LIVINGSTON, Archibald George (1860)
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Archibald George Livingston & Hannah Amanda Adler
by Hazel Jeffs Strong and Enid Jeffs Cox (Granddaughters) Compiled in 1979
Agnes Maria, born August 21, 1879, Fountain Green
Archibald Robert, born April 7, 1881, Fountain Green
Pearl, born 1883 and died as a baby
LeRoy, born January 29, 1885, Fountain Green
Clarence, born March 19, 1887, Spring City, Utah
Elinore, born September 9, 1889, Spring City, Utah
When the baby Elinore was one month old, her mother, Temperance Lucinda Gillespie Livingston died on October 9, 1889. The oldest, Agnes, was only 10 years old at this time. This was not an easy time for any of them. The baby was taken by a cousin, Agnes Crawforth in Spring City. The rest of the children were taken by their grandmother (Agnes Widdison Livingston) in Salt Lake City, who cared for them until their father remarried and moved to Castle Dale, Emery County, Utah.
A little over two years after the death of his first wife, Archibald married Hannah Amanda Adler on December 7, 1891. Hannah was born January 28, 1870 in Spring City, Utah, to Neils Bengt Adler and Elsa Hakanson. She was blessed February 21, 1870 by Louritz Larsen and she was baptized January 1878 by John F. Allred.
Archibald was 31 years old when Hannah was 21 when they were married. Money was very hard to come by in those days. The older kids were expected to work and help out as much as they could.
We don’t know the exact times and dates, but we know that at one time Archibald had a saw mill in the mountains between Castle Dale and Spring City. Hannah went to cook for the men. We also know that they ran a boarding house in Schofield, Utah. Hannah’s sister Emma Lund and daughter Ada went up and helped take care of the children, the cooking and other duties at the boarding house. The men worked at Schofield Reservoir. At one time Archibald was foreman over the building of the canal from Helper to Price and Hannah cooked for the men.
The children of this marriage are as follows:
Ethel, born November 14, 1893, Castle Dale, Utah
Hazel, born October 2, 1895, Castle Dale, Utah
Arnold George, born November 11, 1897, Castle Dale, Utah
Leander, born June 30, 1900, Castle Dale, Utah
Archibald and Hannah bought their home in Castle Dale in 1900. It was a five room brick home south of the rodeo grounds (or “park” as it was called).
The park was used for the County Fair, which was a gala occasion indeed. There was a grandstand in the northwest corner with the Exhibit House just behind the grandstand where all the products, handiwork and canned goods were exhibited. This building was a long, barn-like structure. It had long tables for the many luscious vegetables, fruits and canned goods. The beautiful quilts, crochet work and other handicrafts were displayed around the sides of the building in booths or sections.
Ma entered many of her articles of handiwork, flowers, vegetables and canned goods. She won many awards for these things. Pa was town marshal for many years – in the early ‘20s. He would guard the Exhibit House at night during Fair time to keep it from being robbed or vandalized. The large porch across the front of their house provided a ringside seat for all the family and special friends to watch the rodeo events – bronc riding, bull riding, and horse racing. It also waved having to pay a ticket and was much more comfortable than the seats on the grandstand.
She served on the Relief Society sewing committee – they sewed burial garments for the dead – she was also a Relief Society visiting teacher for many years. She loved good music and enjoyed dancing every chance she had.
They had none of the modern conveniences in those days. There were coal stoves in the kitchen, living room and the two rooms upstairs. The stairway to the upstairs was outside. They also had an outside cooler. This was placed outside someplace where it was in the shade. It was made of a board frame which was covered with burlap or other similar material. Then a pan would be placed on top filled with water which would drip down on the burlap and keep it wet and cool. This is where they usually kept the milk, butter, cream, etc., so it wouldn’t spoil. They also had a pantry with a cupboard made with tin on the sides and doors which had many small air holes to keep things well ventilated and cool.
Ma made her own butter in a wooden churn (it was about as tall as I was). It was large on the bottom, gradually getting smaller toward the top. The lid had a hole in it which was slipped over the handle (like a broom handle) with a cross piece on the bottom. This was worked in an up and down action until the cream turned to butter. And how delicious was that fresh-churned buttermilk! Then the butter was molded into pounds with a wooden mold and paddle. The butter that wasn’t used was taken to the store and exchanged for other merchandise or sold to individuals.
She made soap in a huge black kettle. They would build a fire outside to make the soap in the kettle. They heated flat irons on the stove to iron clothes and took them to bed to keep their feet warm in the winter.
Many are the fond memories that each and every one of her children and grandchildren shared and cherished for her kindness and understanding – but on rare occasions, and, if necessary, she could be very stern and strict.
