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Stubbs Nelson Hart Pickett Home Tervort Wride Davis Bradshaw
Catherine Crowther was born March 11, 1856, at Alton, Illinois, to George Crowther, who was born November 18, 1826 at Dorley or Iron bridge near London, England. She died April 16, 1895 at Fountain Green, Sanpete, Utah. Her Mother Janet Wiley, was born 29 October 1825 at Kilberney 'Ayrshire, Scotland. She died December 22, 1904 at Fountain Green, Utah. She was so small when she was a baby that she could fit in a quart cup. (This was a quart container similar and used as a measuring cup with a handle and spout. it was made of metal or aluminum.)
At the time of Catherine Crowther-Larsen's birth, the Mormon's were being persecuted. They left in June 1857 for Utah, with a company of Saints under the direction of Israel Evans, who had organized a hand Cart company. Grandma was fifteen months old when they started the long hard march across the plains. Catherine and her sister Robena, who was seven years and five months old at the time of starting rode on the hand carts, the loads were heavy and had to be pulled through sand and mud, over hill and over a thousand miles to Salt Lake City.
After a three-month trip across the plains, they arrived in Salt Lake City, just ahead of the Johnson Army. One week after they arrived President Brigham Young called Catherine's father George Crowther to go to Echo Canyon to guard against the army of Colonel Johnson. While he was away the church ordered the Big Move, as it was called. Janet Crowther and her two little girls were moved to Payson when the guard was mustered out it took the husband and their father two weeks to find them.
As a little girl Catherine went with her parents from one place to another where her parents were called to go by President Brigham Young, and help colonize. They moved to Wales, Sanpete Co., in 1860, to Moroni in 1863, to Monroe in May 1864 they lived in dugouts that had been there family home in which they lived when she was 8 years old. They dug holes in the side of the foothills. They were damp and unhealthy, and nearly the whole colony became ill with Typhoid Fever. Because of this and the Indian troubles, the church leaders asked them to return to the Sanpete settlement about 1864 to about 1867 they went to Manti, where they stayed for two months and then to Fountain Green where they made a permanent home.
Catherine was now eleven years old and had to work in gathering thistles, mustard greens, sego roots or bulbs and mushrooms to be used for food for the family. Catherine would fight grasshoppers and do work around the house. Catherine fingers were nimble so she was assigned the task of selecting the long fibers of wool and twisting them into threads to sew the clothing they made from cloth woven by her mother.
Catherine's education was such as could be obtained from the schools at that time. The school terms were short and curriculum consisted principally of the three R's (reading, riting and rithmetic). In these she did well and with the practical experience gained through the College of hard Knocks, she became fairly well educated. As a young woman she would help spin and weave, cook and sew, work in the gardens and fields with her father, help neighbors in sickness and need of assistance. Catherine was very active in church and civic affairs at that time. Catherine always had the ability to make and keep friends; she practiced fair play to all.
On December 15, 1881, Catherine married Hans Peter Larsen in the Salt Lake Endowment House, in Salt Lake City, Utah. The endowment house was used at that time for eternal marriages until the temples could be built. Hans Peter Larsen was the son of Niels Larsen and Annie Hansen Larsen. He with his parents joined the Church in 1863 while in their home at Gunnerod, Denmark. After they joined the church his father's people disowned them, and the treatment they received caused them to sell out and move to America. Han's father had been a captain in the Danish army, and was well fixed financially there. But when he decided in 1864, to come to America he loaned thousands of dollars to the immigrants coming over at that time. Many of them never repaid the loans because some died on the way or soon after and others never had the money ahead to pay with.
At the time of her marriage she was 5'2" tall, with medium brown hair, gray-green eyes, a slender build, the grandchildren thought she was kind of heavy, but when she would take off her petticoats, 7 or 8 of them, she was not so. She always wore a long sleeve to the waist, dresses, to her ankles.
Grandma was so exact in all that she did; she didn't believe that anyone should be idle. We were always given something to do. She always seemed to know when the job was finished, so she could give another job to be done.
Grandma washed on Mondays, (start at 4 A.M.) always had one wash out on the line when we would go passed on the way to school, Iron on Tuesday. She would make the children take off their stockings and would mend them, when they were on their way to school. After school, she would have a job or errand for the kids to do, she would give them a slice of bread and butter to eat, tell them, to go home and help their mother. She also had them churn butter for her. She would always have me wash and mop her kitchen floor, which she disliked to do because the floor was inlaid linoleum it was a dark green and dark beige, it always had to be done on your knees, when it was dry, she would have you put linoleum oil on it. She had a real system to house cleaning. It was always started in April and completed by Memorial Day, inside and out. On the last of October, she would start all over again, and everything was done again and finished by Thanksgiving every nook and corner.
