OPPOSITES

Opposite.
What an interesting word.
What an intriguing concept.

We all know that stop is the opposite of go, hot of cold, in of out, and dark the opposite of light.

Even a child wants happy more than sad, would much rather have someone be kind than mean and although they may have fun that gets them dirty they like to be clean.

We all know lots of opposites; black and white, high and low, pretty and ugly, new and old, big and small, short and tall. But what does the word 'opposite' mean?

Dictionaries tell us this adjective/adverb/preposition/noun can mean many things and be used in many ways.

(REALLY?? - all those parts of a language?)

Opposite may mean being in a place or position (situated or placed), on the other side of a line, space or thing; to be contrary in position. Opposite may also mean to move the other way - to reverse or move contrary to.

And it can be used to mean something is diametrically different. Go ahead, look up that word 'diametrically' - that is an interesting word too.

You may think of the meaning the word 'opposite' has to be adverse to, or against. Someone or something is opposed to or contrary in opinion or disposition.  And of course you can sit on the opposite side of the table. (It is this last form of the word that is a preposition).

The most common synonyms are contrary, adverse and contrast; but to be opposite is not necessarily bad. Isn't it nice to have differences and choices?

Neither wet nor dry is particularly better - context is everything - right? Diving into the pool is kinda cool when the weather is a sweltering triple digit day. Getting in the car after leaving its window open on a rainy day is not nearly so pleasant.

Somethings are important to remember and others are important to forget.

Up is fun when you can see for miles and miles but pretty terrifying if your plane is crashing. Down is really nice if you land safely but pretty nasty when you slip on ice.

I love hot summer days but without the cold of winter I would never get to build a snowman or see marshmallow snow drifts sparkling. If it were always clear and sunny the rain from cloudy skies could not wash and freshen the world's face.

Waking early to hear the birds sing and see the sun rise lifts our spirits but if I come to your party an hour early you may never invite me again.  I may not invite you to dinner again if you show up an hour late but I love the quiet I find late at night when the world is asleep.

Without the quiet peace of night's darkness sleep would not rejuvenate the body or mind but I love really loud music that excludes every other thought and sound to carry the mind into realms that are new each time it is performed.  Even life and death each have purpose and promise.

Good and bad, war and peace, right and wrong, truth and lies, love and hate, health and sickness, pleasure and pain - which would you choose? Don't tell me - I don't want to know.

I choose to observe and remember things that lift and enlighten, finding laughter in the midst of tears - it usually is there. A common English idiom states "that every cloud has a silver lining".  Another optimistic saying tells us "there was never a cloud the sun didn't shine through".

Opposites teach me to choose.
I can even choose the thoughts I keep in my mind.

The more we learn about something the more we can tell the difference between that thing and its opposite.

The more we learn about Jesus Christ and his ways the more we will be able to resist the temptations and deceptions of Satan.   D&C 68:6 teaches us, '... be of good cheer and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you'.

I choose faith not fear.
 
I choose to trust that God is with me
and will stand by me [and you too].

If I am afraid I am not thinking of, or trusting, Him.

And I choose to sing - like a child ...

"If you chance to meet a frown,
Do not let it stay,
Quickly turn it upside down
And smile that frown away ..."

Primary Songbook page 267

DEAR CYNTHIA

Did you get it?

I send you a parcel.

I hope you like pink.

I know you like dresses.

You are going to be so pretty!

Be sure to take lots of pictures.

And please send me some.

Love Grandma and Papa

P.S. Happy Birthday!!!

PHOEBE ALICE TOLMAN death

My mother's paternal grandmother, Phoebe Alice Campbell nee Tolman, died in January 1939, in Cardston, Alberta, Canada, the small town I would grow up in.

Cardston  is where the nearest hospital is.  She lived in Hillspring, Alberta, Canada. My mother grew up there. Great-Grandma  is buried there, by her husband.

Notice her grave stone spells her name without an o. It should have an o. Her death certificate adds an i to her name - but as far as I have been able to determine her name did not have an i.

According to family "lore" she was quite ill for sometime before her passing. Aunt LuRay Jensen told me that her mother was not well any time after she was struck by lightening. I will look for that story. I think I wrote it out.

The 20 December 1928 edition of the Cardston News indicated she was "bedfast" for about a week at that time.

Pedigree charts say she died on the 21st day of January 1939. Her grave marker says the 30th and her death certificate says the 17th. Great Grandpa William Warren Campbell filled out the paper work on the 18th.

I suspect that the date on the gravestone refers to her burial. In that time period many things (including dates and the spelling of words and places) were not standardized. Many people of the older generations did not or could not read and write. Great-grandfather apparently could. He spells her birth place as 'Tuilla' - that is how 'Toole' Utah is spoken [Too-ill-ah].

 I suppose a government certificate makes the 17th official - either that or it needs to be corrected - I have seen errors on 'official' documents. I suppose some research is in order before a history can be written.

Found 24 February 2014: The 24 January 1939 edition of the Cardston News published Hillspring news from 23 of January (a Monday) states that Alice "passed away at the Cardston hospital early Wednesday morning." The previous Wednesday was 18 January 1939. It appears that "early in the morning" may make the official report become the 17th.

