Grandma Isom's father was the first bishop of Virgin. Grandma Heaton's father was an early bishop in Heber City. We could expect a month's visit from Mama's mother whenever a new baby arrived.
Mama went back to Virgin to have her first. Aunt Mary made Edna a long, silk christening dress -- like Aunt Esther she excelled in sewing. Grandma Heaton delivered Ramona in our front room in our first home at Moccasin. Grandma Isom would arrive to take charge, do the nursing cares, and try to tone the rest of us down. She'd mend the socks and clothes and if there was time and money for cloth, make us new dresses. we were all expected to do our jobs in and out of the house. Like Grandma Heaton, she was a "no nonsense" Grandma. She was small, had lost one eye with a tumor, and was strict, quick, and intelligent. Black was black, white was white, there was no gray in between in her book. She knew all Ben Franklin's proverbs, like "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." "Spare the rod and spoil the child" and others. One meal when Papa was off riding and Mama was still in bed with at new baby, Edna giggled while we were kneeling in prayer. Grandma had her stay down and eat after we were finished and excused from the table. That sobered us all. We'd sometimes start flipping watermelon seeds at the table in summer at noon, then glasses of water, outside with buckets at the tap oreven ending in the round reservoir in water fights when it was hot. We were full of fun, but usually when the folks were around, our table manners weren't too lax. We always had a tablecloth, but not napkins (paper ones weren't invented or available) unless there was company. There was always a blessing on the food before we could start eating. We were just carefree and full of fun.
I think Marilyn Hawley is more like Grandma Isom than anyone else in the extended family. They both had musical ability. Ellen, her mother, wrote to her motheri n England suggesting she would enjoy seeing little Alice dance and sing. She is the most intelligent child I have ever known.
All our ancestors were from England except Grandma Heaton's line. Her father was Charles Negus Carroll born in New Brunswick, Canada. He was 40 when he married Kezia Giles (from England) at 17. Our Grandma, Lucy Elizabeth Carroll married at 16; Grandpa was 21. Patrick O'Carroll, Charles' father, was born in St. Johns, New Foundland and buried in Fort Laramie, wyoming. Nancy Ann Negus, his wife (married at 25 --he was 23), was born in New Brunswick, Canada and buried at Carroll's Ridge, York, New Brunswick. Our 3rd Great-Grandparents, James O'Carroll was born in Armagh, Ireland and married Margaret Pottle from St. John's, New Foundland, where they both died. Charles dropped the "O" in O'Carroll. It hasn't been used by his posterity. Grandma was called her full name -- Lucy Elizabeth Carroll.
There was an Irish name on Grandpa Heaton's side, but she came from England. Our 2nd Great Grandparents, Jonathan Heaton's wife, was Frances O'Dwyer, from Rockdale, Lancashire, England. Frances was buried in Payson, Utah. In the 3rd Great Grandparents there was a Valetine O'Dwyer.
The black hair, blue eyes, fair complexion and sense of humor comes from the Irish strain. Papa, Brad Stapley and Chris Stapley are examples. Grandpa was trim and erect. He had brown eyes and brown curly hair -- seldom talked.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - END OF PAGE 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Our ancestors on Mama's side were also pioneers. Like the Heatons, it was a survival of the fittest. The men, especially weren't very tall -- many came from cities in England and were ill prepared to tame a wilderness. Both Mama's mother and grandmother had eight children, then lost their first husbands. Ellen Parker Briggs Douglas is an interesting woman. She was the only one in her family to embrace the gospel. She was baptized by Heber C. Kimball and married to George Douglas with eight children, one died at eleven. They emigrated to Nauvoo in 1842. Douglas died right after. She knew the Prophet Joseph Smith -- had heard his sermons and saw him and his brother, Hyrum, when dead.
Mama's grandfather, John Parker Jr. also married in England. He and Alice Widaker had six children -- three born dead, she was buried with the last. His parents (also Kimball converts) came with the first ship chartered by LDS immigrants without their children, only John brought his. Mary was unmarried and she came next year, eyed John with his 3 children. Two years later his feeble parents came to Nauvoo -- his mother died soon after. Ellen was 6 years older than John. They each had three children living with them at the time. They got their endowment in the Nauvoo Temple.
When the Saints were driven from there, they took refuge in St. Louis. There they had Alice and John (he died at two, right after they reached the Salt Lake Valley). They all worked. Ellen cleaned and washed for two bits a day. John had chills and fever but earned 75 cents a day. They got better and started their own soda water, root beer business. Their married children helped -- they saved a small fortune in six years, sold their business, and prepared for their trip across the Plains. John bought a big carriage with a span of large horses for Ellen and their youngest, plus eleven wagons with two yoke of oxen each, and a threshing machine. He moved all their married children and two Aunts from England, Ellen and Alice Corbridge, to Salt Lake City. Ralph, Grandma's half brother was with the Mormon Battalion and reached Salt Lake in 1847. He went back to Council Bluffs to get his wife 3 years later.
John built a home at Second South between East and West Temple. Many of their married children settled in Ogden and Jordan. When Alice was seventeen John was asked to help settle Dixie. He drove a wagon with their worldly goods and she drove a mule and buggy down the state. They lived in a wagon and an abandoned dug out which eventually caved in on them. Alice was unhappy and went back and forth to Salt Lake until she married George Isom in 1868 when she was 20.
George built at nice brick home in Virgin, but died before Mama was born. She was the 9th child, Josephine just older had died at 2. He was born in England but died in Virgin. Alice died in Hurricane. She did notremarry, but raised 8 alone. Their only boy was their 4th child, George, who wasn't able to do heavy physical work when grown. She freighted in goods from Salt Lake and sent molasses and dried fruit back. SHe had a store in Virgin. Later she took in borders and educated George and the younger girls in Provo.