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Show February, 1946 THE CENTERVILLE NEWSETTE Page Three by the late Mabel S. Ilantlall during: her last illness. (Ed. Note: This is a continuation of the story that started in the October issue.) A young mens club was organized in 1872 with Samuel Parrish, Jr., Hyrum Parrish, Orin Randall, Melvin Randall, John E. Woolley, Lorin Woolley, James Baird and B. H. Roberts as members. This club was later merged into the Y M M I A. The Y W M I A was organized in the spring of 1876 with Caroline Dalrymple as president. A Primary association was organized in the spring of 1880 with Rebecca C. Porter as president and Caroline Dalrymple and Frankie B. Randall as counselors. The first store in Centerville was a log building erected just south of B. H. Roberts home on the property now owned by Frank Worsley. John Holland was the first storekeeper. Later William Reeves had a small store in what is now the Frank Grant home. For many years Thomas and Margaret Brandon ran a small store in a small frame building attached to the east side of their home. March 20, p store was built 1869 a on the site of the present store owned and operated by a number of leading citizens who were connected with the Z C M I in Salt Lake City where they got their goods. Wm. A Smith was the president of the first co-organization with N. T. Porter, Sr., first vice president and John Ford Sr., second vice president and Wm. Reeves, secretary and treasurer, with Philo Dibble, John W. Woolley and Joel Parrish, Sr., as directors. These men organized and operated the first p store in Centerville. John Adams was the clerk for 26 years. A number of years later this store was bought by Joel Parrish, Sr. In the early sixtys a Well-Farg- o livery stable was built by William Reeves on the corner where Waltons apartments now stand. It had a large door at each end, where wagons and stakes could be driven in, horses changed, light refreshments bought at a small store in the southeast corner of the building. Here two of Centervilles fair daughters, May Brandon and Julia Conley, came with trays of fresh doughnuts to tempt the appetites of the weary travelers. Then a crack of the whip, a co-o- P co-o- years. Thomas Whitaker organized the first band in Centerville, which consisted of a number of fifes and a snare drum and was called the Marshall band. Later a brass band was organized with Lorenzo Schofield as leader and still later he organized a fife and drum band with a group of boys. All of the early settlements celebrated JOHN J. SMITH cheery goodby, and they drove on their way again. Some years later William Reeves called in the assistance of Thos. Whitaker and the livery barn was remodeled and made into the Elkhorn hall. In the north end of the hall a stage was fitted up with scenery and curtains painted by Brother Whitaker and here the early dramas were played. Some of the actors taking part were Thos. J. Brandin, John Coles, Sr., Richard Mills, B. H. Roberts. Aaron B. Porter, Alice Chase, May Brandon, Emily Whitaker, Birdie Adams, N. T. Porter and many others. Here Frankie B. Phelps Randall gave music lessons on the little ward organ and here in the stage of the Elkhorn hall she gave concerts and operettas with the Primary children, which will be remembered as long as any cf those children, now grown to maturity, shall live. The main part of the hall was built with a hard wood dance floor and here dances were held for many years, and many good times were had. The first Postoffice was established in 1854 with Aaron B. Cherry as postmaster. He was Christmas, Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July, as well as Pioneer day, July 24. Committees were generally appointed to arrange for the events and when the holidays came there was a parade, followed by horse races, foot races, and various games and later a picnic at the grove or bowery. A program was generally given and the Declaration of InThe first dependence read. Christmas spent by the early settlers was a day of thanksgiving. Food was scarce and there were no Christmas presents as we have today, but there were larger thoughts of good will and mutual helpfulness. However, in the pioneer homes Christmas day was always fittingly celebrated, but in those early days the children were taught to appreciate any little gift. There was no store full of toys, as we have today. The gift was always an expression of the love of the giver and consisted of some home made toy for the little children or articles of home-mad- e clothing for the older ones. Governor Brigham Young proclaimed the first Thanksgiving to the people of Utah in December, 1851, proclaiming January first a day of praise and thanksgiving. However, the pioneers observed their first Thanksgiving day celebration in Salt Lake City in Octob- tugs-of-wa- r, succeeded by William Reeves, and William Reeves by Thomas Brandon. Frederick Walton followed Brandon. William Reeves was the first choir leader in the Centerville ward, and he was succeeded by Lorenzo Schofield, who led the choir for many years. Many will remember the beautiful Glees gotten up and arranged by Brother Schofield. Frankie Bennet Randall was the first organist in Centerville and gave concerts to raise the money with which to purchase the first ward organ. Later she was succeeded by Emily H. Deuel, who labored in the music department of the ward with Lorenzo Schofield for many FRANKIE P. RANDALL day of August, last, we met to the number of several hundreds under a large awning to celebrate our first harvest in the Great Basin. We had a feast which consisted of all varieties of food, all produced in the val- ley. We had prayer and Thanksgiving music and dancing and firing of cannon. For many years after the settling of Centerville, magazines and books were very scarce. Joanna Brown (affectionately called Grandma Brown) one of Centervilles first midwives, took the New York Ledger, and it became a custom for Elizabeth Whitaker, Amelia Cherry Smith, Mary Ricks Smith and Grandma Browns daughters, Susanna Seamon, Rhoda Josephine, Joanna and Amanda Brown to meet at the home of Grandma Brown to hear it read aloud. Each one brought sewing or mending and they took turns reading aloud articles from the magazines. These women became so closely drawn together that they formed a beautiful life-lon- g friendship and enjoyed many social hours together to brighten the drabness of their early pioneer life. Our early pioneers had to be t. Doctors and very nurses and medicines were very scarce, in fact, in the smaller settlements there were no doctors. Expectant mothers had to depend entirely on some of our pioneer mothers who went out as midwives, or on some kindly neighbor who would leave their own home for a few hours each day to care for the mother and self-relian- new-bor- n babe. Centervilles early MELVIN II. RANDALL er, 1848. Parley P. Pratt said of this celebration: On the 10th midwives were Joanna Brown (known in the community as Grandma Brown), Margaret Duncan, Elizabeth Waddoups, Margaret Randall, and Elzina Tingey. These 7 inn to page jour |