My mother knew her grandmother and grandfather and can tell stories about visiting with them. I have recorded and written down some of those stories. I want to put together a short biography of her if possible. Did you know her? Did one of your parents? Do you have any pictures of her? I have a few.

My favorite shows her with some grandchildren. It is casually labeled. I know that Ruth and Walton are my mother, Jean's, older siblings and Flora is a younger sister (by just over 2 years). The next younger sibling, Allen, is just less than 2 years younger than Flora - perhaps he is the un-named baby in her arms. I think mom and her siblings are on the left in this photo.

I know Roberta is Uncle Ted [Laurence Edward] Campbell's daughter. I assume that is her on the right and that the two boys on the right are Laurence and Ross but we really do not know who the baby is. I look at the pose of her seated, surrounded by her grandchildren, with a baby on her arm. Are they perhaps on their way to or from church? was it a special event? maybe for the baby? I may never know.

My grandfather, William David Campbell [know to friends as Bill] - her son, liked to take pictures but I do not have any that I know he took of her. I like to think he may have taken this one of his mother with his children but such notions are mere speculation.

When I visit the cemetery where she is buried I look around at the land where she lived. I see the mountains and hills, the sun and sky and clouds of that place. I feel the keen wind of Southern Alberta. I think of her life in a place and time I can only imagine. How I wish she had written even a few sentences to tell us about any part of her family or life.

I wonder if any of her children or grandchildren recorded anything about their life or her influence of interactions with them. She was a nurse and midwife. She attended training in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I wonder how many babies arrived with her in attendance. Did any of their families record her name or how she helped them?

Found February 24, 2014: The 3rd of September 1931 edition of the Cardston News published the following information about two babies (at number 2. and 3.) born in Hillspring. "Mrs. Campbell attended" the births.

At the top of this clipping we see a Mr. and Mrs. George Tolman camping at the mountains (number 1). This would most likely be her younger brother George Tolman and his wife Emily Cheney. My mother has many cherished memories with "Uncle George and Aunt Emma."

I have kept a journal since I was 14 years of age.
I do not write every day.
But I do write - I try to write a little bit.

Will my children and grandchildren pore over it's pages someday? Will they find word pictures of my life, the places I have been and even of themselves? Will they want to know only what medicines, machines and innovations we do and do not have or will they want to also know what I believed or how I lived?

I don't know.

Have you written a sentence or two about your family or life?
Do you keep a journal?
What 'snapshot' does it capture?

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY (or 2) MAKES

The other day I sniveled a tiny little bit about snow being absent this winter.

EXHIBIT A: Monday 16 Jan 2012, 10 p.m.
Sum total of evidence this is winter
Corner of driveway and front walk  

I love building and having snowmen (or girls).
You can have a lot of fun with snow people.

And I so wanted to have my new 'lasagna' garden snowed on so it will 'cook' properly when it gets all soggy etc.

ASIDE: Yes, I have succumbed to the newest gardening fad. I might as well give it a try - it is nearly free, fairly harmless as far as I can determine, did not require super human effort to start, AND promises to make gardening simpler and require less labor (can it really???) - now THAT is something I would like!!!

And wouldn't it be nice if it actually delivers richer soil, fewer weeds and increased yields.  Seeing how as my garden has not been terrifically productive the past few years, I don't see that we have anything to lose except perhaps a little bit of time and perhaps some effort.

But we will discuss that project another day.
We have a good start though ...

Now back to today.

Tuesday the forecast predicted a storm and the west side of the state staggered as several feet avalanched communities unaccustomed to snow.

In the afternoon a dark cloud boiled in the sky until the cold but sunny day was left stark and bleak in a steady, numbing north wind. A few flakes fell in a flurry teasing the sear lawns that retained their dry coats - but then the afternoon cleared and the sun, low on the horizon now and giving no warmth, returned briefly to end the day.

Tuesday: Our resident woodpecker huddled
on the side of a tree opposite the wind.

Snow began to fall early Wednesday - sometime near 5 a.m. It continued the rest of the day, through the night Wednesday - and all day and night Thursday. We now have about the same amount of snow as usual in January. But it came in on one major storm.

EXHIBIT B:
What a difference a day makes - I've had to shovel this storm twice now!
Note these piles are over 5' wide and about 3' deep.

I love snowmen.  This snow has been light and fine and dry. Not good snowman snow. I have hoped, however, for enough warmth that the snowmen just can't stay away.

The biting chill of the past few weeks lingers, though.

The North Wind has whipped the snow into amazing sculptures hanging oddly here and there and sifted it, and drifted it into nooks and crannies in astonishing piles.

When David left for work Wednesday morning the driveway did not need to be shoveled. When I had to go out at noon I had to shovel for an hour to move the snow from where the car he drove away had been.

I have missed having snow but I have not missed icy roads.
I don't mind shoveling but it IS time consuming.
I wasn't complaining Monday just observing.

