Wednesday, March 31, 2010


Sent in by Carol Corcoran
Posted by Picasa

Hamilton School approx 1940 Teacher: Lizetta Seely

Kathy: My attempt to ID the 1940 Hamilton faulty: Front row males only from left to right. Carroll Madsen, Max Blain, Verl Johanson. Marsden Allred, Merlin Christensen. March 1941 Carroll went into service with the Mt Pleasant National Guard. Marsden confused me with that little mustache. He was the long time trumpet player in the town dance band and I didn't think you could play trumpet with a mustache. Merlin was an early bike rider to work and in this photo he has added enough weight to indicate he has quite riding. lee

And to the left of Verl E. Johansen is Marsden Allred.  Thanks Lee and friends for your help!
Tonga Seely Titcomb brought several pictures to Mt. Pleasant's Pioneer Day to share with Everyone.  Thank You Tonga!

Banquet Committee for Pioneer Day - approx 1957


Sunday, March 28, 2010

Mt. Pleasant Pioneer Day - 2010

COMING SOON !!!

Pictures taken on Pioneer Day, Saturday, March 27th. 
I need to download them and edit them a bit.

Old-time Yeast Recipe from Alice Hafen Collection

Cook a medium-sized potato in 1 quart of water.
Mash fine and add enough water to make 3 pints. 
Put into a quart jar.
Dissolve 2 packages of any quick yeast in 1/2 cup of lukewarm water.
Add to the jar with 2 tsp sugar and 1/4 tsp salt.
Soon it will start to work and foam.

Use two cups of this starter and follow your favorite recipe, deducting 2 cups of water from the recipe for the water used in the starter.

The remaining starter in the jar should be covered and put in a cool place or refrigerated to be used the next time.

Next baking, add warm potato water, sugar and salt and proceed as before. Always keep the jar in a pan of good warm water while it is working.
A half package of yeast may be added every month or so, but it may be used for many months without.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Unknown Group - Unknown Occasion

Alice Hafen Photo Collection
Please help us identify the unknowns!

Cherron and Veloris Peterson Seely


Alice Hafen's Photo Collection

Peter took a copy of this picture to Veloris and she filled in a few details.  The car belonged to LaMar Jensen who was dating Barbara Peel at the time.  This was a sort of double date for the two couples.
While Cherron and Veloris did go on to get married.  LaMar and Barbara became engaged.  However, Barbara broke the engagement and married Clair Tuttle instead. 

Thursday, March 25, 2010

RELIC HOME - - - OPEN FOR PIONEER DAY - - -

The above picture is an example of the many Hamilton Elementary School Photos available at the Mt. Pleasant Relic Home

The Mt. Pleasant Pioneer Relic Home and Blacksmith Shop will welcome visitors on March 27th as part of the Annual Mt. Pleasant Pioneer and Homecoming Day.


This past year volunteers at the Relic Home have been painting, organizing, collecting and researching as well as hosting. The Mt. Pleasant Relic Home has become one of the best family research facilities in our area. Resources such as original pedigree charts, school photos, Mt. Pleasant Pyramids, cemetery records and personal histories are available there.

Tudy Barentsen Standlee has organized the photos, histories and other resources in such a way that anyone can locate their family records in minutes. A copy machine is located on site for those wishing to copy these records.

Donna Brunger has such a great knowledge of the Relic Home itself as she is a direct descendant of William S. Seely the original owner. Donna is also compiling an album of obituaries for reference purposes. Becky Anderson, a volunteer hostess on Saturdays has such a great appreciation not only of the pioneers but also their crafts. Kathy Hafen has put together a web page (mtpleasantpioneer.blogspot.com) featuring photos, histories and events.

Peter Hafen operates the Peter Madsen Peel Blacksmith Shop. He has taken classes at the Snow College Traditional Building Skills Institute and has found a new hobby and become a master at the craft of blacksmithing. Roxey Washburn schedules the volunteers and conducts tours by appointment; often on a very short notice. Maren Peel and Martha Brotherson help as hostesses during the summer months.

The Relic Home and Blacksmith Shop volunteers encourage and welcome groups such as family reunion, class reunion, scouts, D.U.P. and S.U.P. as well as school groups. Our Relic Home is currently open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday between 1: and 3:00 p.m. or by appointment. We are located at 150 South State Street. Visits are free to the public and donations are very much appreciated.