Grandma was always cooking, because of the boarders they had in the home, because of this, everyone helped to push the washing machine.
She was very compassionate, always taking food to those who needed help or those who had a funeral.
Grandma was an exceptionally good cook, she canned everything, if she got a quart of raspberries out of the garden, and some were left, she would put them up in jam, always something in her windows, current jelly, raspberries, fruit.
Grandma always expected to be obeyed when she spoke, she always said, "it's better to wear out than to rust out," She was always busy doing something, never idle, everything she did was systematically. She always had boarder's in her home, men working at the courthouse, schoolteachers, etc. One time she had a lady school teacher boarder, for one winter, she always said women were a nuisance, always wanting to wash their hair, take a bath, men boarders were a lot easier to have in the home. She always said, " If anything is worth-doing at all, it was worth doing well” She told everyone that helped her this saying.
She was always a very fine cook and an exceptionally good manager; she could prepare a meal so quickly. She was always taking bread to others in the neighborhood, or those who were ill. I was sent to the bakery one time for a dozen cinnamon rolls, when I got back, she counted them, and there were only eleven, she accused me of eating the one, which I wouldn't dared to eat. She sent me back to the bakery, I told Mrs. Ruesch, she said I had eaten it; I was getting mad at this time and held my ground. Finally she gave me the roll. When I got back to grandma's she said, let this be a lesson to you, don't trust anyone, and keep your eyes open to what is going on, I was twelve at this time.
She was a happy woman and good hearted, but had a mind of her own. As she grew older, she still wore the older style clothing and always wore an apron, but always was neat and tidy. She wore her hair bobbed on the top of her head. She loved kids and everyday she'd go out to the gate and wait for the kids to come home from school, talking and laughing with her own and other children. She'd wear a black shawl around her shoulders. She always had a treat for the kids when they came to visit. She would let the children pick up the walnuts in front of her house.
Catherine's daughter Myrtle remembers the summer of 1945 when they went to Monroe and showed her husband the dugouts that had been her and her family home in which they lived when she was 8 years old. They dug holes in the side of the foothills. They were damp and unhealthy, and nearly the whole colony became ill with Typhoid Fever. Because of this and the Indian troubles, the church leaders asked them to return to the Sanpete settlement about 1864.
When I was married in the Temple, Grandma went to the temple with us; this is the first time she had been back to the temple since she was married in the Endowment house in 1881. As she went through the temple, her cousin, Mary Anderson, wife of President Lewis R. Anderson, Kate, told her you are more trouble than anyone; you would think it was you getting married.
Grandma traveled very little, once a couple of times to Wales, Utah to see her daughter Jennie, She really didn't like to sew, but used up all scraps of material she could, into aprons or something.
Their first child and son was born 21 Sept. 1882 in Manti, Utah, they named him Hans Milton, died Oct. 28, 1885 of pneumonia at the age of three; The second son was born 13 October 1 884 in Manti, Utah, they named him George Niels, he married Martha May Block, October 14, 1909, George died 3 Oct. 1972. Their third son, William Wallace was born 11 June 1886, also in Manti, Utah, He married Stephine Wells McAllister the 1st of Sept. 1909, Their first daughter and fourth child was born 15 Nov. 1888 in Manti, Utah, they named her Myrtle, she married Lawrence Niels Nelson, 10 June 1908 in the Manti Temple. She died 18 January 1945 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Their second daughter, Annie Janet was born 17 August 1890 in Manti, Utah, She married Alma Midgley Thomas, 9 May 1928. She died 23 March 1967. Their sixth child and fourth son, Robert Moriand, was born 3 June 1893 in Manti, Utah. He died 23 March 1909 at Manti, Utah of quick pneumonia; Their seventh and last son was born November 10, 1899 at Manti, Utah, they named him Lorrin Ward, he died March 15, 1923 in Manti, of either pneumonia following an operation for appendicitis. Lorin Ward was in the service of his country in the world war and at his death his mother's name was added to the list of "Gold Star” mothers.
Shortly before she died, my mother and Aunt Annie Janet Larsen's were caring for her because she was so sick and could not care for herself. She was so bad that jenny sent my mother to get the Elders. After they gave her a blessing, within 15 minutes, she settled down and slept about 3 hours. Her faith in the Priesthood and Church was so strong and was an important part of her throughout her life.
She always had that spirit of wanting to help others. Her ideals were the same throughout her life. "It is better to suffer wrong than to do wrong's " He who serves is happier than he who receives services” Hans spent a lot of time at the Manti Temple doing Temple Work. They enjoyed dancing and Hans was known all around for his calling of square dances.
She died at the age of 90, July 22, 1946 in Manti, Sanpete, Utah. She was buried in the Manti City cemetery 25 July 1946.
Ruth C. Nelson Stubbs