And while on that topic - of observing - where have youngsters that want money and are willing to work for it gone?  Not  a single one has come by to offer to clean my sidewalks OR to build me a snowman? I would think they would come ask for such easy money - especially after how they got such easy money before! And school was cancelled today -weather advisory and all. Kids should have had plenty of time to make a serious haul off their neighbors - everyone is positively buried - if not by the wind then by the plows!

Doesn't anyone have a work ethic anymore?

And now it is raining.
What??? you ask - raining?
Yeppers - raining.

Raindrops are falling - after and as they freeze!!

Everything looks candy coated.
If my car looks like this what condition is the street in?

Did you ever hear frozen rain falling?
Or is that the snow sizzling as the wet drops hit?
How would you describe that sound?

DEAR HENNI

I am so glad you like your red scarf and hat!

And I am glad to hear you got snow for your birthday.
Sometimes wishes DO come true.
It is snowing at our house today too.

I think you are a very special girl.
I notice that you love to share with others.
I have watched you help your mom,
and your brothers, and your dad,
and me and Papapa.

I am glad you are so kind.
Always remember to say kind things and do kind things.

I miss you.
I hope you send me a letter again.
Maybe you can draw a picture of you with your scarf.
You could send it to me in the mail or by e-mail!

I hope you had a lot of fun today.
And enjoy playing in the snow!

Love Grandma Ames

COOKIES AND CABBAGE

First - I need to say I LIKE cabbage.
Really ... good sweet cabbage is always delicious.
I like it cooked.
I like it as coleslaw.
I like it raw and plain.

I also like how it helps me stick to diet resolutions.
I have resolved to eat less food this year.
I resolved the same thing last year.
I did it too.

I lost 12 pounds.  I intend to do the same thing again.

On a cold day there is nothing better than a bowl of hot soup. And the smell of baking.

If I could eat only one thing forever,
it would be soup.

I likely don't need to point this out but January IS a cold month.

Last week I pulled out the crock pot - cabbage soup coming up! And the butter shortbread recipe - I keep it taped inside a cupboard door.

I needed some cookies for my Visiting Teaching routes - I was feeling a little 'sheepish' so I baked these.

And I also needed treats for my co-workers (last Saturday) so I made an old January standby - melting snowmen cookies.

So snowmen have been melting at my house again this January. Good thing - since we haven't had any snow this year.

OK - there was the day a skiff was on the driveway.

That's it - our total snow accumulation
and we had to shovel it to collect the evidence! 

OH YEAH - and the one other day we actually shoveled it just in case more came but those tiny piles along the lawn edge are our sum total evidence that it is winter - well, those and the biting cold.  Brrr - it would be warmer if it would snow! Those have been there all month!

So back to the cookies - and the cabbage. When I bake I have some tools and tricks to keep myself from mindlessly putting things in my mouth.

I do not really like sweets - not cookies, or cakes, or candies etc. Nonetheless I do eat them when opportunity presents itself. And then I like them even less and wonder why I have a mouthful of whatever it is.

I know I don't like it and that after I eat it I will regret it but I still discover that it somehow makes its way into my mouth!

Sometimes I even spit it out. Only if you can't see me though - but when you are watching I don't need to because I usually behave and don't eat junk - I ask you to taste it for me ...

That is one of my strategies -
  bake with someone watching,
  and tasting ...

I have a few others too -
   tricks and tips for such times.
I bet you have a few of your own.

First in my repertoire - never mind - I don't tell anyone my first trick! And if you know and tattle I may never bake for you again!!

Second in my 'tool kit' is a snack - or even two.  They have to be little, and it has to be healthy and it has to be something I like.  Blueberries top the list. I love to savor a berry - eating them one by one - minutes apart. Blueberries are expensive BUT not as expensive as being sick, or as diet and gym plans.

Celery cut into bite size pieces works.

Cabbage works well also - it is sneaky. *SNICKER* It tastes OK with sweets.  (This allows for occasional slip-ups...)

I chop cabbage into bite size pieces and while I bake I eat a piece or two of cabbage (or bite a berry) each time I even think about tasting cookie dough or licking a spoon.

 I chew it, chew it, and chew it, and really thoroughly enjoy it one piece at a time. My rule is that each piece must be completely gone before anything else can enter my mouth.

That does not apply to sweets.  If I eat something sweet I like to get the feel and taste of it out of my mouth as soon as possible. Cabbage is wonderful for that!! I don't have to wash my mouth out. It is almost like eating a salad with a sweet dressing ...

My third tip is hand washing. I wash my hands a lot. Since I don't like the effects of sweets in my mouth I don't lick my fingers - I wash them. I keep a wet paper towel or clean wet face cloth nearby and constantly wipe my hands on it and also rinse it out often.

And when I am all done -
I can enjoy eating a cookie if I want one.
That is my most important trick.
I never deprive myself.
I eat what I want, when I want it.

AND I strategically do NOT eat
   when I would rather not.

AND when habit or hunger impel me to eat I have tools and tricks to help that eating to be healthier, in more appropriate amounts - more satisfying AND more enjoyable - while I am eating it and especially after I have eaten.

