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| Elna Bohne Birth Certificate |
My maternal grandmother, Elna Bohne, was the 8th and 4th surviving child of her parents. Records tell us that an older brother, "Samuel Hatcher Cobb, was given by his father William Cobbs to his cousin Laura Elizabeth Carpenter, due to his own mother's death [Ada Cobb]. Samuel was sealed to Laura and Henry at the time of their marriage in the Manti, Utah temple".
Death was common in the early 20th century for women and their babies during and shortly after birth. Five of Elna's ten siblings died at birth or within a few weeks and months.
They are buried in the Aetna, Alberta cemetery.
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| Henry Bohne Family - Elna on mother's knee |
I once asked Grandma what they did when someone had a bad infection. She said they used poultices (or plasters). One of the most effective was made from fresh, whole milk that was scalded (NOT boiled) and mixed with white bread to a thick paste-y consistency. She said just crumble the bread and pour a small amount of the hot milk into it, then let it cool enough to not burn but while still very warm apply to the affected area.
I saw it work for an infected hangnail that antibiotics were not solving. They did know and have many good remedies. Other poultices/plasters were made of raw onions, or mustard and flour.
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| Campbell home built by William Warren Campbell (original log with additions) |
In1989 my Grandma Campbell allowed me to copy some documents that she kept in a trunk. I called to ask if she could share information she might have. I think my mother and I drove about an hour from her home in Kimball, Alberta to her mother's in Hill Spring, Alberta.
When we arrived she had a large trunk in the kitchen. She said I could take anything in the trunk to copy as long as I brought it back. I worried about getting things back to the places she had them organized at. She laughed, right outloud, and told me she just put things she thought might be worth keeping in the trunk and that when they got looked at over the years they got mixed up many times.
We spent the afternoon visiting, hearing stories about her childhood and family and I went through the contents of the trunk. It didn't seem practical to copy everything. I couldn't lift it and I certainly didn't have enough cash to pay the bill at the copy shop. My mother had handwritten copies of most of the genealogical information and there were not many photographs in the trunk.
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| handwriting of Elna Bohne Campbell |
With my limited budget in mind I sorted and sifted out a small stack of papers, letters, and mementos that gave information I thought might be useful someday. I put everything into one package to keep it all together so that none could possibly be misplaced.
I carefully photocopied the information the next morning, paid the astronomical (for me) bill, and returned it promptly. My greatest worry was if a disaster or accident happened while I was responsible for such precious cargo. Whew - I was so relieved when it was all safely back in her trunk at her house. My copies are appropriately filed for the most part.
From her personal record, written in her hand, I learn:
Blood type - AB
Born at home - weighed 7 pounds.
First home - Aetna, Alberta, Canada.
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| Henry Magnus Bohne |
born Mr Pleasant, Utah.
(son of: Henry Morten Bohne and Juliett Day).
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| Laura Elizabeth Carpenter |
born in Richmond, Virginia
daughter of: John Samuel Carpenter and
Ann Marie Cobb.
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Blessed by her father 6 June 1909,
Aetna Ward, Alberta Stake
[of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints].
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| Henry and Laura Bohne Family - Elna standing in front of her mother |
Baptized [a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints] 17 July 1917 in the river at Orton, [Alberta, Canada] by George Silito. Other records say the date was 7 July 1917.
I asked my mother if she knew who George Silito [likely Sillito] is and why he might have been the person that baptized Grandma. She said that many years ago, when she was baptized, that the Ward would wait until there was a load of kids that needed to be baptized and then they would all travel together to the designated place and the Priesthood holder that was available would baptize them all. She said there were many Sillitos in the church in that area. She surmises that the children in the Ward were taken to the river in Orton to be baptized when the weather was warmer than March.
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ASIDE: When mother was baptized the kids were taken to be baptized in Cardston at the temple because someone had a car and they could go and come back in such a short time. Bubble Gum was a new and wonderful thing and someone (she doesn't remember whose car or who had the gum) gave each of the children a small piece of Bubble Gum. They thought they had the world, she says, and were so thrilled. She gets car sick easily (but at that time did not yet know that). As she chewed it she became nauseous. She knew she was going to throw up so she rolled the window down as far as it would go but that is only part way on those old cars. She began to throw up and the driver kept driving. She said she threw up over and over again. In the temple at that time they bathed all children before they were allowed to be baptized. She remembers the bathtub there. She was very grateful to get a bath. -
Elementary School was attended in Orten, Alberta and Aetna, Alberta. Her father farmed there for approximately 10 years before returning to Aetna.
