life in spite of the flu which was raging so badly that all public places of gathering had to be closed except the l. D. S. Temple.
Byron had a job in Brigham City guarding the railroad at four dollars a day. We lived in Aunt Mary's little home. In August we rented a place in Logan on Fifth North. On January 4, 1920, our first baby, Lynn, was born. I am sure we were about the happiest parents that ever lived. Byron was so good to me and helped to care for the baby. In the spring of 1920 we bought a little old place on 340 North 3rd East, where we have lived ever since.
We could not afford to pay much for a home and we had been taught not to go into debt, We had looked around for some time and I am sure we were inspired to buy this place, But at the time I cried and said to my husband that I thought I deserved a nicer home, But we cleaned it up and later started to build on to it, then we made it modern. We always worked together. I helped with the carpentry and he helped with the house work.
On December 30, 1920, our second child came. We named him George after my father. So we had two babies born in the same year. Lynn didn't walk until he was fifteen months old, Both babies were born at home. My dear sister, Sarah, always took care of me and the babies for the first twelve days.
On the 29th of June in 1922 another little boy came to bless our home, We named him Ray Benjamin. He was such a good baby that it made it easier for me to watch the two older live wires, George walked when he was eleven months old.
On August 24, 1923, we had another baby and were so thrilled when we had a darling little girl that we named Lola. Even little Lynn was so happy and said to me, "Mama, aren't you glad nobody else got her?" While I was in bed, Byron finished our bath room. Was I ever happy! Soon after, he finished the two bedrooms.
We had a lovely garden and raised all the vegetables we needed, also flowers. When the boys were old enough they would take the little wagon and load it with vegetables and sell them. They would come home so happy with the money. We sold it cheap enough so they always got rid of it.
On the 17th of January in 1927, we were blessed with another sweet boy. He seemed healthy at first, but the older children had measles and he may have gotten them, too, which affected his heart. He died when he was twelve days old. We named him Rulon. It was so hard for me to take as I loved him so much. We had a little funeral here at our house. Uncle Nick gave such a lovely sermon, which gave us comfort.
On June 29, 1929, we were again blessed with another darling little baby girl. We named her Donna. Mrs. Florence Bird, a neighbor who was a nurse before she married, took care of me. Beatrice, my niece, stayed with us a short time while she worked in town.
Lots of things could be mentioned about the children as they grew up and our early married life. The place we bought was just two small rooms, was very dirty and we had to put in a new floor. There wasn't even water on the lot. We had to carry it from the neighbors. Wild plum and chokecherry trees grew around it like a forest. We surely worked hard to clean it up. My husband was a plumber, so we soon had the water in the house. Our lot was mainly in old grass and weeds.
We had a little garden in the front yard for a few years. I remember we also got a cow and had her staked in the back yard. I milked her most of the time. Where the chicken coop is now was the stable for the cow. One time we just had a ton of hay delivered and some boys in the neighbor's lot set it on fire while we were gone. The firemen were here and saved some of it, but it was water soaked. We soon sold the cow and had chickens. My brothers gave us a pet lamb which was lots of fun for the children.
Byron made swings and trapezes for the children and there were always lots of the neighbor children around.
Byron did plumbing with his brother Bob the first year, then for himself. When the boys were a little older, they would go with him and help. So they all learned to do plumbing. There was always lots to do on the place as we soon had the lot plowed. We planted berries and trees. We always had a lovely garden and raised all the vegetables we needed the year around.
In the fall, Byron always went hunting and always got a deer. When the boys were old enough, they would go with him. They all love the mountains and would go for hikes. We never had to worry about our boys rambling around town. Often the neighbors who had boys would call to see if their boys were here and if so, would say, “I never worry if they are with the Crookston boys."
All of our children grew up active in the Church. Lynn was the only one to go on a mission. Ray was a stake missionary for a short time, but by the time he and George were old enough to go on regular missions, they were in the Army.
All our children married lovely companions who came from prominent and good families. Lola and Donna each married sons of stake presidents. All our children were married in the Temple, and are now raising lovely families. I hope they will all follow in their parent footsteps.
We now have 45 beautiful grandchildren, all healthy and normal in every way. I am thankful for each and every one of them.
And now in conclusion, I am most grateful for my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for all the wonderful blessings He has given me. My great desire is that I may live true and faithful to the end and that all of my family and loved ones will all be true Latter-day Saints so we can be one great family in the hereafter.
Interesting Places I Have Been
In 1932, Anna Hart, my niece, took her mother Sarah (my sister) and my son Ray and me to Yellowstone Park. It was the first time I had been there.In March of 1943, Sarah and I went by bus to Phoenix, Arizona, where Ray and Marvel were living while Ray was stationed at Luke Field in the Air Force. We also went to the Mesa Temple several times.
In October of 1944, our oldest son Lynn took Byron and me in Lynn's little car to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where Ray was stationed at an Air Base. Lynn was on his way to school at Ann Arbor and we stopped in Nebraska at several places to see some of Lynn's friends he had made on his mission there. We went through Lexington, Yankton, and Norfolk, Nebraska. When we got to Sioux Falls, we saw our first granddaughter, Marnita. She was just learning to walk and was surely a little doll. The next day Lynn drove on to Ann Arbor to dental school. Byron and I took the bus home. We went by way of Sioux City, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska, where we stayed at the Flat Iron Hotel. Then we went through St. Joseph, Missouri, and on to Kansas City and Independence to see Marvel's parents, Brother and Sister Sharp. We stayed overnight there and came home by way of Denver.