If I am not going to feel good after I have eaten something I need to make a better choice. Making better choices is empowering.  THAT feels good. Knowing I can control my habits, and choices feels terrific.

Do you have some good, better and best strategies?
What are your tools and tips?

CAN I OWN THIS? HATCH HISTORY

ARIZONA HISTORY AFFECTING THE HATCH FAMILY

The region [where the Hatch family settled in Arizona] had been held precariously by U.S. soldiers during the intermittent warfare (1861–86) with the Apaches, who were led by Cochise and later Geronimo. General George Crook waged a successful campaign against the Apaches in 1882–85, and in 1886 Geronimo finally surrendered to federal troops. When Confederate troops were routed and Union soldiers went east to fight in the Civil War, settlement was abandoned. It was resumed after the war and encouraged by the Homestead Act (1862), the Desert Land Act (1877), and the Carey Land Act (1894)—all of which turned land over to settlers and required them to develop it.

Woodruff, Navajo, Arizona, USA elevation 5144 '

In 1878, 2 years after Mormons first colonized the area, Lorenzo Hill Hatch moved Catherine and her family from Savoia, New Mexico by trading his property there to Ammon, Nathan and Samuel Tenney for their property at 'Tenney's Settlement, Arizona'.  The small village was renamed 'Woodruff' in honor of apostle Wilford Woodruff.

"Although not founded by Mormons, this town was sold to them in the 1880s. Like other towns on the Little Colorado River, Woodruff suffered from regular floods. Its post office was established in 1880..."

In 1884, the Aztec Land and Cattle Company of Boston began operations in Arizona with its headquarters situated across the Little Colorado River from the site of Saint Joseph (now Joseph City.) The third largest cattle company in North America, the organization was better known as the Hashknife Outfit, because their brand resembled the old hash knives used by chuck wagon cooks.

The next year, the Aztec Company transferred its headquarters to Holbrook, Arizona and in 1886, they purchased one million acres of former railroad land from the Atlantic and Pacific for 50 cents an acre. The ranch claimed a range that stretched some  650 miles, from the New Mexico border to just south of Flagstaff.

The Aztec Land andCattle Company 

In an effort to reduce the growing debt it had incurred in constructing its western line, the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company attempted to sell 5,424,800 acres of land granted to it by Congress in 1866. Over one million of these acres was acquired at a cost of 50 cents per acre by the Aztec Land and Cattle Company, a consortium of eastern businessmen and Texas ranching interests. The land claimed by the Aztec Company included every other section extending from 12 miles east to 50 miles west of Snowflake for a depth of 50 miles south of the railroad line. By owning every other section and by controlling all critical water sources throughout its vast domain, the Aztec Company monopolized over 2,000,000 acres of range land and, in effect, removed a substantial resource from local utilization.

… The Aztec Company imported between 33,000 and 40,000 head of cattle into Arizona by the close of 1887, which quickly grew to a herd of 60,000. Successive droughts, repeated economic crises, and declining cattle prices during the 1890s produced dangerously overstocked ranges within the basin, just as they had in western Texas the previous decade.

In the end, the cumulative effect of drought, range deterioration, falling prices and heavy losses of cattle from starvation and rustling forced the Aztec Company to declare bankruptcy in 1900. After only 16 years of operation, the company had to liquidate its extensive holdings in the basin, thus ending the speculative cattle ranching era in this region. However, despite its brief reign, the Aztec Company had a devastating impact on local ranges and, therefore, a decidedly negative effect on the peoples and communities that depended on these ranges for their survival.

The arrival of the Aztec Company had an immediate and severe impact on local farmers and ranchers in the region. By excluding all competitors from over two million acres of rangeland, the Aztec Company imposed a considerable hardship on the numerous local cattle ranchers and sheep herders who had previously exploited this formerly open range and who now had to compete with one another for the substantially reduced grazing lands that remained.

Read more: 

Arizona: History — Infoplease.com 

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/us/A0856705.html#ixzz1lG1qtcyO

http://timeinablogttle.blogspot.com/2012/01/chloe-roseltha-hatch.html

CHLOE ROSELTHA HATCH history

Neil Snow and Chloe Roseltha Forsyth nee Hatch 

I knew my father's mother.
But she died when I was a child.
I will never forget the kind gentleness of my Grandmother.

I remember sitting in front of a large plate glass window at a table in her kitchen eating. Grandma, my mother and some aunts were cleaning up a meal. Grandma was washing the dishes. I do not know why I was eating later and by myself, perhaps I had been napping.

Several times one of the aunts tried to get her to let them wash the dishes but she stayed in the dish pan. I worried that she had too much work to do. When I had finished eating I carefully licked my plate until no more food was on it.  I then gave it to my mother who was drying the dishes and putting them away.  When she gave it to Grandma to be washed I got very upset and cried out loudly. I think I was young enough to only be able to say a few syllables to let them know it was clean and did not need to be 'washed'.

