Biography of Ann Lydia West Neville
Ann Lydia West Neville
1 May 1856 to 14 July 1930
I was born May 1st, 1856 in London, England. My father was born in Old Street, St. Luke, Milese Co., England on the 12th of February , 1833 and was the son of John and Lydia Johnson West. My mother was born September 7th, 1832 in England. I was the third child of that union. There were eleven of us. Only four of us living-Caroline, Charles, myself–Ann Lydia, and William Jr.
My parents joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and as the spirit of gathering was so great to get to Zion (America,) my parents were anxious to emigrate there. But it was very hard to make a living and save enough to cross the sea and provide for the same. My parents kept an open house for the Elders. A great many stayed with them.
My father was a vellum binder of books. He make a very good living. We all had the comforts of life, but no luxuries of life so that they could not save much.
An elder was staying with them named John Brown. Elder Brown was full of faith and advised my parents to sent some of us children ahead of the family, but they thought that they could not do that. A friend of the family by the name of James King and his wife came to visit my parents and mother told them of what Elder Brown said. Then, they said let us take Anna with us as they were going that year. We love her and will take good care of her. They did not have any children of their own.
I was nearly six; my older sister was about ten years old. My parents did not give them an answer at the time, but talked it over with Elder Brown and he said, “sent by all means and I will promise you if you keep faithful you will follow the next year.”
They thought it over and decided to let me go if they would take my older sister, Caroline too. When the Kings came to get their answer they told them they would let me go if Caroline could go too. They said that they would take us both. I remember it quite well, but I wanted my family to go too. The family told us we were going to Zion and the Lord would bless us and they would soon come.
I remember father taking us on the River Thames and through the tunnel in a large boat. Also taking us to have our pictures taken, one on each side of father. He also took us to the Castle Gardens. I had never before seen green grass grow or living flowers. As soon as I got inside of the gate I looked about me a few minutes and threw myself flat on the grass and spread out my arm. I wanted to hug it and drink it all in my body, it was so grand. I shall never forget it, while my memory lasts! You see, in London there is no grass or flowers unless it were where the wealthy lives.
I can remember one place we lived it was on the second floor. There was a candy shop under us. They called candy, lolopops and sweet stuff. They sold jumbles-a dark round cracker. I loved them.
Mother allowed us to play up and down the sidewalk, roll our hoops, and play shuttle cock. One day mother let me go to school with my brother and sister. To make me hurry and keep up with them-they said that the monkey had got away from the organ man. I looked around and sure enough the monkey was nearly to me. I can tell you I ran nearly frightened to death. Although I was young I remember a lot of England. I remember when we left home for Liverpool, when we were going to board the ship for America. The name of the ship was “Tapstock.”
My mother said that if she could of called the ship back, she surely would of done it. She had not realized what it meant until that big ship sailed away out of sight and maybe never to see us again. But she remembered the promise made to them, so she went home and worked harder than ever making shirts and fancy boxes, which was her trade, to help get money to pay their passage to America.
I well remember being on board the ship Tapstock. It was so strange to see the water all around us. When the sun went down-I was wild. I said, “the sun will be drowned and will never come up again.” I jumped up and down and wrung my hands in despair. A man standing near me said, “don’t worry, IT WILL come up again.” Then we were ordered down in the hold of the ship. It was terrible down there. It smelled bad and was dark. We had eight weeks of that horrible bad food. It consisted of hard tack, oatmeal hulls, and all. No milk, no sugar-very salty beef. The only pleasure we had was when they would let us go on deck and we would look out at the sea and we would see large fishes, porpoises, and others. We liked to see the animals and chickens they had in coop around the deck.
One day they buried a little baby. They put it on a long plank, wrapped in sail cloth and tipped it into the sea. Oh, it made me feel bad.
But the one thing that pleased me most. The cabin cook heard that we could sing. (My sister had a good voice and could sing some too.) So he would hail us as we were passing and ask us to sing for him and we did. Then he would give us something good to eat, and oh my, so good, as I was nearly starved. I could not eat the coarse food.
We had eight weeks on the sea, they had two heavy storms and they would not let us up on deck, and that was hard on us.
In time we landed in New York where many or all the immigrants landed. It looked strange, all of us sitting around, no place to go, I thought. Each family sat on their boxes and all their earthly goods.
We took the train the next day, traveled about two weeks, got to St. Florence, found there the brethren, with their ox teams and covered wagons.
We started on our long journey across the plains. All went well for a few weeks. Then our troubles began. Brother King started with his mother, wife and sister. Sister King gave birth to a baby boy. It was premature. It died and the next day Sister King passed away and in a short time Brother King’s mother died. They buried them by the road. That left Brother King and his sister alone with us two girls. Brother King did the best he could for us, but his sister did nothing for us only to scold us. One morning it was very cold. I was crying with my hand and feet so cold. She would not let me go near the fire and when I could not stop crying she slapped me hard, especially my hands. My sister took me away from her and rubbed my hands and blew her warm breath on them. They soon got warm, bu my sister got slapped for it. My sister said she would never forgive her for that. I hope she will.
We met a large her of buffalo. The men had a hard time to head them off. We were afraid of a stampede.
Once a party of Indians came in camp all painted up. We thought they were on the war-path. The Captain talked with them and killed a beef for them. For this they let us alone in peace. My sister and got rather crummy on the plains and to give us a bath Brother King used to strip me and push me in and out of the rivers when we came to one. I always thought that he would let me go down stream. His sister did not do anything to keep us clean. We had to walk a great deal of the way. The only time we rode was when a freight wagon, which was the one ahead of us, would tell us we could ride with them if we would sing for them. So how we would sing all the song we knew. I thought I had to earn my ride. I was very glad that our father had taught us to sing. (We, my sister and myself, sang in a concert before we left England and were applauded.) So that helped us some. We were about ten weeks on the plains. We arrived in Salt Lake City on the first of October.
Bishop Edward Hunter, who took charge of the immigrants, came to Brother King and asked him that he could not do anything with us as he was alone in Salt Lake City and had no money. His sister was going to marry our teamster. Brother Hunter took us to his home and gave us something to eat. He would of like us to stay with them, but his wife objected as they had a large family of boys. Brother Hunter talked to President Young about us and he said he would find someone to take us. So he called Bishop William Miller to him and told him about us and Brother Miller said he would take us to his home in Provo. Brother King was willing and so were we. We went in the same wagon that took us across the plains as far as Springville, as that was the place the teamster lived. Bishop Miller sent a team and a buggy fir us to take to his home in Provo. One of his wives, Sarah, took me as her girl and the first wife took Caroline as her girl. I took sick soon after I arrived in Provo. I had mountain fever and was sick a long time, but Aunt Sarah was so good to me. I learned to love her dearly. She had done all a mother or a nurse could do for me.
