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Show Volume XIX Issue IV The Ogden Valley news Page 9 May 15, 2011 “Annie” Marie (Mary) Petersen Peterson Mary, the oldest of three children, was born Orville Beatrice, the story was told to me of to Lena Louise (Caroline) Petersen and Jens how Mary would take quilt blocks home form Petersen in Huntsville, Weber County, Utah on Relief Society and re-sew them if the pieces February 18, 1884. Her younger sister Emma in the blocks weren’t perfectly matched. Her married Henry Aldous; a brother, James, mar- grandson Ross remembers helping her take ried Clara Larsen; an older half-sister, Olga, who care of the grounds around the Relief Society came to Huntsville with her mother, married Hall that stood across the street from the Jim Bailey. Mary also had a half-brother, old Huntsville Post Office. She planted Peter, who lived in Brigham City, and tulips, peonies, lilies and any other a half-sister, Annie Marie, by her flowers she had in her yard. father’s first marriage. Seventeen As a young girl, Mary was a year old Annie Marie died in 1871 very good seamstress; her father and was buried in Weber Valley, gave her a treadle “Singer” sew(Morgan County), and later sealed ing machine before she was marto Mary’s husband, Joseph. ried. Elmina loved the beautiful Both of Mary’s parents conblue plaid dresses with pleated verted to the Church of Jesus Christ skirts that her mother made for of Latter-day Saints in Denmark. her and Thelma, along with the Caroline, as Mary’s mother was other dresses and jumpers she called after she came to America, sewed for them. Ethel said that later wrote about her family going to every Fourth of July their mother church in Denmark: “We had an enjoytried to have new dresses for the able time when we went to meetings. girls to wear to the town’s celebration, The rocks would roll around our feet, which would have been four dressed thrown by the outsiders; but, we went Mary Peterson by then. Elmina learned to sew on home happy. that special sewing machine. Jens, Mary’s father, married Mette Marie Ethel wrote: “After years of painstaking Sorenson in Denmark and they had two chil- sewing for others, and then her family, she felt dren. Shortly after they were baptized in 1862 a weakness in her chest. A doctor told her she or 1863, they sailed to America on the “B.S. had consumption and didn’t give her much Kimball.” Jens was a carpenter and wheel- hope of overcoming it . . . mother had faith; wright in Denmark, so he brought his tools with she knew if she gave up the sewing and got him to America where he continued to make outside in the fresh air and sunshine, the Lord grist mails and flour mills in Morgan County would bless her and make her well. And, that and Huntsville. Jens built the water wheels, the is exactly what happened.” shafts and gears, as well as the sheds or buildMary was also known for her skillful quiltings that housed the mill works. (Taken from ing and the beautiful woolen rugs she made. Myrtle Stevens Hyde history of Jens Petersen.) Many people brought boxes of their discarded In 1882, Jens wife, Mette Marie, was in wool coats, suits, and assorted pieces. She poor health and desired that Jens marry a ripped the seams open, washed and pressed the second wife, as sanctioned by the church’s pieces of material, then cut one inch strips on limited practice of plural marriage. The same a true bias. She used a long, crooked crochet year, Jens was able to pay the way of another hook designed to hold several inches of the Petersen family from Denmark to Utah, with strips, then crocheted through the middle of the understanding that a hundred and ten dol- the strips to attach one row to the next. The lars would paid back by working for his family. winter months were spent making these rugs. Caroline Petersen came to work; married Jens For the largest rugs, three or four feet long, she in December, 1882, and stayed as Jens second received fifteen dollars. Her choice of colors wife. He was 63; she, 27, had wavy light and how they were placed within the rug crebrown hair and blue eyes. ated a work of art. Caroline, described as a quiet, patient In reminiscing about her childhood, Ethel woman, cared for those in need; 14 years for wrote: “Her cooking is another thing to rememMette Marie, three years for her husband before ber with fondness. Whatever she made tasted he died; then, her elderly parents moved into her so good, big loaves of homemade bread, light home for six to eight years when they could no and flaky baking powder biscuits, gooseberry longer care for themselves. These endeavors pie, wonderful custards, chicken roasted in butcovered 30 years of her life, from 1882 to 1912. ter, vegetable soup with dumplings, beet pickles, Her husband died in 1904, after which chokecherry jelly, flapjacks with butter and sugar, she and seven-year-old James ran the farm. sour cream cookies, and sweet soup.” This sweet Obviously, she worked very hard, in the fields as soup could be made by simmering together any well as taking care of family and the home. Yet, combination of cherries, berries, applies, prunes, she found time to do kindnesses for neighbors as raisins, cinnamon, and rice or tapioca. well as the Indians, who frequently cam asking Ethel also remembered how “she kept the for food. Her son, James, said: “They were good beds clean and sweet smelling; clothes were to the Indians . . . gave them flour, butter, eggs never washed cleaner than she washed them.” . . . anything they asked for that my folks had. A copper boiler to heat water, a wood burnThere were many Indians around in those days.” ing stove, and a wash board to scrub the From 1907 to 1909, she also helped her married clothes were a familiar sight on the back daughter Mary and two granddaughters, while porch whenever we went to the back door of Joseph served his mission in Sweden. Grandmother’s house. Mary married Joseph Peterson June 4, 1902 in Mary “loved to pay her children for helping the Salt Lake Temple and became Mary Petersen her. Many are the times she sent them to the store Peterson. (Petersen in the Danish from and for ice cream cones, which she sat and enjoyed Peterson is the Swedish spelling.) They were the with them after some project was finished.” parents of ten children, five girls and five boys: Notwithstanding