Grandma gave the dish back to me and it was held it up to the light so I could see the tracks of my tongue to show me it wasn't completely clean.  I kept it and turned it this way and that to examine it.  The next time I let anyone have that plate it was polished like a mirror - not a trace of the tongue (used to lick it some more) or any food remained to be seen.  Grandma took it and put it in the cupboard.

My wise grandmother recognized and validated the service I tried to give to her.  From that small beginning I learned to help others.

Note: My mother tells me that later on after I left the kitchen Grandma washed it and they all had a good chuckle about it. She tells me that Grandma was a meticulous housekeeper.

Grandma Chloe grew sweet peas in her yard. I love sweet peas. She taught me that the more you pick them (and share them) the more sweet peas you have.

Names and dates tell us a few life details. A few journal entries and historical notes provide glimpses into the past. Pictures show a few more details but washing dishes together clearly demonstrates her character. Such memories warm my heart - sometimes I deeply miss her.

Born: 9 January 1886
Woodruff, Navajo, Arizona, USA elevation 5144 '

Chloe's  husband Neil's history contains a short biography of Chloe. From it we learn that her family moved from Woodruff to Alpine, where the rest of the family was born, when she was age 2. I conjecture that the family may have moved to Alpine to be nearer to Viola Melissa's parents. We know that Chloe's maternal grandparents moved to Alpine Arizona in 1879.  On their family record we see that a daughter is born in Woodruff Arizona in 1883 and a son in Alpine in 1886 and a daughter in Alpine in 1888. Records state they moved back to Vernal, Utah in 1890 but we know that after the death of Chloe's mother that Grandma Pearce helped with the children.
-
The mountain community of Alpine, Arizona can be found in the midst of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. Situated at the eastern end of the White Mountains and near the headwaters of the San Francisco River, Alpine is the highest town in Arizona at an elevation of 8,050 feet. As of 1960, it was the highest place in place in the United States where farming was successfully occurring.

The town was settled in 1876 by Anderson Bush who built a log house originally known as 'Fort Bush'. Bush sold his holdings in 1879 to William Maxwell and Fred Hamblin, settlers who established the town as a Mormon community. Just east of Alpine, close to the New Mexico border, Luna Lake is visible [on satellite views]. The wetlands surrounding the lake house a wildlife refuge for bald and golden eagles.

Baptized: 2 Oct 1894

In 1878, 2 years after Mormons first colonized the area, Lorenzo Hill Hatch, Chloe's grandfather moved his wife Catherine and her family  from Savoia, New Mexico by trading his property there to Ammon, Nathan and Samuel Tenney for their property at 'Tenney's Settlement, Arizona.  The small village was renamed 'Woodruff' in honor of apostle Wilford Woodruff.

"Although not founded by Mormons, this town was sold to them in the 1880s. Like other towns on the Little Colorado River, Woodruff suffered from regular floods. Its post office was established in 1880..."

Chloe was born into a time and place of upheaval, colonization and general lawlessness. People in the United States of America were moving west seeking new lives, land and wealth.The Tonto Basin Feud, an infamous range war that exterminated the families involved, took place in the immediate area between 1882 and 1892. It was also known as the Pleasant Valley War and has been immortalized in books and movies.

Railroads were expanding coast to coast. Holbrook Arizona (previously known as Barado's Ranch), approximately 10 miles from where she was born was founded when the railroad built a station at the Horsehead Crossing and renamed it after an engineer, about 5 years before she was born. Holbrook was known as a place 'too tough for women and churches'.

Did any of this nearby history affect her or her family?
We do not know how much.
We must imagine between a few lines of dates, places, and events.

We read in a journal/history of her Grandfather, Lorenzo Hill Hatch, that as he traveled by buggy to Tonto Basin in June 1888 on Stake Business that he spent the night at Pine Creek and that Jim Tewksbury, a notorious participant in the range war, passed the night at the same location.  Other records tell of one of his sons involvement with some of the range war problems.

He also tells of the wars and dangers of the conflicts with the Native American tribes and the Spanish people indigent to the area. He personally supervised the construction and living arrangements of forts, making and maintaining peace, and at one time rescuing a tortured captive.

Thomas Hatch

Chloe's Father: Thomas Hatch (1862-1951)
son of Lorenzo Hill Hatch and Catherine Karren
-
I note here that on our pedigree chart, on the day prior to Chloe's birth, her great grandmother, Ann Ratcliffe, (Catherine Karren Hatch's mother) died in Provo Utah [8 January 1886]. Even though Chloe's paternal grandparent's had been living in Woodruff Arizona they moved to Utah the fall of 1885 and Catherine would have been in Utah when her mother, Ann Ratcliffe, died. The property in Woodruff was left in the care of their son, Thomas (Chloe's father). The Lorenzo Hill Hatch family returned to Arizona in a few short years 1890/92.

From the journal/history of Lorenzo Hill Hatch we glean a little more information about Tom's freighting business. "In 1880 the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad began laying track into Arizona Territory from Albuquerque and many Mormon men found the work to be a way of making much needed cash. Several of Lorenzo’s older sons worked at grading and laying track. Others worked hauling freight for the Army at Ft. Apache, eighty miles from the railhead. In November, Lorenzo mentions that “Thomas came home from [Fort] Apache where he had been freighting, ..."