When I started to get well all I could eat was dried beef, they had tried everything else. So the Bishop ordered no more dried beef to be used (as they were getting short) until I had all I wanted. The Bishop and his wives were very kind to me and could not have been better to me than as if I was their own child. He would take me on his knee and have me sing to him. But, he loved to tease me. When the Indians used to come to his home he would ask them how many ponies they would give for me. They would hold up two or three fingers, and sometime more. He would say, “Not enough,” but I was frightened. He would stand me on the table and make me say “ham and eggs.” At first I would say “‘am and heggs,” and how he would laugh. The only thing I had to do was fetch in a few chips to burn and get a rag and clean the big dog “Watch Eyes,”his eyes out of the corners. I did not like to do that, but he was m y play mate, I loved him. Aunt Sarah had a niece who used to come and play with me. Her name was Sady Spaford. She lived in Springville. We loved each other dearly. I would give much to see those two again.
To return to my parents again. They heard we arrived in America alright. They did not hear from any of us direct. Although Brother King wrote, so did my sister. So my parents worried very much and worked hard so they could emigrate the year after we left. One night nearly a year after we left, my mother dreamed she saw us and we look so thin and ragged and dirty, she woke up crying and told father her dream. He consoled her the best he could and told her the promises made by the elders, so she went to sleep again and dreamed that she saw us fat and well, our long cut hair cut off short and dressed in grey home spun dresses and looked so happy that she never worried again for us.
One day I was playing with playmates in an unfinished room in the Bishop’s house and I remembered I was dressed in Aunt Sarah’s clothes. She came to me and said, “Would you like to see your mother?, and I said, “Yes, where is she?” I looked out of the window and I saw a covered wagon out there. I knew my parents had come. I pulled off my dress of Aunty and ran out and there sure enough was my father and mother, but I hardly knew them. They were so traveled stained. I always saw them dressed so nice. I wanted to see my lovely sister, Mary Ann, but she was so sick she did not know me. She had been so sick all the way across the plains. My parents went to live in a one room adobe house. It had a fireplace. All the furniture we had was a sea chest or box for a table, one chair, one bake skillet or frying pan, and some boxes to sin on and our bedding.
Bishop Miller wanted mother to give me and my brother Jabez to him, but they could not do that, so it made him mad at them and he would not help them very much.
In about two weeks my sister Mary Ann died and no one came near to help dress or care for the body, so my parents had to do it all by themselves. The Bishop did send a man and lumber and made a rough coffin and h is carriage to take her to the grave yard. The neighbors were afraid it was some bad disease that she had, that is why they did not come near us, they said. It hurt my parents very much not to hold any funeral services. They felt as though God had forsaken them.
They wished they had not come as they had suffered so much in coming to a new world, and no one to give them any comforting word of encouragement. They felt that they had no home and no friends.
While they were sitting there alone feeling so bad, the door was opened and in walked a tall man. His hair and beard was white. He wore a dark grey suit and a white shirt. He came in and sat down on the chair they offered him. He brought with him a wonderful feeling and said he had come to comfort them. He told them he knew all that they had passed through, and told them of their life’s history. He told them to cheer up and all would be well with them. That they should have the necessities of life and then blessed them and walked backward out of the house. They felt a strange peace of mind and they went to look for him, but he had vanished. The next day father went to the Bishop to thank him for his kindness in sending that good man to comfort and bless them. He asked what he looked like and how he was dressed. Father told him. The bishop said we have no men living here by that description. He said, “Brother West, you have been visited by one of the ancient Nephites that wanted to stay on the earth until the coming of Christ. You have been greatly blessed.”
My people stayed about a year in Provo. They were doing quite well. Father helped harvest the grain, then we gathered. Father and mother would take us children into the fields to glean wheat. When father could see quite a bit of wheat laying around, he would call us like a rooster calling his hens, and we would run and get it. That made play out of it. We all had gathered twenty bushels that fall. We had a nice lot of things for the winter. A small barrel of molasses, a big pig, vegetables, plenty of flour and clothes enough to keep us warm. These were homespun, but we were happy.
Father received a letter from a friend and wife they knew in England. They lived in Provo Valley. They begged my people to go there as father could take up all the land he wanted. Father being green to the place, they did not tell him how cold it was there, and that there was no work. This was the beginning of our troubles. The people wanted my folks to live with them all in one room, as there was no other. Well, they ate all our food, or helped to. We ran out of flour so that we had to eat boiled wheat. These people both taught school, they had one child and she had fits, so mother had to take care of her. We had to stay in bed until those people went to school as there were no room for us all around the fireplace, and it was very cold. My oldest brother, Thomas, had been working up in the mountains. He got snow blind, so he had to sit up in bed with my brother Jabez and me. Mother gave us our boiled wheat to eat and tried to make us eat it all, but since my brother Thomas could not see we gave him ours. He would say, “Mother, I cannot eat it all.” Wasn’t that mean up us? That was the worst place to l I’ve in that ever was. Father could get work, but no pay, and when he was cheated out of the very thing they would laugh and call him “green.” We stayed there about 16 months and very nearly starved. Mother told father that if he did not get out of there and find a better place to live in she would go herself and he could take care of the family, that she could not live in such a place with such people that had no heart or conscience.
So father started out to Salt Lake City. Mother had to unpick a white skirt, she had to make father a shirt and save the thread to sew it with. It was hard times then. Father left after the shirt was made.
Soon after he went, the Bishop told all the people that lived out of town, including us, to come into town as the Indians were on the war path and would be there soon. But mother had a three week old baby, father was away, and nobody came to our rescue. At first we all slept in one bed, five of us. Mother put me on the outside and said, “if they see you the may leave the rest.” I felt scared, but I thought they had better take me than mother, for if mother was taken who would take care of the rest? The next day a friend of my folks came with a hay rack, told my mother to gather her things and brood and he would take us all to his place. He did not belong to the Church, but he was a man. Mother did not want to go as he was very poor. He said he did not have anything to feed us on, but he would not let the Indians get us, so we started to carry everything out we needed. It was late. He said he did not have anything to give us to eat, but we ate what we had, and then in the morning we had a lovely breakfast. He had gone out in the night and obtained ham, flour, eggs and butter. Mother was leery where he had got them all, but we were thankful for it. When the scare was over, mother moved to a two room house and she taught school until father got back. That got us something to eat.
Father brought a wagon and mules and took us all to Salt Lake City. He rented a farm on shares from J.C. Little, by the river Jordan, but did not do very well. We moved from there to the Sixth Ward in Salt Lake City. Father and mother taught school there one winter, took chips and other stuff for pay. Just enough to live on.
We stayed in the Sixth Ward about one year. I went to school that winter, learned to read and spell, got in the fourth reader but was too poor to buy slate and a pencil so could not get along in other studies. My parents were afraid the people would kick if we used their children’s books or took much time on us as they could not get enough money from the students to buy things with. I remember that Christmas. Mother told us not to hang up our stockings as they had no money to give Santa Claus and Santa could not come to poor folks. In fact there was n o Santa Claus. We all felt very bad, as the children in the school told what they were going to have him bring them, but I prayed that there was one, and hoped he would bring us something.