Grandmother Peterson’s Cecelia Elmina (William Abner Allen), Thelma hard work within the home, it is suspected Rae (Duncan Stewart), Joseph Orville (Beatrice that much of her heart was in her flower and Shupe), Clyde Enos (Josephine Pond), Ruth vegetable gardens. Ethel wrote: “Her garden Norine (Lane Huband), Ethel Vernice (Marwin was the best in town. She worked hard to keep Scoville), Orvis Leland, Amos Lawrence, who it just so. There just wasn’t any produce so died when two weeks ole, Mary Verna (James large and good as hers; people (came) from Marker), and Lewellyn (Allene Combe). Ogden and all around just to buy some of it.” Mary grew up close to the Church: baptized Her children went “out in the spring and (ate) July 7, 1892, at the age of eight, by Jens Winter, right from the garden tender little sweet carand confirmed by Soren L. Petersen. She served rots, radishes, turnips, rhubarb sticks, and oh, as a teacher for the Second Intermediate Class in those good green peas.” Gooseberries, red curthe Huntsville Ward Sunday School. At age 24 rants, raspberries, dewberries, strawberries, and she joined the Huntsville Ward Relief Society and transparent apples, were all available anytime was set apart as a visiting teacher the same day. for the children to eat all they wanted. In the Later, she served as the Relief Society fall, they harvested sweet corn, beans, cabbage, Work Director for three or four years. In that beets, squash, and winter apples. calling, she was a perfectionist just as she was As a child, I (Lila) loved to be with in her efforts at home. Once, while visiting Grandma in her half acre glorious tulip patch when people came from Ogden to buy tulips meetings, even though she could not attend very for Memorial Day. She charges a quarter for often herself.” Grandmother didn’t always have a dozen tulips; yet, she didn’t stop cutting something to wear to church. until she had given them every flower close Elmina, my mother, told me of the time by that caught her eye, a very generous dozen. her mother literally gave to someone else “the Sometimes, people bought a washtub of tulips clothes off her back,” the only dress she had at one time. to wear. She had just had a baby and had only Scott Allen, her grandson, wrote that she one dress to her name, her maternity dress. Her also took her flowers to Ogden to sell. “On sister, Olga, was expecting a baby and needed Memorial Day, if the weather patterns coop- a maternity dress, which she couldn’t provide. erated to bring Grandma Peterson’s beautiful Mary gave her the dress even though she didn’t tulips or peonies into bloom at the right time, have another one to wear. Mother remembers Grandma would pick several tubs full from her mother wearing her petticoat for some time, her large flower garden and load them into the before she could get another dress for herself. Model “A” Ford. Uncle Orvis drove; some- Of course, petticoats then would have been more times Mother (Elmina) and I accompanied modest than are many dresses today. Grandma to Ogden to sell her flowers. I was Mary Peterson lived to by 86 years of age. too young (10 or 12) to be very effective at She died April 14, 1970, and was buried in the selling. I do vividly recall going from house Huntsville Cemetery close to the grave of her to house with a dozen flowers in my hand and, baby boy, Amos. During her life she lived close as the day wore on, needing badly to go to the to the angels. On several occasions departed bathroom and being too bashful to say any- loved ones visited her. She told me of the time, thing.” (From “The First Fifty Five,” by Scott shortly before she died, when her husband, D. Allen 1984, p. 63). Joseph, and her half-sister, Annie Marie, came Scott also once commented the Grandmother for her. She said they were smiling and looked was one of the most Christian persons he had so happy; but, she didn’t want to go with them known. Mary’s daughter, Ethel, described her yet. As I sat by her bedside, and we looked at this way: “She was always very generous and the wedding picture of her and Joseph that hung kind to people of the town, sending them flow- on her bedroom wall, Grandmother smiled and ers and produce she had raised, without any said how happy she and Joseph had been while thought of pay, if she thought someone (might) they were married. like some. She was mindful of the sick and the aged, visiting and cheering them, taking in their Note: This history was written by Lila Fae washing or going to help them in their home. Allen, granddaughter, 1978. It was revised by She nursed her mother and cared for her at Lila Allen Bell in 2005 and 2009. her home during her illness until she died.” B e i n g u n s e l f ish came naturally to Grandmother Peterson. Ethel wrote: “Her children were her little messengers taking things to different people she thought needed them. She sent the very best she had. When she sold raspberries to people, the case was piled so (high) you could scarcely see where the cups were. One summer when the McKay (families) were staying at their home near ours, (mother) gave Lizzie McKay Hill, sister of President David O. McKay, one of her bouquets. It brought tears to Sister Hill’s eyes. She often sent beautiful bouquets of flowers over to the Ward for peoMary Peterson stands in her field of tulips that she would sell on ple to enjoy Memorial Day. Photo courtesy of Lynn Peterson of Eden. during Sunday Historical Photo The Ogden Valley News is looking for Ogden Valley and Ogden Canyon historical biographies, stories, and photos to use in its publication. Please mail, email, or call Shanna at 801-745-2688 or Jeannie at 801-745-2879 if you have material you wish to share. Jeffrey D. Shepherd DMD, MSD Specialist in Orthodontics shepherdorthodontics Fast Treatment Times • Children and Adults • Flexible Payment Options Call to schedule your complimentary exam today! Eden Professional Center 2580 North Highway 162, #A SPRING MASSAGE SPECIALS EDEN 801.745.2519 Holistic Massage tHerapy Becky Frerotte, lMt South Pointe Plaza 5300 South Adams Ave, #9 $10 oFF Deep tissUe & sWeDisH/relaXatioN Massages 801.479.9448 OGDEN Located just one block from Available for outcall in the comfort of your home. call 801-430-6129 for an appointment. Relax . . . I’ll come to you. 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