In June of 1945, Donna and I went by train to Oklahoma to see Alden and Lola and David and Carole. Alden was in the Armed Forces On the way out we stopped off at Denver to see the natural museum and had a very enjoyable trip.
In July, 1951, George, Virginia, and I went on a five day trip to Bryce, Zions and Grand Canyon. We also visited the Manti and St. George Temples. We went on to Las Vegas and stayed overnight and saw Boulder City and Hoover Dam.
February of 1951, I went by bus to San Francisco to Lark Spur where Lola and her family were living while Alden was interning at the Navy Hospital. We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge many times.
In March of 1953, I went with Lynn and Wendy to Tohatchi, New Mexico, where Lynn went after his wife Carol died in Florida on August 31, 1952, of polio. Lynn was the dentist for the Indian school. I shall never forget the trip there. We left Provo early in the morning, It was calm and nice. When we neared Soldiers' Summit it statted to snow and blizzard, We had to put chains on• At Price we took them off as we thought it was better without them. The wind blew so hard and was blizzarding until we could not see the road ahead. We arrived in Tohatchi at 10:00 p.m. The road crew said they had never seen such a day as long as they lived there. I am sure we had the Lord's help that day or we couldn't have driven along without any accident.
In August of 1953, Byron and I went with a group of 60 Temple friends and workers with two chartered Cook buses, We had a nineteen day trip to the East to Palmyra, New York, to see the Sacred Grove and Hill Cumorah Pageant, and all the early Church landmarks. We had a most wonderful trip. The weather was ideal and we saw so many interesting places, A few days after I came home from this trip, I went by bus to Tohatchi to see Lynn and Wendy.
While I was in Tohatchi in August 1953, Lynn took us one Friday evening to Carlsbad Caverns by way of Gallup, New Mexico, and Albuquerque' and on over the desert. I never saw a more beautiful sunrise in my life. We reached the cave about eleven the next morning and took a four hour tour through the cave. We enjoyed it enormously. It was after four in the afternoon when we left and we wanted to see more of the country so we drove 142 miles farther to see El Paso, Texas. We stayed at an auto cabin. The next morning we crossed the Rio Grande River to the City of Juarez, Mexico. We went back a different route to Tohatchi and saw the sand doons and summit of the desert.
In September, 1955, Byron and I went with a bus load of Temple workers on a seven day trip to Phoenix, Arizona. We went through the St. George, Manti and Mesa Temples, We also visited the Parks.
On July 16, 1957, Lynn, Melva, Wendy and I left in Lynn's car for California, At Parowan we left the highway for sixteen miles to see Cedar Breaks, We stopped at the St. George Temple for half an hour and then drove on to Las Vegas and stayed at a motel, The next day we Went on to Torrance, California, where Melva's sister lived. Sunday morning we went to my fri end Lena Bi enz Robinson's place. On August 23rd, my niece Ruth brought me back from Brea to the Temple to meet Lynn and Melva, Afterward we hurri ed to see Hollywood and a cinerama show, "Seven Wonders of the World". On the way home we drove up to Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in California.
In October of 1960, Lola and I went by plane to California to see David who was at Fort Ord. Alden took us to Salt Lake City and we left at 4;00 a.m. It was my first plane ride. I thought it very thrilling. We reached Los Angeles in two hours and twenty minutes. We took a taxi out to the temple and went through the first session, then visited with Buelah Burgoyne and Lena Robinson. Friday evening we took another plane to Monterey near Fort Ord. We saw David and stayed there all night Saturday and attended some Army programs. Then Lola, David and I took a bus to San Francisco and stayed at a hotel. The next morning David went back to camp. Lola and I took a sightseeing bus to see the city. Sunday evening we took another plane home.
On September 6, 1961, at 6;00 a.m., Byron and I left Logan with a bus load of forty-two temple workers and friends for a trip to Canada. We stopped at Idaho Falls for half an hour and ate lunch at West Yellowstone. We went on to Livingston, Montana, and stayed at the Guest House Motor Hotel. The next morning we went on and stayed at Lethbridge, Canada, that night. On September 8th we arrived at Banff. It is a most beautiful scenic place. We rode on the gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain. We also went to Lake Louise and Columbia Ice Fields, 185 miles from Banff. We rode on the snowmobile for forty-five minutes over the glacier. The next day we went to Waterton
On August 17, 1962, I went with Donna and three of her children (Martha, Janice and Gregory) and Lola and four of her children (Myra, Lorena, Carl and Joe) on a jet airliner to Denver, Colorado, for a fun trip for one day. We left the Salt Lake airport at 9:00 a.m. and got in Denver one hour later. We took a taxi to the Natural Museum Park and Zoo, then downtown shopping. At six we were back at the airport to come home to Salt Lake City. The children were all so thrilled with their plane, rides and we with our first jet trip. I can't help but think how many changes have come in my life time when I remember that it took my parents two days to travel to Logan from Bern to have us sealed in the temple when I was eight years old, a distance of 72 miles, and we went 600 miles to Denver on the jet in one hour.