My folks felt very bad about it, but about eleven o’clock that Christmas Eve, there was a rap on the door and in walked a man. He had his arms loaded with sacks of things for his children. He said where are the children’s stockings? My mother told him they had nothing to put in them. He was feeling good, had a little liquor, he said fetch their stockings here, I will put something in them. He opened his bags, he put oranges and candies and nuts in the, and gave my parents a little good cheer and left. He was a good neighbor. When we got up and saw our stockings hanging up, we were delighted. I thought sure that the Lord heard my prayers and there was a Santa Claus.
The next year we moved up to the Eleventh Ward. My mother’s brother, Jabez Dangerfield, lived there and we all liked it there. My father went to work for President Brigham Young and got tithing for pay. Many a weary walk I had Saturdays to go and get things to eat on that pay, about fourteen blocks to walk and carry things home.
Later on my father went to work on the railroad in Echo Canyon. While there, my little sister, Mary died with diphtheria. It was a great sorrow for us all and Father being so far away. He felt he should come home and when he got there found she had died and as he thought she was buried, so he grabbed a shovel and was going to dig her up, as she said before she died she wanted Papa to rock her to sleep, but mother stopped him an d took him to the room where she lay. He took her up and rocked her and talked to her as though she was alive. He felt so bad. I was bout 15 years old when the railroad first came to Salt Lake City. Us young folks thought is was a great treat to walk to the depot about nineteen blocks. But my mother did not let me go often.
I remember the first street cars. They were drawn by mules. Mr. Frisby was the first conductor. About this time my cousin, C. Denny, was working in the Salt Lake Theater, helping on the stage. He asked mother to let me go and help when they need chorus girls to sing and dance in the plays. That just suited me. I was wild to go and they let me go and Charley used to call for me for rehearsals. When the play was put on they gave me two tickets for my parents. That was fine. I loved that old theater and it made me feel very bad when I heard that they had torn it down. The first play I ever saw was there. They played Cinderella or the Golden Slipper and how lovely was Priscilla Clive when she danced the wonderful dance steps. I always wanted to be an actor after that and many a time I have composed plays in my mind, but could not write tehm, as my education was limited. I had to work for others to get my clothes. Mother often scolded me for being so absent minded, but I could not tell her that I was composing a play, I was fifteen years old then.
I was chosen to sing in the ward choir about that time and have sang in ward choirs of and on ever since, and am still on the job although my voice is not so good now. Time passed on. My sister, Carrie, married a Thomas Wright, a neighbor, as second wife. She is still living.
In 1872 I met a young man by the name of Joseph Hyrum Neville. My father worked for him. He was a bricklayer and a plasterer. He worked in ornamental plaster work. He helped remodel the Salt Lake Theater, made those beautiful ornaments. We liked each other and kept company about seven months., then got married in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City in the year 1873 on May 5th. In 1876 we had a dear little baby boy born after three years. We named him Joseph William.
About nine months after we moved to Woodruff, stayed there about a year, then moved to Bountiful, Davis County, Utah, lived there about three years when our second child, Lillie Mae, was born and died there at Bountiful. We moved from there to Ogden, Utah. My husband followed the building trade and making bricks. I liked to live there. We lived there about five years and two children were born there, Annie Mae and Charles Laffett. We moved from there, back to Woodruff, Rich County. My husband went to work to Malad, Idaho. He was in partnership with a Jew. While he was away my three children took scarlet fever. My dear little Charley died and the others were not expected to live, but Bishop Willima Lee and wife were so good to me, the best friends I had. He helped me take care of Joseph and Annie Mae. They pulled through with the help of God, but Annie was left in bad shape. The disease settled in her eye and she was bothered with it most all her life. Soon another little girl came to bless our home, Nona. Then Leo Jennings; then Daniel West; Jabez Edward and Ralph, then last but not least, Solon James, which makes us 10 children.
Besides taking care of my family, the Bishop asked me to be a counselor in the Relief Society and Secretary in the Primary organization. Also teacher in Sunday School and Religion class. I have two wonderful certificates signed by President Wilford Woodruff licensing me to teach, which I am proud of. I was chose to act in the community, especially at the old folks’ parties. We had lots of socials and plays. Brother Wesley Walton was our stage manager. I used to take a good many parts in the lead. My husband also took parts. We used to have some very good times there. I enjoyed my life more in Woodruff than any place I have lived in, although we had good times and bad ones.
I enjoyed raising my family. They were good children. My son Joseph was a very kind and thoughtful to me. He helped me all he could and would go with me to singing practices and rehearsals to take care of me. He helped his father a great deal making brick and other work. When he was 14 years old he went to Salt Lake City to High School, stayed with my brother, Jabey West, and worked for his board. I did miss him so much. He never came home to live anymore. He stayed there and got married to Detta Shipp. While living in Woodruff my husband was asked to work at Aspen, Utah as blacksmith and me to cook for the men. My boys, Joseph and Leo were large enough to work. Joseph nearly died eating canned peaches.
I sure had a busy life. I was called on day and night to help with the sick. Any baby that was sick I was called to go and help. The women thought they could not have a baby unless I was there. I did not think I knew enough to do much good, but I always called on the Lord to help me do something to help the sick, and He surely did put my mind what to do. You see, we were about thirty miles from a doctor. It seems I have been a nurse since I was ten years old when my mother had babies I waited in her with father’s help and she was sick quite often. When I went out to work the ladies were sick so I had, had experience.
My husband was a busy man too. He made brick and built the Court House in Randolph and a large school and church house in Woodruff, also the big brick house that Byron Sessions lived in when he was overseer of North’s Ranch. Then he was the blacksmith for the town and I cooked for the men that he hired. My husband was called to go on a mission to the Sandwich Islands. He was called on later to go to England and was nearly ready to go, when a call was made by the President of the Church for people to emigrate to the Big Horn country, so Brother Sessions sent word for Joseph to be changed to go to the Big Horn as he would be a great help to build up a new place. He was to do the leveling of the canal, but Brother Sessions being in charge of the canal ordered my husband to learn him to do the leveling and took his level, and Joseph to do black smithing.
We got ready to go, sold a few things and left all our furniture, except one chair and bedstead, but lost the chair, and shipped the bed and tent. Started about April 20th, and what a trip we had. It snowed for about a week and the roads were very bad and we had to make bridges and roads, but we were blessed with health. I drove a team and buggy most all the way. My son Leo drove a team and wagon, so did Joseph. One night we camped near Little Wind River. We sent my boy Daniel to get a bucket of water. In a little while he come in dripping wet. He said the stream was so swift it took him and the bucket down stream, but he grabbed a willow and saved himself, but not the bucket. We were very thankful he was saved. Solon was 15 months old and I had to carry him up all the steep hills. He would not let anybody else take him. How tired I got. Ralph’s birthday was on the 21st of May. I shall never forget that day we had just crossed the Green River, it was storming. People told us that lived close by that we should not cross, but our leader called us all together and we all knelt down to pray. When we got up President Sessions said, and others that felt that it was all right to cross so we all got across safely. They unharnessed the horses. It was no sooner done than the biggest clap of thunder I have ever heard in all my life was heard and lightning was so fierce t hat the horses reared and some broke loose; and the rain came down in great sheets; and the river rose in a short time and overflowed it’s banks. It stayed up a long time. We were thankful we had crossed as it would have delayed us two or three days.