In 1882 Lorenzo writes that, Thomas age 22, was "in the southern part of this territory or in California freighting... [and has] fear he will be a rough man. He is good to his Mother and Hyrum and the children [but] I am very anxious about him ...” [In a letter to a son in Utah] his opinion of his unruly wild Arizona sons at that time was, "As far as faith in God is concerned, I don’t think there is one of the boys that care a fig.'  In 1886 Tom wrote to ask his father if he might 'rent' [out] the place in Woodruff'.

From other records we learn that the railroad owned every other parcel of the unsurveyed Arizona land and 

Tom Hatch had no assurance that he could obtain title to the land he and his father worked to improve.

About 1896 Chloe’s father was called as Bishop of the Alpine Ward. He was set apart by Heber J Grant and John W Taylor. Life was good to them, for the times they were living in.

Chloe's Mother: Viola Melissa Pearce 
(1865-1899) daughter of
Sylvester Henry Pearce and Roseltha Melissa Reynolds.

Notice her mother's death date.
Chloe was only 13 years old.

My Aunt Ruth, Chloe's only daughter, tells me Viola Melissa died in childbirth. Neil's history of Chloe, that Aunt Ruth compiled and arranged notes: "In 1899 tragedy struck this family, with the death of their mother on February 9th. Chloe was just 13 years old and unable to care for the family with her father away much of the time with his freighting business. For a time they all lived with Grandmother Pearce. When they moved to Woodruff the following year, Kate lived with Grandpa and Grandma Hatch [and moved to Utah with them at the end of the year to continue to help her grandmother]. Chloe and the others lived with Aunt Nora Savage. Chloe helped care for Wren [Lorenzo] who had kidney problems. At times some of the other children lived with other aunts and uncles. It seemed to Tom that family unity was difficult."


The LH Hatch journal history tells us, "Thomas ... and his seven motherless children visited in Woodruff.  My sympathies were touched very much. All of them are bright and as good as could be expected. He [Thomas] was a-going to leave two of them with us, but the oldest girl [Chloe] of thirteen said she could not sleep if she did not have them where she could care for them.”

about fall 1894

back row l-r : Thomas Hatch, Victor held by 

       Viola Melissa Pearce, Thomas Layfayette [Faye]

front row l-r: Chloe, Catherine [Kate],  Lorenzo[Wren], Mary

From the journal/history of Lorenzo Hill Hatch we learn a few details of what life in the area and time may have been like for Chloe and her family.
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In 1888 the town of Holbrook burned.  This dramatically changed the owners and use of the land in that area. "When the large brick ACMI building [a store] in Woodruff was vacated by the move to Holbrook, the Woodruff people put it to good use as a church, school and social hall. They purchased an old train bell, and mounted it on the roof. For many years this bell called folks for all occasions. It rang out fast and gaily for dances and weddings, and tolled slowly for funerals. One half hour before any church meeting, the bell warned of the approaching hour ...
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"[1897] Lorenzo’s home in Woodruff was a low-roofed frame house with a long front porch. Doors off the porch led directly to Catherine’s bedroom and May’s bedroom. There were paths of flat sandstone all around the house, but the path from the front gate to porch was especially grand. It consisted of flat stones quarried from the town hill laid tightly together, end to end, each stone about five feet wide and eight feet long. This path led past two great locust trees and in the summer, beds of hollyhock and zinnias ...
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"[1899] The frost held off and Lorenzo was still hauling hay in October. He had no help, what with all the "little boys going to school," and so he took a ladder to climb onto the load and tromp it down as he hauled.
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"His woodshop where he made furniture, repaired wagons and built what was needed for his household of that of neighbors, was a vital part of Lorenzo's 'setup'. One grandchild remembers the shop as a place with many curious tools, which no one was allowed to touch. There was a wood lathe used to fashion legs for chairs and posts for bedsteads. The grandchildren loved to make the smooth, white shaving on the floor crinkle and crunch under their bare toes. Across from the workbench was the blacksmith quarters with an anvil, hammer, tongs, furnace and the 'mysterious bellows, or blast bag.' "
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On his 75th birthday [4 January 1901] LH Hatch's daughter Nora Savage (with whom Chloe lived) 'took charge' of a 'grand affair' for him. He had been released from his 24 year 'mission' to colonize and settle Arizona, and was returning (with Catherine) to Utah. Many of his children and grandchildren that had been born and raised in the area remained - never to see them again. "The weather during the next week must have been fair, for twenty-five members of the Hatch family went to nearby Petrified Forest for a picnic. Eighteen grandchildren were the more part of the party. Though the Petrified Forest was within twenty miles of Woodruff, Lorenzo had apparently never visited there before, since he remarked, 'It was a grand sight to see this petrifaction.' "

Neil's history compiled by his daughter Ruth explains more about Chloe's family circumstances at the time of their move to Canada, "By 1901 Tom had lost much in his business and in an effort to pick up his life again he decided to leave Arizona. He had heard of new land opportunities in Canada, so in the spring of 1901 they all traveled to Logan, Utah. In Sept, with financial help from his father, He left with his family, by train, for Canada. Here they stayed one week at Immigration Hall in Lethbridge. While here they received vaccinations and all the children were sick except Chloe. They had only one trunk of clothes and some bedding, so Tom bought a team and wagon, some furniture and moved them to Sterling. He bought two building lots and built a little home, and started the children in school. He also bought a hundred calves and they had a good winter in Sterling.