Postcards From The Past

From Alice Hafen's Collection

Hamilton "classy" Postcard


Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Female Relief Society September 1874

Meeting held at Social Hall September 7th 1874.  Opened by singing and prayer by Sister Peel.  Minutes of a former meeting were read and accepted; Sister Morrison made edifying remarks concerning the "New Order"; said if we keep cheerful and happy, keep the good spirit, look at the bright side of the question, do the best we can, it will be all right; let us treat everybody kindly.  Sister Peel made some remarks in Danish, and also explained what had been said by Sister Morrison.  Two days meetings will be held next month, Saturday and Sunday.  Sister Morrison thought it would be nifce to have this meeting house clean and some sweet flowers nicely arranged.  It would be cheerful and encouraging.  Sister Simpson bore her testimony and felt glad she was where she was.  Good Instructions were given in the Danish language by Sisters Franson, Jensen, Bourg, Carlson and Johnson.  Sister C. Jensen bore her testimony and said she endorsed all that had been said and exhorted us to put into practice what our Presidentess had taught us.  Sister Bramstead felt glad that she was permitted to visit the Sisters; all felt well and said, "May God Bless Brother Olser in his endeavours to teach the young to sing.  Sister Peterson related a dream which was interesting.  It was moved and carried that Matilda Wilcox and Christina M. Madsen were admitted as members in the Female Relief Society.  Sister Osler spoke in behalf of the Young Sisters, that they should learn to do nice articles of their own manufacture.  The meeting closed by singing and prayer by Sister Peterson.
M.F. Morrison, Pres
E. Wallis, Secretary

Female Relief Society August 10, 1874

Meeting Held in Social Hall August 10th, 1874.  Opened with singing and prayer.  Owing to our Secretary not being able to attend, our buisiness report was not read, and was laid over to another meeting.
There was a very full attendance and many of the Sisters enjoyed a good and humble spirit, bearing in faithful testimony to the work of God in these last days and desirous in every undertaking to do what they could to further the interests of Zion.  Some excellent council and instruction was given by Sister Madsen, Peel, and Simpson.  Meeting closed with singing and prayer by Sister Madsen.
MF Morrison, President
......., Sectry

Monday, March 22, 2010

Red Skelton on YOU TUBE

http://media.causes.com/604250?p_id=42563578

We've been running the audio version of this Red Skelton address for several months.  Carol Corcoran sent the above link for the full audio - video link.  Worth Watching Everyone!   You probably should first pause the audio from Playlist on the bottom of the page. Thank You Carol!

Mt. Pleasant High School, Junior High Grades 7 - 8, 1929

Many Thanks to Boyd Brewer for sending in this one.  No names were given.

Two Pioneer Candy Recipes

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Who Do You Think You Are? - - - A New T.V. Series Worth Watching
























Love this show - hate the many commercials.  But love to watch stars finding their roots on T.V. Watch Matthew Broderick next Friday night.


Tune in next week to see actor Matthew Broderick discover new heroes in his family tree. Fridays, 7:00  p.m. (MDST) on K.S.L.

Richard R. Hampshire Obit 1958

Anna Braby Funeral Service ---1958

 
(we could not find the continuation)
1958

Friday, March 19, 2010

Shop class

On the back of this photo it says "shop class".  The girl directly above the horse looks to be Margaret Peel (Childs)

Lee adds: Kathy: Vern Gunderson the shop teacher appears at the very back of the horse>? I don't think in my school days a girl ever took "shop" or a boy "home ec". . My sheep herder potatoes could have used some professional advise. lee

Lee's Memory of A.E. Jones


Like all of my activities then and now I started clarinet playing with great enthusiasm.  Reached quickly a very modest plateau which I maintained through eighth grade and then dropped off freshman year high school.  I was never better than last chair clarinet section and in 6th had 4th graders ahead of me.

I played away from the band in public twice.  First in a 5th grade class program I played a solo, "There's an Old Spinning Wheel." There was no encore. Second, Wayne and I played  a duet before his mother's social club.  Why me?  When it could have been Phil Squires.  Even Wayne is wondering that today.  I was so bad at keeping time that Wayne put his foot on mine to tap the beat.  Again, there was no encore.  But as I remember, we finished together.