Our daughter, Anne Mae, was married just before we left Woodruff to Ed Sessions, so she was with us part of the time and helped me some. We used to be called mornings and nights to sing a hymn and pray. My husband used to call them with his cornet, the bugle call.
I have a picture taken with him calling us and usually the dogs were the first to be there, and oh they would set up and howl. My Leo had a Kodak. He took quite a few pictures. The children all rode in with me in the buggy. That is Nona, Daniel, Jabez, Ralph and Salon. Ralph had a good voice although he was so young and we would sing and that helped. We drug a cart behind the buggy loaded with a big copper boiler loaded with cooking utensils and you should have heard the racket when we went a little fast. We arrived in the Big Horn about the 29th of May. We passed some beautiful country we wished to stop in, but since we were called to the Big Horn, we did not want to stop until we got there. We were five weeks on the journey. Started on April 19th and arrived May 29th. I was disappointed when they said this was where we were going to stay.
Well, I thought it was the worst place I had ever seen. There was not a green thing to be seen and even the few cottonwood trees on the river had hardly any leaves on and the water did not taste good, but we had to make the best of it. We had been called by the authority of the Lord. We camped at the head of the canal by the Big Horn River, or as the Indians called it, “Stinking Water,” as it smelled of sulphur. We were on the bottom land, the canal was up on the bench where the land was for us to make our homes. They all worked hard on the canal and the poor horses, not much for them to eat, only grain and salt sage.
That summer they got the water on the bench and, oh, how we rejoiced to have the water running in front of our homes. We had a meeting of thanksgiving to out Heavenly Father because he helped us in many ways. We did not suffer many hardships, we came with plenty of provisions and clothes, but it seemed that we were so far away from Utah and our many friends and loved ones. We used to get the blues and we wondered whether we would ever hear or see them again.
It was not long until they planned to build a railroad and that was sure a great blessing to our people as some of the people had not provided themselves with enough food or clothes, so they worked on the railroad and got the necessities of life. Our people took contracts. One man from Burlington, Wyoming took a big contract and hired my husband to run the commissary or store so that was a blessing to us. We got our house built the same year. Our house was a four roomed house with nice large windows. It seemed to me like a palace after living n a tent so long, about 7 months. My boy, Jabez, was baptized in the Big Horn as far as I can learn. We had not been in our home long, when they put in the telegraph poles from Lovell to Byron, the name of our town, and asked us to let them put the telephone into our house and take care of all the calls and the money from them. Then we had the mail service and we had the first Post Office in our home. We put on a little room in front for it. That kept me busy as I hd most of the work of both, then I had my family, seven of them and my brother, William West, and nephew, C. Wright, to take care of, and ourselves.
The next year our Stake and Wards were organized. Byron Sessions, Stake President, Brother Fred Kohler was chosen bishop of our town Byron, and I was chosen president of the Primary Association, and chose Rachel Elice as first counselor and Cara Godfrey as second. Mattie Johnson as secretary. I held that position 14 years and was chosen chorister of the Relief Society, also teacher 25 years in the Sunday School, second grade, held that position 25 years. I was released from Primary teacher to go to Basin, Wyoming, and keep house form my husband and boys. My husband was county clerk, Jabez and Ralph were going to High School, Solon to grade school. Nona was married, and Leo was on a mission to England. I stayed in Basin, the county seat, with my family, but was called home as Solon had a bad fall from a horse and broke his pelvis bone. He was sick a long time. We all moved home then. Soon I was chosen first counselor to Millie Egan in the Young Ladies M.I.A. of the Stake. Worked there about two years. Was released and then was chosen first counselor to Patty Hatch in the Relief Society; worked there about 2 years. The president was released and I was chosen president of the Relief Society. Served there seven years.
Before that time we had found a very large gas well on our farm, at that time it was the largest flow of gas that had ever been known. You could hear it roar 20 miles away. Well, we had an elephant on our hands we did not know what to do with it, but brought a great many men with money to our town and we were offered as we thought a good price of money for it and the land so we sold it for about two thousand and was glad to get rid of it. But we found out if we had kept it a little longer we could have doubled the price, but we paid our debts, and built us a very nice house and grist mill, 10 rooms, large basement and bathroom and had it well furnished. Porch all around the east and south side and everything modern. Hot and cold water, bath and toilet, and we sure enjoyed it.
He was there four months, and was very weak and ailing. We did not think the doctors did a very good job. He went to Salt Lake City to a specialist but they could not do anything for him. He suffered about a year and then passed away. It had cost us so much money for his sickness and other expenses and by the time I paid all the bills I was without funds, so I had to sell my home to have something to live on.
My son Daniel was and is doing well in the sheep business, so he bought my home partly furnished for three thousand dollars. Out of this he paid a note of six hundred dollars and some back taxes, eighty dollars, and he pays me, or should do, fifteen dollars a month, but I have enough to live on and my little home close by, and my daughter Annie Mae lives across the street, also Leo and Solon live close by. Ralph is a lawyer and lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Jabez in Oroville, California. He is Presiding Elder in that Conference. He has been on a mission to England. Leo was on a mission to Ireland, Joseph my oldest, has served a mission to Indiana, and I wish all my boys had been on missions, three out of six. Proud of that.
I am seventy-two and feeling fine. Am a Visiting Teacher of the Relief Society, and hope while I live I will be able to work and take care of myself and help my son with his family of five boys and four girls, the youngest three months old. It’s mother, Stella, gave her life for her. Died the 24th of December, 1928. It is a great loss to the family, but the two daughters are grown. Elaine is married and staying with them. Rhea is taking full care of the baby, Estella. My daughter, Nona, died quite young. She was married and had one child. Annie has been married the second time. Her first man was not good and kind to her. She has had six children. She has a good man now and is happy now.
My oldest son has worked for the railroad about 40 years. He is very good to me and he has gotten me to the temple there and do work for the dead, which I like to do. And I want to bear my testimony to my children and others that I now that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true and there is a Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ, and they hear and answer our prayers, for mine have been answered many times and this is all true that I have written and I do pray my Heavenly Father that the time may soon come that my children that have not been married in the Temple, that they and the wives may know the Gospel truths and live them and get the blessings that are promised to those that believe, for where I hope to go if I keep faithful I want all my dear children to also, for it would not be a happy Heaven without them. I pray God to bless you all, my dear little children. Your loving Mother,
Annie Lydia West Neville.