The family get-togethers at Ma’s and Pa’s were somewhat of a tradition and always enjoyed and remembered by all of the family, young and old. All the family would gather for Thanksgiving. What memorable times those were! They always had chicken or turkey stuffed with yummy dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, usually candied carrots, all kinds of pickles, relishes, jams, rolls and pies – pumpkin, mincemeat, apple and lemon, carrot pudding and fruit cake and cookies. Everyone would furnish something – but Ma would spend hours and hours cooking and baking for days before the big event. There would always be two or three tables (one table at a time). The kids were always the last to eat. It was fun being with all the relatives reminiscing and playing games. If it was nice weather the younger ones would always play outside – ball, “no bears out tonight”, hide and seek and “mother may I”.
They had a shaggy, long-haired dog. He was grey and the hair hung down in his eyes – I wondered how he could see where he was going. He was an excellent watch dog and when Ma would turn the cows out they would graze over in the “park”. At night when it was time to milk, all she did to get the cows back was to call the dog and tell him to “go get the cows”. He would round them all up together and then head them for the corral.
It was a most exciting time in the fall when Pa and his boys would ride up on the mountain and round up the cattle. They would bring them down to Pa’s corral which was one of the largest corrals around. They could “cut” them out, or separate the different ones which belonged to other individuals. Sometimes it was a very grueling task to locate all the cattle with the new calves and drive them down the canyon. It was quite an adventure for everyone who assisted.
Pa owned a farm out northeast of town between the forks of the road that went over the “bench” and the point of the hill that came into town. He raised a great crop of alfalfa, oats, wheat and corn. They put the hay in stacks with a derrick, pulled by a horse. There was hay fork which picked up the hay from the wagon, and as the horse was driven, the fork would take the hay from the wagon and as it was brought over the stack, someone would jerk a rope, swinging the hay down on the stack. It was considered a great privilege to be given the job of guiding the derrick horse. The hay was hauled on a wide, flat-bedded wagon with a rack, called a “hay-rack” pulled by a team of horses. The oats and wheat were threshed and used for feed for the stock and the wheat was taken to the mill and ground into flour.
Threshing time was quite exciting but involved a lot of hard work for everyone concerned. The threshing crew – which generally included from eight to twelve men – would take the threshing machine around to the individuals home or farm. These individuals were required to prepare meals for as long as it took to get the grain threshed. At any rate, cooking for them was quite a project.
The new straw was piled in stacks and the grain was either put in bins, loose or in sacks. The wheat was taken to the mill and ground into flour. There was some kept to feed the chickens. Then the oats and corn were fed to the stock – cattle, pigs and horses.
Ma was an excellent cook. Her food was “fit for a King”. Especially her chicken with homemade Danish dumplings. Also her pies and cookies were delicious – not to mention that luscious “red mush” made with tapioca and currant juice.
Pa was a stalwart, handsome, distinguished person that automatically demanded respect and admiration from anyone who knew him. He was a good carpenter and kept everything around the home in good repair. He made a cupboard and table for Hazel which was her pride and joy – this was when she was about five years old, 1920. The cupboard had two shelves in the top and glass doors. There were two shelves in the bottom part with wooden doors. The cupboard is still intact (although a little careworn) 59 years later.
Pa ruled with a firm but gentle hand. His word was law! He liked to read and owned quite a library or books: all of Zane Grey’s books and Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan books. He loved music and played the phonograph whenever he could. His favorite tune was “Whispering Hope”. Their phonograph was quite a proud possession.
Pa died with cancer March 11, 1927 – just seven months after his son Arnold was killed in the Mohrland mine August 5, 1926. Pa was 67 years old when he died. He was serving on the ward and state Genealogical Committee at the time of his death. Following is a copy of the resolution, and also a letter which tells of their plans for the summer which were interrupted by death.
Pa’s death was a difficult pill for Ma to swallow. But she had learned to face life’s problems and tragedies. Her strength and faith kept her going and she carried on the same as always. They had lost their daughter, Hazel, who died at age 20, January 12, 1915, then a son, Arnold, was killed in the mine tragedy.
Every summer she looked forward to a nice visit from her children. Clarence’s family and Leander’s family came to visit from California every summer. LeRoy’s family came from Price and Arnold’s widow and family came down from northern Utah. Agnes’ family lived right in Castle Dale. Ma loved for them all to come.
Ma was active and did a good job of keeping care of herself until she fell out of bed and broke her shoulder. From then on she gradually went downhill. She became quite a care to her daughter, Ethel, who cared for Ma for nine years.
Ma maintained her sense of humor right to the end. She was 90 years old when she died on February 13, 1960. Sandra Strong, a granddaughter, and Ethel, her daughter, prepared Ma’s body for the mortician. Sandra was 16 years old at the time. The “old home” has since fallen down, and what didn’t fall down, burned down. The property was purchased by Jack Magnuson. All of Ma’s and Pa’s children and grandchildren will forever remember and cherish the many happy hours spent in their home and will love them always.
The Resolution and letter referred to in this history can be viewed online at the family’s website, http://livingstonfamily.org/