In the spring of 1902, Tom got a job with J W Wolfe in Spring Coulee, so in April the family moved again. Chloe said this trip was so cold they nearly all froze to death. Mary said the large unfinished house they lived in was built by Manley Brown, father of Hugh B Brown. They shared the house with the Elisha Laycock family. Sister Laycock taught the girls many useful things about homemaking. Chloe tells of braiding rag rugs for the floors in this home to make it warmer....

"In the spring of 1903 Tom bought a section and an half of land from J W Wolfe and farmed it. Sometime during this year, Lorenzo who was just twelve got infection in his leg and had to have it amputated. Chloe was assigned the task of taking care of Wren during his recovery, sometimes he was so miserable he couldn't even stand a clock ticking in the room. This incident broke his bather’s heart again, and in the fall of 1904 he sold his land to W L Thompson and took his family to homestead at Brant, Alberta.

"There was no school at Brant, so Tom encouraged people around to get one built. All the children were soon back in school, walking in the summer and riding horseback in the winter. The years were hard, extreme cold in the winter, hail storms and prairie fires in the summer.

"The nearest meeting house was in Frankburg so the family attended there. Sunday school was in the morning and Sacrament Meeting in the afternoon. Between services they were invited to dinner throught the kindness of the Franks, McPhies, or Larsons. Often in the evening after church many of the young people would go to the Hatch home for a fireside get together.

Chloe writes, that while in Brant her father served as Branch President of the Frankburg Branch, and she held various positions in the Branch. She taught a Sunday School class and also a Primary class, and the last year she was Primary President and served at times as a chorister."

Neil's short biography of Chloe also contains a brief story of her first suitor at age 16.  An additional blog post is devoted to her courtship and their marriage. 

Chloe's Spouse: Neil Snow Forsyth
Married: 20 December 1911
Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, USA

Chloe Roseltha Forsyth nee Hatch 
Died: 13 November 1962
Cardston, Alberta, CANADA
Buried: 16 November 1962
Cardston, Alberta, CANADA

I attended my grandmother's funeral. My memories and documentation of her passing are published on 13 November.

DEAR AVALIN

I am thinking of you today.

When we talked on Skype at Christmas time I noticed how long your hair is getting. It is pretty! That was a lot of fun. I liked seeing you and your house AND your family. I like singing songs together and I loved seeing your 'rainbow' tree.

Your mom said the Christmas packages got to your house. They sure took a long time! Letters can take a long time too. I decided to write you a letter here. You can see it today!

I hope you can read this letter. Some kids can read when they are your age. It is easy for them. Some kids can't read easily. Reading can be very hard.

There are many kinds of books to read. Be sure to tell me about your favorite books. Maybe you can send me a picture on my e-mail. Some books tell true stories.  Some tell pretend stories.

My favorite pretend story is 'A Toad for Tuesday'. When you go to the library ask them if they have that book. Maybe you can read it. I like it because the toad knows he can choose to be happy no matter what. I also like reading the Book of Mormon every day - usually just a little bit, but sometimes more.

Have you read the Book of Mormon yet? You are big enough to read it all by yourself.  Just read the words you already know and try the other words.

See if you can make the sounds, for the letters, make a word you know when there is a word you don't know yet.  Some letters make lots of sounds. Try all the different sounds. My dad told me to do that when I first learned to read. I was trying to read the Bible Stories. My dad said that most of the words I didn't know yet were names of people or places and that I could tell they were names because they would start with a capital letter.

He said to just skip those names that were really long and hard BUT to remember what they looked like so when I saw them again I could say to myself, "Oh yeah that is the king" or "that is the place where they lived".

I would wait until he was not at work and then ask him how to say the names.  The longest name was Nebuchadnezzar. He was not a very nice king. The other name I liked was Methuselah. He was a prophet that lived almost 1000 years! He was Noah's grandpa.

If you read a few words in the Book of Mormon every day and try to read it soon you will be able to read all the words you see. You could read the whole book a few words at a time!  I like the Book of Mormon because it helps me to feel like Heavenly Father is close by. Many other people tell about feeling that way too.

Parley P. Pratt (an apostle and friend of Joseph Smith) stated, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon me, while I read [The Book of Mormon], and enlightened my mind, convinced my judgment, and riveted the truth upon my understanding, so that I knew that the book was true, just as well as a man knows the daylight from the dark night.” (Journal of Discourses, 5:194.)

Brigham Young (a prophet) said as he read the book, “I knew it was true, as well as I knew that I could see with my eyes, or feel by the touch of my fingers, or be sensible of the demonstration of any sense.” (JD, 3:91.)