Ann Lydia West Neville
1 May 1856 to 14 July 1930
I was born May 1st, 1856 in London, England. My father was born in Old Street, St. Luke, Milese Co., England on the 12th of February , 1833 and was the son of John and Lydia Johnson West. My mother was born September 7th, 1832 in England. I was the third child of that union. There were eleven of us. Only four of us living-Caroline, Charles, myself–Ann Lydia, and William Jr.
My parents joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and as the spirit of gathering was so great to get to Zion (America,) my parents were anxious to emigrate there. But it was very hard to make a living and save enough to cross the sea and provide for the same. My parents kept an open house for the Elders. A great many stayed with them.
My father was a vellum binder of books. He make a very good living. We all had the comforts of life, but no luxuries of life so that they could not save much.
An elder was staying with them named John Brown. Elder Brown was full of faith and advised my parents to sent some of us children ahead of the family, but they thought that they could not do that. A friend of the family by the name of James King and his wife came to visit my parents and mother told them of what Elder Brown said. Then, they said let us take Anna with us as they were going that year. We love her and will take good care of her. They did not have any children of their own.
I was nearly six; my older sister was about ten years old. My parents did not give them an answer at the time, but talked it over with Elder Brown and he said, “sent by all means and I will promise you if you keep faithful you will follow the next year.”
They thought it over and decided to let me go if they would take my older sister, Caroline too. When the Kings came to get their answer they told them they would let me go if Caroline could go too. They said that they would take us both. I remember it quite well, but I wanted my family to go too. The family told us we were going to Zion and the Lord would bless us and they would soon come.
I remember father taking us on the River Thames and through the tunnel in a large boat. Also taking us to have our pictures taken, one on each side of father. He also took us to the Castle Gardens. I had never before seen green grass grow or living flowers. As soon as I got inside of the gate I looked about me a few minutes and threw myself flat on the grass and spread out my arm. I wanted to hug it and drink it all in my body, it was so grand. I shall never forget it, while my memory lasts! You see, in London there is no grass or flowers unless it were where the wealthy lives.
I can remember one place we lived it was on the second floor. There was a candy shop under us. They called candy, lolopops and sweet stuff. They sold jumbles-a dark round cracker. I loved them.
Mother allowed us to play up and down the sidewalk, roll our hoops, and play shuttle cock. One day mother let me go to school with my brother and sister. To make me hurry and keep up with them-they said that the monkey had got away from the organ man. I looked around and sure enough the monkey was nearly to me. I can tell you I ran nearly frightened to death. Although I was young I remember a lot of England. I remember when we left home for Liverpool, when we were going to board the ship for America. The name of the ship was “Tapstock.”
My mother said that if she could of called the ship back, she surely would of done it. She had not realized what it meant until that big ship sailed away out of sight and maybe never to see us again. But she remembered the promise made to them, so she went home and worked harder than ever making shirts and fancy boxes, which was her trade, to help get money to pay their passage to America.
I well remember being on board the ship Tapstock. It was so strange to see the water all around us. When the sun went down-I was wild. I said, “the sun will be drowned and will never come up again.” I jumped up and down and wrung my hands in despair. A man standing near me said, “don’t worry, IT WILL come up again.” Then we were ordered down in the hold of the ship. It was terrible down there. It smelled bad and was dark. We had eight weeks of that horrible bad food. It consisted of hard tack, oatmeal hulls, and all. No milk, no sugar-very salty beef. The only pleasure we had was when they would let us go on deck and we would look out at the sea and we would see large fishes, porpoises, and others. We liked to see the animals and chickens they had in coop around the deck.
One day they buried a little baby. They put it on a long plank, wrapped in sail cloth and tipped it into the sea. Oh, it made me feel bad.
But the one thing that pleased me most. The cabin cook heard that we could sing. (My sister had a good voice and could sing some too.) So he would hail us as we were passing and ask us to sing for him and we did. Then he would give us something good to eat, and oh my, so good, as I was nearly starved. I could not eat the coarse food.
We had eight weeks on the sea, they had two heavy storms and they would not let us up on deck, and that was hard on us.
In time we landed in New York where many or all the immigrants landed. It looked strange, all of us sitting around, no place to go, I thought. Each family sat on their boxes and all their earthly goods.
We took the train the next day, traveled about two weeks, got to St. Florence, found there the brethren, with their ox teams and covered wagons.
We started on our long journey across the plains. All went well for a few weeks. Then our troubles began. Brother King started with his mother, wife and sister. Sister King gave birth to a baby boy. It was premature. It died and the next day Sister King passed away and in a short time Brother King’s mother died. They buried them by the road. That left Brother King and his sister alone with us two girls. Brother King did the best he could for us, but his sister did nothing for us only to scold us. One morning it was very cold. I was crying with my hand and feet so cold. She would not let me go near the fire and when I could not stop crying she slapped me hard, especially my hands. My sister took me away from her and rubbed my hands and blew her warm breath on them. They soon got warm, bu my sister got slapped for it. My sister said she would never forgive her for that. I hope she will.
We met a large her of buffalo. The men had a hard time to head them off. We were afraid of a stampede.
Once a party of Indians came in camp all painted up. We thought they were on the war-path. The Captain talked with them and killed a beef for them. For this they let us alone in peace. My sister and got rather crummy on the plains and to give us a bath Brother King used to strip me and push me in and out of the rivers when we came to one. I always thought that he would let me go down stream. His sister did not do anything to keep us clean. We had to walk a great deal of the way. The only time we rode was when a freight wagon, which was the one ahead of us, would tell us we could ride with them if we would sing for them. So how we would sing all the song we knew. I thought I had to earn my ride. I was very glad that our father had taught us to sing. (We, my sister and myself, sang in a concert before we left England and were applauded.) So that helped us some. We were about ten weeks on the plains. We arrived in Salt Lake City on the first of October.
Bishop Edward Hunter, who took charge of the immigrants, came to Brother King and asked him that he could not do anything with us as he was alone in Salt Lake City and had no money. His sister was going to marry our teamster. Brother Hunter took us to his home and gave us something to eat. He would of like us to stay with them, but his wife objected as they had a large family of boys. Brother Hunter talked to President Young about us and he said he would find someone to take us. So he called Bishop William Miller to him and told him about us and Brother Miller said he would take us to his home in Provo. Brother King was willing and so were we. We went in the same wagon that took us across the plains as far as Springville, as that was the place the teamster lived. Bishop Miller sent a team and a buggy fir us to take to his home in Provo. One of his wives, Sarah, took me as her girl and the first wife took Caroline as her girl. I took sick soon after I arrived in Provo. I had mountain fever and was sick a long time, but Aunt Sarah was so good to me. I learned to love her dearly. She had done all a mother or a nurse could do for me.