By eighth grade, Junior High I was an accomplished faker.  Or maybe Paul Webb, the band leader, didn't care.  I wasn't ruining the performance for the rest of the band.  Then, even today as I write this I'm starting to squirm in my chair.  A.E. Jones, the district Superintenant , a former music teacher visited the band practice.  He immediately notice the lack of so much as a twang from the faker in the clarinet section.  The rest of the band hour was devoted to the musical education of Lee Christensen.  Paul Webb's contract was not renewed and the rumor around town was that the faker in the clarinet section was responsible.  A.E.'s son, Kenneth was one of the 4th graders ahead of me in the section.

I was never much of a performer.  As a sophomore seven of us danced as Snow White's dwarfs in  Margaret Nielson's dance revue.  We were so out of step, everyone thought it burlesque.  Newel, Billy Beck and Lyn Poulsen were three of the hoffers.  Because I wore glasses, I was Dumbo of the group. 

And then in an all male senior year, one act play, performed but once at assembly I forgot my lines.  Because I couldn't hear the prompter, I pulled the script from my pocket; looked up the forgotten line and read it.  Haberbosch still remembered forty years later when he saw me at our 40th (Class Reunion at Wasatch).  Told me he gave up directing after that.

Years earlier after one of my on-stage performances, A.E. Jones corrected my presentation.  This was at an Armistice Day Assembly, probably  eighth grade, where L.R. Christensen Jr. dressed as a WW1 soldier was telling the audience how the war started.  I kept confusing Serbia with Siberia.  After my presentation A.E. took me aside and explained the difference.  I doubt that I wrote the script so we must have had a confused teacher.  A.E. probably wondered why with about eighty teachers in the District he had to be the one to straighten out the Christensen kid.

I don't know what happened to A.E. and his family after they left Mt. Pleasant.  He was at one time president of Carbon Junior College.  He died in San Luis Obispo, California so may have been affiliated with Cal-Poly the university there.  He was an outstanding educator, but good as he was he couldn't make a clarinet player out of me.  L.R.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

DORTHEA MARIE NIELSEN or CHRISTENSEN

Many thanks goes to Beverly McIntosh Brown for sending in the histories of Annie Christine and Dorthea Marie Nielsen (Christensen). These were the two wives of Peter Mogensen (Monsen). Peter was Pioneer of the Month in January 2010. We will link all these histories together for research purposes.

History of Dorthea Marie Nielsen or Christensen

Wife of Peter Mogensen (Monsen) Pioneer of the Month - - -January 2010.  You can find his history by following this link:

Sent in by Beverly McIntosh Brown





By Pauline Monsen Rasmussen

Retyped by Belva Jones McIntosh July 2000

Most parenthetical comments and highlighting done by Beverly McIntosh Brown


This is a short history of my Grandmother, Dorthea Marie Nielsen or Christensen. We find her recorded mostly as Nielsen, but also as Christensen. (The reason for the confusion is due to the Danish habit of naming their children after their father’s first name. Dorthea’s father was named Christian so she was named Christiansdotter or the preferred Christiansson. But when she came to America and listed her father as Christian Nielsen, her last name was listed as Nielsen.) She was born in Svenstrup, Denmark on the 11th of September 1835. Her parents were Christian Nielsen and Anne Andersen.



This history will brief and will possibly leave out many of the important things of her life as we have waited too long to make this record. Those whom we could consult have passed on and I am writing from memory, assisted by my sister Dorcas, of personal experiences and impressions of and with our Grandmother. Dates given are authentic and according to record and research.



Her parents were goodly parents belonging to the Lutheran Church and Grandmother was brought up and trained in this faith. They were well to do and she was an only child Research done by some cousins since the writing of this history indicates she had a brother that died as a child. She must have been trained in the education available at that time as she was an excellent reader and she made good use of her ability, reading all the material available at this early time in the history of Mount Pleasant, Utah.



When the missionaries visited her land and presented the Gospel to her, she knew it to be the truth and was baptized March 9, 1853, the same day as was Peter Mogensen (whose son’s later changed the name to Monsen), the man she married the next year on January 8, 1854. Her parents did not join the church although her mother immigrated to America sometime later and lived and died at the home of Grandmother. These fine parents offered their daughter all of their wealth if she would but stay in Denmark. But her testimony of the gospel was adamant and strong and she bade them goodbye.