One of the prophets that wrote the Book of Mormon is named Nephi. He said, "“… for it persuadeth them to do good … and it speaketh of Jesus, and persuadeth them to believe in him, …

 “… If ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good.” (2 Ne. 33:4–5, 10.)

Avalin I love you very much. 

I hope you will tell me about the books you like.  

Love Grandma FarFarAway

SILVER AND GOLD

My mind has been churning around a little the past week or so - ever since I read Lesson 32 in the Brigham Young, Teachings of Presidents of the Church manual, 'Temporal Wealth and the Kingdom of God'.


I suppose you are a bit like me. 
I wouldn't really mind a little more wealth. 
More might be kind of nice ...

We are almost finished reading ALL these lessons and they are affecting David and I a lot. This one has really, really stirred up my mind. I suppose that is because when I read this statement below I did not really believe I personally can (or do) 'organize elements'. 

Then I got to thinking - if I cut cloth and make clothing am I further organizing elements that someone else already organized into cloth; if I take beads and make a bracelet am I organizing elements? or what about building a house, writing a blog, preparing garden soil and planting seeds or bulbs or trees or making a meal of what grows there (or what someone else grew) ...

I began to think of all the various ways we build, and act, and live our lives.  Are the things we do of worth? what kind of worth? 

How many ways do we organize native elements?

What are native elements anyways?

Can you think of any ‘elements’ you organize?

Here is President Young's quote from page 236:

There is … gold and silver in the earth and on the earth, and the Lord gives to this one and that one—the wicked as well as the righteous—to see what they will do with it, but it all belongs to him. 

… it is not ours, and all we have to do is to try and find out what the Lord wants us to do with what we have in our possession, and then go and do it. If we step beyond this, or to the right or to the left, we step into an illegitimate train of business. Our legitimate business is to do what the Lord wants us to do with that which he bestows upon us, and dispose of it just as he dictates, whether it is to give all, one-tenth, or the surplus (DBY, 305).

Instead of looking for gold and silver, look to the heavens and try to learn wisdom until you can organize the native elements for your benefit; then, and not until then, will you begin to possess the true riches (DBY, 305).

... True wealth consists in the skill to produce conveniences and comforts from the elements. All the power and dignity that wealth can bestow is a mere shadow, the substance is found in the bone and sinew of the toiling millions. Well directed labor is the true power that supplies our wants. It gives regal grandeur to potentates, education and supplies to religious and political ministers, and supplies the wants of the thousands of millions of earth’s sons and daughters  (DBY, 309). Lesson 32 

MORE

Each year I learn - something.

Every year I become more than I was last year.

My understanding increases.
My abilities change.
My mind and body  ... constantly - always becoming!

Matthew 5:48 instructs us "be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." I hope I can do that ... is it possible - really??

How is He perfect?

Prophets teach us that being perfect means to act with in our knowledge.

Brigham Young explained this in part. [Lesson 34]

The Savior converted the water into wine. He knew how to call the necessary elements together in order to fill the water with the properties of wine. The elements are all around us; we eat, drink and breathe them, and Jesus, understanding the process of calling them together, performed no miracle except to those who were ignorant of that process. It was the same with the woman who was healed by touching the hem of his garment [see Matthew 9:20–22]; she was healed by faith, but it was no miracle to Jesus. He understood the process, and although he was pressed by the crowd, behind and before, and on each side, so that he could scarcely make his way through it, the moment she touched him he felt virtue leave him and enquired who touched him. This was no miracle to him. He had the issues of life and death in his power; he had power to lay down his life and power to take it up again [see John 10:17–18]. This is what he says, and we must believe this if we believe the history of the Savior and the sayings of the Apostles recorded in the New Testament. Jesus had this power in and of himself; the Father bequeathed it to him; it was his legacy, and he had the power to lay down his life and take it again. He had the streams and issues of life within him and when he said “Live” to individuals, they lived (DBY, 340–41).

If we have faith to feel that the issues of life and death are in our power, we can say to disease, “Be ye rebuked in the name of Jesus, and let life and health come into the system of this individual from God, to counteract this disease”; and our faith will bring this by the laying on of hands by administering the ordinance of the holy Gospel (DBY, 342).
2 Timothy 3:17 teaches 'a man of God' may be perfect when 'thoroughly furnished unto all good works'. 'Perfect' in that verse is translated from a word in the Greek language that means 'suited, ready, complete'. To be perfect is to be whole. See Bible Dictionary - Perfection. I believe the term 'man' often designates 'humankind' - all of us ... men and women together.

I have so much to learn, so much to do!
Will I ever have enough time?

James 3:2 teaches us "If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man and able also to bridle the whole body."

I can do better.
My thoughts precede my words.
Can I actually choose my thoughts?
And 'bridle my words'?
Choose what to think?
Direct and redirect not only thought but action too?

Can I learn to organize elements? Can I learn the physical AND spiritual processes whereby with faith, my actions produce miracles and I become as my Father in Heaven?

Today marks another start of another year.
1 January 2012.

Whew - more time ...