When I started to get well all I could eat was dried beef, they had tried everything else. So the Bishop ordered no more dried beef to be used (as they were getting short) until I had all I wanted. The Bishop and his wives were very kind to me and could not have been better to me than as if I was their own child. He would take me on his knee and have me sing to him. But, he loved to tease me. When the Indians used to come to his home he would ask them how many ponies they would give for me. They would hold up two or three fingers, and sometime more. He would say, “Not enough,” but I was frightened. He would stand me on the table and make me say “ham and eggs.” At first I would say “‘am and heggs,” and how he would laugh. The only thing I had to do was fetch in a few chips to burn and get a rag and clean the big dog “Watch Eyes,”his eyes out of the corners. I did not like to do that, but he was m y play mate, I loved him. Aunt Sarah had a niece who used to come and play with me. Her name was Sady Spaford. She lived in Springville. We loved each other dearly. I would give much to see those two again.
To return to my parents again. They heard we arrived in America alright. They did not hear from any of us direct. Although Brother King wrote, so did my sister. So my parents worried very much and worked hard so they could emigrate the year after we left. One night nearly a year after we left, my mother dreamed she saw us and we look so thin and ragged and dirty, she woke up crying and told father her dream. He consoled her the best he could and told her the promises made by the elders, so she went to sleep again and dreamed that she saw us fat and well, our long cut hair cut off short and dressed in grey home spun dresses and looked so happy that she never worried again for us.
One day I was playing with playmates in an unfinished room in the Bishop’s house and I remembered I was dressed in Aunt Sarah’s clothes. She came to me and said, “Would you like to see your mother?, and I said, “Yes, where is she?” I looked out of the window and I saw a covered wagon out there. I knew my parents had come. I pulled off my dress of Aunty and ran out and there sure enough was my father and mother, but I hardly knew them. They were so traveled stained. I always saw them dressed so nice. I wanted to see my lovely sister, Mary Ann, but she was so sick she did not know me. She had been so sick all the way across the plains. My parents went to live in a one room adobe house. It had a fireplace. All the furniture we had was a sea chest or box for a table, one chair, one bake skillet or frying pan, and some boxes to sin on and our bedding.
Bishop Miller wanted mother to give me and my brother Jabez to him, but they could not do that, so it made him mad at them and he would not help them very much.
In about two weeks my sister Mary Ann died and no one came near to help dress or care for the body, so my parents had to do it all by themselves. The Bishop did send a man and lumber and made a rough coffin and h is carriage to take her to the grave yard. The neighbors were afraid it was some bad disease that she had, that is why they did not come near us, they said. It hurt my parents very much not to hold any funeral services. They felt as though God had forsaken them.
They wished they had not come as they had suffered so much in coming to a new world, and no one to give them any comforting word of encouragement. They felt that they had no home and no friends.
While they were sitting there alone feeling so bad, the door was opened and in walked a tall man. His hair and beard was white. He wore a dark grey suit and a white shirt. He came in and sat down on the chair they offered him. He brought with him a wonderful feeling and said he had come to comfort them. He told them he knew all that they had passed through, and told them of their life’s history. He told them to cheer up and all would be well with them. That they should have the necessities of life and then blessed them and walked backward out of the house. They felt a strange peace of mind and they went to look for him, but he had vanished. The next day father went to the Bishop to thank him for his kindness in sending that good man to comfort and bless them. He asked what he looked like and how he was dressed. Father told him. The bishop said we have no men living here by that description. He said, “Brother West, you have been visited by one of the ancient Nephites that wanted to stay on the earth until the coming of Christ. You have been greatly blessed.”
My people stayed about a year in Provo. They were doing quite well. Father helped harvest the grain, then we gathered. Father and mother would take us children into the fields to glean wheat. When father could see quite a bit of wheat laying around, he would call us like a rooster calling his hens, and we would run and get it. That made play out of it. We all had gathered twenty bushels that fall. We had a nice lot of things for the winter. A small barrel of molasses, a big pig, vegetables, plenty of flour and clothes enough to keep us warm. These were homespun, but we were happy.
Father received a letter from a friend and wife they knew in England. They lived in Provo Valley. They begged my people to go there as father could take up all the land he wanted. Father being green to the place, they did not tell him how cold it was there, and that there was no work. This was the beginning of our troubles. The people wanted my folks to live with them all in one room, as there was no other. Well, they ate all our food, or helped to. We ran out of flour so that we had to eat boiled wheat. These people both taught school, they had one child and she had fits, so mother had to take care of her. We had to stay in bed until those people went to school as there were no room for us all around the fireplace, and it was very cold. My oldest brother, Thomas, had been working up in the mountains. He got snow blind, so he had to sit up in bed with my brother Jabez and me. Mother gave us our boiled wheat to eat and tried to make us eat it all, but since my brother Thomas could not see we gave him ours. He would say, “Mother, I cannot eat it all.” Wasn’t that mean up us? That was the worst place to l I’ve in that ever was. Father could get work, but no pay, and when he was cheated out of the very thing they would laugh and call him “green.” We stayed there about 16 months and very nearly starved. Mother told father that if he did not get out of there and find a better place to live in she would go herself and he could take care of the family, that she could not live in such a place with such people that had no heart or conscience.
So father started out to Salt Lake City. Mother had to unpick a white skirt, she had to make father a shirt and save the thread to sew it with. It was hard times then. Father left after the shirt was made.
Soon after he went, the Bishop told all the people that lived out of town, including us, to come into town as the Indians were on the war path and would be there soon. But mother had a three week old baby, father was away, and nobody came to our rescue. At first we all slept in one bed, five of us. Mother put me on the outside and said, “if they see you the may leave the rest.” I felt scared, but I thought they had better take me than mother, for if mother was taken who would take care of the rest? The next day a friend of my folks came with a hay rack, told my mother to gather her things and brood and he would take us all to his place. He did not belong to the Church, but he was a man. Mother did not want to go as he was very poor. He said he did not have anything to feed us on, but he would not let the Indians get us, so we started to carry everything out we needed. It was late. He said he did not have anything to give us to eat, but we ate what we had, and then in the morning we had a lovely breakfast. He had gone out in the night and obtained ham, flour, eggs and butter. Mother was leery where he had got them all, but we were thankful for it. When the scare was over, mother moved to a two room house and she taught school until father got back. That got us something to eat.
Father brought a wagon and mules and took us all to Salt Lake City. He rented a farm on shares from J.C. Little, by the river Jordan, but did not do very well. We moved from there to the Sixth Ward in Salt Lake City. Father and mother taught school there one winter, took chips and other stuff for pay. Just enough to live on.
We stayed in the Sixth Ward about one year. I went to school that winter, learned to read and spell, got in the fourth reader but was too poor to buy slate and a pencil so could not get along in other studies. My parents were afraid the people would kick if we used their children’s books or took much time on us as they could not get enough money from the students to buy things with. I remember that Christmas. Mother told us not to hang up our stockings as they had no money to give Santa Claus and Santa could not come to poor folks. In fact there was n o Santa Claus. We all felt very bad, as the children in the school told what they were going to have him bring them, but I prayed that there was one, and hoped he would bring us something.