She began the trek to America on November 29, 1855 sailing to Keil, Germany, then to Gluckstadt, Germany where they boarded a vessel for England. They landed at Grimsby, England, then on to Liverpool by train, arriving there on December 5, 1855. On December 6th, 1855 they boarded the sailing vessel The John J. Boyd, 508 persons in all and 437 of Scandinavian descent. Statistics are from book Mount Pleasant. Their trip across the ocean was very lengthy lasting 11 weeks and 3 days and they suffered a great many discomforts and hardships. But greatest of all was the sorrow of the death of their first born baby boy, Christian, who had contracted measles and had to be buried in the ocean.



After their lengthy voyage they arrived in New York, then on to St. Louis where they stayed for some time earning money to continue on the journey. On June 26, 1856 under the Captainship of Canute Peterson, later of Ephraim, and who was the captain of the immigrants on the ship, they started the journey across the plains to Salt Lake City, arriving there September 20, 1856.



I am sure that my Grandmother has told us of their experiences across the plains but memory fails us as to details. Suffice it to say that the book, “Mount Pleasant” tells of the general happenings to this company as they crossed the plains and three months of this kind of travel would be hard, trying and tiring. But they held steadfast and located in Mount Pleasant to be classed among the original Pioneers.



Grandma had left a good home in Denmark and I am sure that memories of her beloved Denmark occupied much of her thoughts but she had the Gospel and her testimony, which remained adamant and strong to her dying day.



Grandma was kindly, comely, understanding, frugal, careful and a good manager. She was slow to anger but if anger was once aroused, it was well to step out of her way.



She lived at first with her husband in the fort and as they moved out and lots were drawn, her home was in the southwest corner of the town. If memory serves me correctly, the first home was a dugout but rapidly an adobe house was built which she occupied most of her life. Some years before her death she was privileged to have a new white brick house built upon the same site as the old one.

She was a lover of all beautiful things and adorned her home with the things available at that time which made for beauty and good taste. How well I remember her brass kettles, shined to the stage of a mirror. What a prize they would be to us at the present time. She especially loved fine china and to have a hot drink from a delicate thin china cup. Aristocratic in her nature, her home bespoke her selection and appreciation of lovely things. Outstanding were her curtains, lacy and elegant in the parlor and in her kitchen the attractiveness of their crispness and design always caught the eye.



She was an excellent cook. Her dumpling soup would always have taken a blue ribbon and her buns were always special. She loved to share, as her grandchildren who remember her will never forget the buns, raisins, or sugar lumps always a treat they received at Grandmother’s. This was also true with adults; she loved to share a snack with an afternoon caller.



Many hardships came into her life but she met them all with a fortitude that only added to her fine, enduring character. Grandma lived in polygamy and was the first wife. Grandpa married a second wife not too long after settling in Mount Pleasant. The two families got along as one, each wife having a home on the same block.



Grandma was the mother of eight children, but experienced the call of death with four of them. Christian, her first born, and then a four-year-old boy by the name of Peter. Grandma was alone when the second call came as Grandpa had been called to go to Circleville in Southern Utah to do some farming and it was at this time the boy was taken home. Two married daughters were also taken. The first one was Sena who was married to Peter Omar Peterson. She died from childbed fever at the birth of her second child. Grandma took the baby and raised her as her own child – Sena was her name. The other child, Mina, lived with the father and his mother but died in early childhood.



Grandma was called to part with the fourth child when Dorthea or Aunt Thea as we called her, died when her third child was born. The baby died also. The father, George Christensen raised his children with the help of a stepmother. These deaths of her beautiful daughters were a hard blow to beloved Grandma, but she met these as she met all the trials, with the fortitude that was part of her nature.



Grandpa’s second wife, Annie, had a large family but when her thirteenth child Esther was born, the grim reaper entered again and a family of children was left without a mother. Grandmother again true to the fine nature that she was, took the family to her home and heart and was indeed a mother to them. There was love and respect from the children to her and they have given her esteem and reverence. Aunt Esther has told us repeatedly of her love for Grandmother and also how fair and sweet she was to them. Aunt Esther called her “Mama” and she said, “I could not love my own mother more than I do Mama.” Aunt Olevia has also sung her praises and just before my father died he had a letter from his sister Christie, another of Annie’s girls. It was full of love and praise for Grandmother and said what a noble woman she was.



