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Show j 5afller f oneer '10se Planted First Lucern Tells Life's Storv cfiabeth Marlow, Was ear Sd Infant When Parents Arrived In Dixie nv siaukl jarvis i Eli!abeth Jane Lang Stratton E was the daughter of ST1 and Wary Pugsley Lang, ' 1 born at Nephi. JMb tBd(r Utah. April 24th, 1854. : t011 Lily lived at Nephi from ; rle. to 1S55. then moved to Mill ' 1 v where they remained until : t the Dixie Mission ln : ony a year .old, Wn ! moved from Nephi,. she has collections of the lazily '? Tore but her years at Mill i T hold many childhood as-uions as-uions Here she was the f'L errand girl. siuce and her sister always liked to places together, and were of-S, of-S, taken for twins. Once Jane, this little girl was always 'Slled told her mother an un-Ith'for un-Ith'for which she received a spanking. It was her ,,v to go for the yeast, also to Set the oows out of the pasture d drive them -home at night. ' She didn't wish to do both .rrands and returned home tell-in. tell-in. her mother .they could -get yeast, and feels she merited punishment she received. slle was nearing eight years of age when they made the trek 10 Dixie and recalls the many Ules told of the hardships en-jjred en-jjred on this long journey. "William "Wil-liam Lang was one of the first tlree to drive into St. George Valley Val-ley that December of 18 61, and jjn, Marlow remembers watch-lug watch-lug daily as the additional wagons md outfits plodded to the Adobe yard Camp and the rejoicing when all had safely arrived. The long weeks of rain and the told of that first winter are still tnforgotten, but more poignant In her thoughts was the heat of that first summer in 18 62, and how, as many other barefooted children she ran from bush "to hush to find a tiny bit of shade to cool her feet when running on errands or playing about the yards. In those days shoes were quite impossible as long as the weather permitted going barefoot. bare-foot. And in Dixie, that was a long season. "Indians", she says, "were the terror of my life. They were campeclbelow our place. Father would go to the field real early In the morning and mother would send me with his breakfast. We had a small dog which I "always look along with me for protection. (I shall tell the rest just as Mrs. Marlow told me.) About three years after we moved down here my father made a trip to Salt Lake bringing a side-saddle home with him. This was great extravagance on the part of my father, but was a joy lor my sister and I and we had to take turns riding the pony. The first dance I remember attending at-tending was in the old Bowery near where the Lyceum now stands. They efr clothes don't fount, but my sister, Mary and I lad new dresses and shoes and e danced very set. The Bowery was lighted with, candles. President Brigham Young was here on a visit when I was a girl of fifteen. I wa3 then teacher of Sunday school class and the Sunday school was presenting a "Pecial program honoring President Presi-dent Young. I Was very proud aid happy when at the conclu-"to conclu-"to of the program the Superin-oiient Superin-oiient presented me with a pud volume of the Juvenile Instructor for my class having jilted the best program. I continued con-tinued in the Sunday school work "MU the time of my marriage to Mward Stratton, November 16, 1874. to the fact that in our ai there were no boys we Ms had many duties others es-aped. es-aped. We had to help father on e farm and he always thought ibVay could not be Properly cked unless I was on top to ramp down eyery Qrk fuU m j it into the proper place, 'he house in which I now live 88 built in 1869. My sister, and I hauled all the tolo that went into 1t- Father Taw 8 t0 COme in fr0m the ad0De rd always on tii0 lnwoi. oi Geo iS DOw the street above who E' Miles block- One day Moebn we went for a load of also CS 801116 0078 were there wulrt ?hey SaJd th6y bet they town Up and beat us t0 w tJh V hUTry to win 1 for" short warning, taking a (. t and coming in the um above- And misfortune sor ertook me-, and in my 1 h 1 hai to go and tell father J' Obeyed and the wagon 18 broken. pother and T used to walk Sanu r! wt black ridge to the 1 i v "f ra field and pick cotton I hart" en wak home at night en , ned .to cord and spin "weaft twelve yer8 old aT1 always helped with . this part of the work, to help make clothes for the .family. I can't even remember having stockings as a girl except those that I knitted myself. As times improved we had a theatre in St. George once in a while. We had lots of dances and my sisters and 1 never lacked for a partner. Father was very fond of .dancing and was always happy to escort us, and we were just as happy to go with him and dance. Edward Stratton and I went to Salt Lake City to be married in 1S74. After our return we lived in St. George for a while, moving mov-ing to the town of Virgin when our second child was a small baby. My health was poor and I didn't enjoy life at Virgin very much. It was all I could do to care for my home so I did not get out to enjoy life otherwise. ln the fall of 18S1 we moved to Mesa, .Arizona with our four small children, and were among the early pioneers there. The change of climate improved my health greatly. After the Women's Relief society so-ciety was organized there I was a block teacher and continued in this work as long as I lived in' Arizona. We lived about two miles from town but I was able to carry my baby around with rue to do my teaching and to attend at-tend Relief society and other meetings. While in Mesa we had four more children, burying two of them as babies. 1 liked Mesa very much and enjoyed my associations associ-ations there with many friends, although I did suffer many hardships hard-ships at times. In 1890 I came back to St. George for a visit and finding father in poor health decided if I could be of any comfort I would remain here with him. I had only been home six years when he passed away and mother wanted me to remain with her. There was little boarding house convenience in St. George at that time so we opened up the Lang House which continued to operate oper-ate for four years. Mother's health was also failing and finally fin-ally I bought the home from her and kept her with me till she passed away January 7, 1912, for it was always the desire of her heart to spend the closing years of her life here in the old home. I had all the responsibility of rearing' my children and was obliged to work very hard for many years, but I was contented and happy here among my friends. (Edward Stratton "continued to live in Arizona.) In 1901 I met Thomas Marlow and December 2 6, 190 4 we were married. At this time Mr. Marlow was not a member mem-ber of the Mormon Church but in time he became converted and was a faithful member to the time of his death, March 18, 192 6. My eldest son Norman and I still live in the old home. I have 2 5 grand-children, 23 great grand-children and one great-great grand-child. Recently one of my children was quite amused to hear me telling Bishop Arthur K. Hafen that I didn't know much about a car but if they would bring me a horse right now I could handle it. and I think I could." Mrs. Marlow has spent a very interesting and active life and in spite of ailments is cheerful and as straight as a young girl. Her five living children are: Mts. Mary Marshall, J. Norman Stratton, Strat-ton, Mrs. Marge Vance, and Reuben Reu-ben Stratton, and all live here in St. George, Mrs. Vance being in the home caring for her mother. Another son, County Game Warden Oliver Stratton lives at Central. She has been both mother and father to them and they repay her years of toil for them with every kindness and attention. Jane Lang Marlow's father, William Lang was remembered as having planted the first patch of lucerne in the St. George Valley, and she recalls the interest with whirh the community watched the growth of that first plot of alfalfa and what it has meant to this section of the country. What little education she received re-ceived was in the grade schools of St. George, but she has had much training in the great school of Daily Experience, especially in the Pioneering of Dixie and Arizona. She hopes to meet many friends at the Homecoming in September. Lary: ''Oh, I do like our new minister. He always is bringing home to you something you nev er saw before." Neighbor: "Yes, I know. Our laundryman is like that." |