My folks felt very bad about it, but about eleven o’clock that Christmas Eve, there was a rap on the door and in walked a man. He had his arms loaded with sacks of things for his children. He said where are the children’s stockings? My mother told him they had nothing to put in them. He was feeling good, had a little liquor, he said fetch their stockings here, I will put something in them. He opened his bags, he put oranges and candies and nuts in the, and gave my parents a little good cheer and left. He was a good neighbor. When we got up and saw our stockings hanging up, we were delighted. I thought sure that the Lord heard my prayers and there was a Santa Claus.
The next year we moved up to the Eleventh Ward. My mother’s brother, Jabez Dangerfield, lived there and we all liked it there. My father went to work for President Brigham Young and got tithing for pay. Many a weary walk I had Saturdays to go and get things to eat on that pay, about fourteen blocks to walk and carry things home.
Later on my father went to work on the railroad in Echo Canyon. While there, my little sister, Mary died with diphtheria. It was a great sorrow for us all and Father being so far away. He felt he should come home and when he got there found she had died and as he thought she was buried, so he grabbed a shovel and was going to dig her up, as she said before she died she wanted Papa to rock her to sleep, but mother stopped him an d took him to the room where she lay. He took her up and rocked her and talked to her as though she was alive. He felt so bad. I was bout 15 years old when the railroad first came to Salt Lake City. Us young folks thought is was a great treat to walk to the depot about nineteen blocks. But my mother did not let me go often.
I remember the first street cars. They were drawn by mules. Mr. Frisby was the first conductor. About this time my cousin, C. Denny, was working in the Salt Lake Theater, helping on the stage. He asked mother to let me go and help when they need chorus girls to sing and dance in the plays. That just suited me. I was wild to go and they let me go and Charley used to call for me for rehearsals. When the play was put on they gave me two tickets for my parents. That was fine. I loved that old theater and it made me feel very bad when I heard that they had torn it down. The first play I ever saw was there. They played Cinderella or the Golden Slipper and how lovely was Priscilla Clive when she danced the wonderful dance steps. I always wanted to be an actor after that and many a time I have composed plays in my mind, but could not write tehm, as my education was limited. I had to work for others to get my clothes. Mother often scolded me for being so absent minded, but I could not tell her that I was composing a play, I was fifteen years old then.
I was chosen to sing in the ward choir about that time and have sang in ward choirs of and on ever since, and am still on the job although my voice is not so good now. Time passed on. My sister, Carrie, married a Thomas Wright, a neighbor, as second wife. She is still living.
In 1872 I met a young man by the name of Joseph Hyrum Neville. My father worked for him. He was a bricklayer and a plasterer. He worked in ornamental plaster work. He helped remodel the Salt Lake Theater, made those beautiful ornaments. We liked each other and kept company about seven months., then got married in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City in the year 1873 on May 5th. In 1876 we had a dear little baby boy born after three years. We named him Joseph William.
About nine months after we moved to Woodruff, stayed there about a year, then moved to Bountiful, Davis County, Utah, lived there about three years when our second child, Lillie Mae, was born and died there at Bountiful. We moved from there to Ogden, Utah. My husband followed the building trade and making bricks. I liked to live there. We lived there about five years and two children were born there, Annie Mae and Charles Laffett. We moved from there, back to Woodruff, Rich County. My husband went to work to Malad, Idaho. He was in partnership with a Jew. While he was away my three children took scarlet fever. My dear little Charley died and the others were not expected to live, but Bishop Willima Lee and wife were so good to me, the best friends I had. He helped me take care of Joseph and Annie Mae. They pulled through with the help of God, but Annie was left in bad shape. The disease settled in her eye and she was bothered with it most all her life. Soon another little girl came to bless our home, Nona. Then Leo Jennings; then Daniel West; Jabez Edward and Ralph, then last but not least, Solon James, which makes us 10 children.
Besides taking care of my family, the Bishop asked me to be a counselor in the Relief Society and Secretary in the Primary organization. Also teacher in Sunday School and Religion class. I have two wonderful certificates signed by President Wilford Woodruff licensing me to teach, which I am proud of. I was chose to act in the community, especially at the old folks’ parties. We had lots of socials and plays. Brother Wesley Walton was our stage manager. I used to take a good many parts in the lead. My husband also took parts. We used to have some very good times there. I enjoyed my life more in Woodruff than any place I have lived in, although we had good times and bad ones.
I enjoyed raising my family. They were good children. My son Joseph was a very kind and thoughtful to me. He helped me all he could and would go with me to singing practices and rehearsals to take care of me. He helped his father a great deal making brick and other work. When he was 14 years old he went to Salt Lake City to High School, stayed with my brother, Jabey West, and worked for his board. I did miss him so much. He never came home to live anymore. He stayed there and got married to Detta Shipp. While living in Woodruff my husband was asked to work at Aspen, Utah as blacksmith and me to cook for the men. My boys, Joseph and Leo were large enough to work. Joseph nearly died eating canned peaches.
I sure had a busy life. I was called on day and night to help with the sick. Any baby that was sick I was called to go and help. The women thought they could not have a baby unless I was there. I did not think I knew enough to do much good, but I always called on the Lord to help me do something to help the sick, and He surely did put my mind what to do. You see, we were about thirty miles from a doctor. It seems I have been a nurse since I was ten years old when my mother had babies I waited in her with father’s help and she was sick quite often. When I went out to work the ladies were sick so I had, had experience.
My husband was a busy man too. He made brick and built the Court House in Randolph and a large school and church house in Woodruff, also the big brick house that Byron Sessions lived in when he was overseer of North’s Ranch. Then he was the blacksmith for the town and I cooked for the men that he hired. My husband was called to go on a mission to the Sandwich Islands. He was called on later to go to England and was nearly ready to go, when a call was made by the President of the Church for people to emigrate to the Big Horn country, so Brother Sessions sent word for Joseph to be changed to go to the Big Horn as he would be a great help to build up a new place. He was to do the leveling of the canal, but Brother Sessions being in charge of the canal ordered my husband to learn him to do the leveling and took his level, and Joseph to do black smithing.
We got ready to go, sold a few things and left all our furniture, except one chair and bedstead, but lost the chair, and shipped the bed and tent. Started about April 20th, and what a trip we had. It snowed for about a week and the roads were very bad and we had to make bridges and roads, but we were blessed with health. I drove a team and buggy most all the way. My son Leo drove a team and wagon, so did Joseph. One night we camped near Little Wind River. We sent my boy Daniel to get a bucket of water. In a little while he come in dripping wet. He said the stream was so swift it took him and the bucket down stream, but he grabbed a willow and saved himself, but not the bucket. We were very thankful he was saved. Solon was 15 months old and I had to carry him up all the steep hills. He would not let anybody else take him. How tired I got. Ralph’s birthday was on the 21st of May. I shall never forget that day we had just crossed the Green River, it was storming. People told us that lived close by that we should not cross, but our leader called us all together and we all knelt down to pray. When we got up President Sessions said, and others that felt that it was all right to cross so we all got across safely. They unharnessed the horses. It was no sooner done than the biggest clap of thunder I have ever heard in all my life was heard and lightning was so fierce t hat the horses reared and some broke loose; and the rain came down in great sheets; and the river rose in a short time and overflowed it’s banks. It stayed up a long time. We were thankful we had crossed as it would have delayed us two or three days.