Most of her stepchildren called her “Tante” which in Danish means aunt, but Aunt Esther who is in her late seventies still calls her “Mama” with all the love of her heart.



So she raised three groups of children – her own, her granddaughter and her stepchildren, giving to all love, understanding, fairness and the leadership and guidance of a precious mother.



Grandma never enjoyed very good health, suffering with a kidney ailment most of her life, but in spite of this, her life was full, rewarding and beautiful. The last few months of her life she was bedfast, but was tenderly nursed and cared for by Aunt Sophia Poulsen Johansen, her step-daughter and my father’s half sister.



She died November 10, 1912 and is buried in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery. May I copy part of a poem written by C. N. Lund in 1939 and appears in the back of the book “Mount Pleasant”:



We pay our tributes to our pioneers

Who came and conquered through the stirring years,

Who came like pilgrims from their lands afar

And followed bravely hope’s shining star.

Transformed to fields and gardens by their toil

And wilderness of sage and unbaked soil;

And by their contact with the acrid clod,

Brought man a little closer to his God.

She was one of these, my Grandmother, Dorthea Marie Nielsen or Christensen Monsen.



Monday, March 15, 2010

Mayor Joseph Page - - - Mayor of the Month - March 2010


Joseph Page, son of Daniel Page and Mary Socwell was born February 6, 1830 near Newport, New Jersey. He came to Utah in 1852.

He married Elizabeth Mills on August 8th, 1863 in Mt. Pleasant, Utah. She was the daughter of Thomas Mills and Alice Allen of Radcliffe, Lancashire, England. She was born March 16, 1844 and died January 14, 1869. Their children were:


Joseph Thomas, born June 3, 1864,

Mary Elizabeth born September 12, 1866 -- she married S. H. Freston;

Jonathan Socwell, born January 9, 1869.

Their family home was in Mt. Pleasant.


Joseph also married Alice Mills May 3, 1869, Salt Lake City. She too was a daughter of Thomas Mills and Alice Allen of Lancashire, England. She was born January 2, 1847. Their children were:

Joseph Ulysses, born June 23, 1870

Edward C. born January 29, 1872

William T. born May 11, 1874

Jeremiah I. born February 21 1876


His third wife was Ida Jensen mother of:

Alice Addie, born April 3, 1878 --- who married Daniel W. Hancock.

Ruth, born May 6, 1880 and died as an infant

Lorana, born November 18, 1881 --- She married Joseph Willard Anderson

Samuel R. born February 12, 1884 --- He married Lydia Jane McClemands .

Renzie, born February 6, 1886 and died at the age of 8

Eulalia May, born April 23 1888 and married Niels S. Nielsen

This family resided at Mt. Pleasant, Orangeville and Roosevelt, Utah

Joseph Page was an High Priest of the Latter Day Saints.  He was the  second Mayor of Mt. Pleasant and served for 10 years. He was postmaster at Mt. Pleasant for 12 years. He assisted in bringing immigrants to Utah in 1862. He was a member of the Nauvoo Legion, as well as an Indian War Veteran. He was also one of Mt. Pleasant’s first school teachers. He was a farmer and stock raiser and apiarist. He died January 29, 1911 in Roosevelt, Utah.




Sunday, March 14, 2010

Fun Reminder of J. C. Penney (Foremost Jeans) Past !!!


Here is a picture that I hope you can use. Mt Pleasant school class of 1929. my father John Austin Brewer is on the top row second from the right going left. When my father passed away I found these levi's that he never used. in the picture it has the original price tag of 1.62 marked down to 1.59 I don’t know what year he purchased them, I just find it interesting that they were so costly in those day's. you have a great web site, I found it the other day and have spent some time on it since. Keep up the good work.



Thanks Boyd Brewer










$1500.00 Red Cross Ram - PostCard

Friday, March 12, 2010

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Weech Drug

Found amongst Alice's Memorabilia.  Weech Drug was located on the north side of Main Street in two locations at different times.  The red stamp is a 2 cent stamp, however no date on the cancellation. 

Monday, March 8, 2010

Horseriding With Friends

                 Marjorie Ericksen/Chesley Madsen and Louise Hutchinson