Our daughter, Anne Mae, was married just before we left Woodruff to Ed Sessions, so she was with us part of the time and helped me some. We used to be called mornings and nights to sing a hymn and pray. My husband used to call them with his cornet, the bugle call.
I have a picture taken with him calling us and usually the dogs were the first to be there, and oh they would set up and howl. My Leo had a Kodak. He took quite a few pictures. The children all rode in with me in the buggy. That is Nona, Daniel, Jabez, Ralph and Salon. Ralph had a good voice although he was so young and we would sing and that helped. We drug a cart behind the buggy loaded with a big copper boiler loaded with cooking utensils and you should have heard the racket when we went a little fast. We arrived in the Big Horn about the 29th of May. We passed some beautiful country we wished to stop in, but since we were called to the Big Horn, we did not want to stop until we got there. We were five weeks on the journey. Started on April 19th and arrived May 29th. I was disappointed when they said this was where we were going to stay.
Well, I thought it was the worst place I had ever seen. There was not a green thing to be seen and even the few cottonwood trees on the river had hardly any leaves on and the water did not taste good, but we had to make the best of it. We had been called by the authority of the Lord. We camped at the head of the canal by the Big Horn River, or as the Indians called it, “Stinking Water,” as it smelled of sulphur. We were on the bottom land, the canal was up on the bench where the land was for us to make our homes. They all worked hard on the canal and the poor horses, not much for them to eat, only grain and salt sage.
That summer they got the water on the bench and, oh, how we rejoiced to have the water running in front of our homes. We had a meeting of thanksgiving to out Heavenly Father because he helped us in many ways. We did not suffer many hardships, we came with plenty of provisions and clothes, but it seemed that we were so far away from Utah and our many friends and loved ones. We used to get the blues and we wondered whether we would ever hear or see them again.
It was not long until they planned to build a railroad and that was sure a great blessing to our people as some of the people had not provided themselves with enough food or clothes, so they worked on the railroad and got the necessities of life. Our people took contracts. One man from Burlington, Wyoming took a big contract and hired my husband to run the commissary or store so that was a blessing to us. We got our house built the same year. Our house was a four roomed house with nice large windows. It seemed to me like a palace after living n a tent so long, about 7 months. My boy, Jabez, was baptized in the Big Horn as far as I can learn. We had not been in our home long, when they put in the telegraph poles from Lovell to Byron, the name of our town, and asked us to let them put the telephone into our house and take care of all the calls and the money from them. Then we had the mail service and we had the first Post Office in our home. We put on a little room in front for it. That kept me busy as I hd most of the work of both, then I had my family, seven of them and my brother, William West, and nephew, C. Wright, to take care of, and ourselves.
The next year our Stake and Wards were organized. Byron Sessions, Stake President, Brother Fred Kohler was chosen bishop of our town Byron, and I was chosen president of the Primary Association, and chose Rachel Elice as first counselor and Cara Godfrey as second. Mattie Johnson as secretary. I held that position 14 years and was chosen chorister of the Relief Society, also teacher 25 years in the Sunday School, second grade, held that position 25 years. I was released from Primary teacher to go to Basin, Wyoming, and keep house form my husband and boys. My husband was county clerk, Jabez and Ralph were going to High School, Solon to grade school. Nona was married, and Leo was on a mission to England. I stayed in Basin, the county seat, with my family, but was called home as Solon had a bad fall from a horse and broke his pelvis bone. He was sick a long time. We all moved home then. Soon I was chosen first counselor to Millie Egan in the Young Ladies M.I.A. of the Stake. Worked there about two years. Was released and then was chosen first counselor to Patty Hatch in the Relief Society; worked there about 2 years. The president was released and I was chosen president of the Relief Society. Served there seven years.
Before that time we had found a very large gas well on our farm, at that time it was the largest flow of gas that had ever been known. You could hear it roar 20 miles away. Well, we had an elephant on our hands we did not know what to do with it, but brought a great many men with money to our town and we were offered as we thought a good price of money for it and the land so we sold it for about two thousand and was glad to get rid of it. But we found out if we had kept it a little longer we could have doubled the price, but we paid our debts, and built us a very nice house and grist mill, 10 rooms, large basement and bathroom and had it well furnished. Porch all around the east and south side and everything modern. Hot and cold water, bath and toilet, and we sure enjoyed it.
He was there four months, and was very weak and ailing. We did not think the doctors did a very good job. He went to Salt Lake City to a specialist but they could not do anything for him. He suffered about a year and then passed away. It had cost us so much money for his sickness and other expenses and by the time I paid all the bills I was without funds, so I had to sell my home to have something to live on.
My son Daniel was and is doing well in the sheep business, so he bought my home partly furnished for three thousand dollars. Out of this he paid a note of six hundred dollars and some back taxes, eighty dollars, and he pays me, or should do, fifteen dollars a month, but I have enough to live on and my little home close by, and my daughter Annie Mae lives across the street, also Leo and Solon live close by. Ralph is a lawyer and lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Jabez in Oroville, California. He is Presiding Elder in that Conference. He has been on a mission to England. Leo was on a mission to Ireland, Joseph my oldest, has served a mission to Indiana, and I wish all my boys had been on missions, three out of six. Proud of that.
I am seventy-two and feeling fine. Am a Visiting Teacher of the Relief Society, and hope while I live I will be able to work and take care of myself and help my son with his family of five boys and four girls, the youngest three months old. It’s mother, Stella, gave her life for her. Died the 24th of December, 1928. It is a great loss to the family, but the two daughters are grown. Elaine is married and staying with them. Rhea is taking full care of the baby, Estella. My daughter, Nona, died quite young. She was married and had one child. Annie has been married the second time. Her first man was not good and kind to her. She has had six children. She has a good man now and is happy now.
My oldest son has worked for the railroad about 40 years. He is very good to me and he has gotten me to the temple there and do work for the dead, which I like to do. And I want to bear my testimony to my children and others that I now that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true and there is a Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ, and they hear and answer our prayers, for mine have been answered many times and this is all true that I have written and I do pray my Heavenly Father that the time may soon come that my children that have not been married in the Temple, that they and the wives may know the Gospel truths and live them and get the blessings that are promised to those that believe, for where I hope to go if I keep faithful I want all my dear children to also, for it would not be a happy Heaven without them. I pray God to bless you all, my dear little children. Your loving Mother,
Annie Lydia West Neville.