In a book entitled 'Range 25 Country, History of a Valley, A River, and a People' about Aetna and Kimball, Alberta and area we read that Elna's paternal grandparent's, Henry Morten and Juliette Bohne, and their family arrived October 8,1898 on the banks of the St. Mary's River after a six week journey in 4 covered sheep wagons from Birch Creek, Utah. They homesteaded on land west of Aetna, later moving to the townsite of Aetna and building a large one room house on the north bank of Snake Creek. Henry kept promising to add more rooms later. One time when Juliette went to Utah for a visit she refused to come home until they were complete. A carpenter was hired and several rooms and a spacious pantry were finished. Then Juliette came home.
Garth and Jean Forsyth moved into this house in April 1953 and rented the farm with a one year lease. There was no power or indoor bathroom. It had a wood stove in the kitchen. It was heated with an oil stove but was almost impossible to heat because of the high ceilings. The water came from a well outside just under the South window. They had never been on such a big place. Dad says the 55 acres ran west of the house about 1/2 mile up to the gravel pit. They got a bunch of sheep that spring and fattened them and sold most of them that fall. Tim was born there in Oct. They had planned to stay many years but the deal that Hugh and Zelma were in fell through and they had to move when the year lease was up.
Page 370 of the above book states, "[Henry and Laura Bohne] lived in the old Bohne place for many years, milking cows [a significant part of their livelihood], raising chickens, pigs and running their farm. While milking a cow one day, the cow flipped her tail across Henry's face resulting in the loss of one of his eyes.[It was his left eye.] The Bohne family kept the Aetna stray pound for many years."
On page 371 we read further about Elna's grandparent's. "At their 50th Wedding Anniversary [about 1916] the meeting house was crowded with friends and relatives. Speakers ... paid tribute and Owen Bohne, then a small boy, stood on a chair and sang 'Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet'. All of Juliette's sons danced with her at the evening ball and upon request she tap danced for the crowd. Juliette was a large tall woman possessing remarkable carriage and poise. " Elna would have been approximately 7 years of age.
The book continues, "Henry Bohne [Sr.] had well-groomed horses with polished harnesses. Each Christmas morning all the grandchildren were taken for a sleigh ride, sleigh bells jingling with Henry cracking his whip."
Surely such events were part of Elna's life.
Elna, herself, tells in a short one page typed history, "My first memories: I was told we moved to Orton, a small place seven mile east of Fort Macleod when I was a small child about 1 1/2 years old [I] grew up there till I was nine years old. ... In the fall of 1919-192- father loaded up our two big grain wagones with all our possesions and moved us back to Aetna. Here I went to school till I was married ... I loved to ride horses and helped father on the farm. I drove four head of horses or a plough following father with his bigger one with six head. I also milked ten cows night and morning and took them to pasture before school time in the mornings.
"I loved haying time and the smell of the new mown hay. It was fun to make the big stacks of hay we didn't have bailes then it was stacked loose and we tramped it down as it was halled to the stack. I also stooked the wheat bundles in the fields and then came thrashing time with big crews of men going field to field to threash the grains. At which time each field owner would feed these crews while on his land." [original spelling and punctuation retained]
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| represented from link |
The Home Builder Program for children included Top Pilots [age 8], and Larks, Bluebirds, and Seagulls were the class emblems [for 9–to 11–year–old girls].
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| represented from link |
Elna also checks off that in the 'YWMIA Program' she received a Beehive award in Aetna in 1924, an Honor Bee award in Aetna in 1925 and her Mia Maid award in 1926.
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Elna Bohne About Age 15 [approximately 1924]
Fur in every form was VERY stylish
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An online history of the Young Women's program explains the structure of the organization and gives a list of sample goals. To achieve each rank, girls were required to fulfill 14-16 foundation requirements and 36 additional requirements of their own choosing. At one time there were about 373 choices like:
· - Care successfully for a hive of bees for one season and know their habits.
· - Sleep out-of-doors or with wide-open windows.
· - During three consecutive months, abstain from candy, ice cream, commercially manufactured beverages, and chewing gum.
· - Clear sagebrush, etc. off of a half acre of land.
· - Care for at least two kerosene lamps daily.
· - Without help or advice, care for and harness a team of horses at least five times; drive 50 miles in one season.
· - Identify 12 kinds of lace and tell the reasonable price and appropriate use of each.
· - During two weeks, keep the house free from flies or destroy at least 25 flies daily.
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| Elna Bohne - about 1923 |
When Elna was 14 years old she attended the dedication by Hebert J Grant of the newly completed LDS temple at Cardston, Alberta on 27 August 1923 at 6pm. She told me that it is one of her most treasured memories. She said her father got all of his children in his family that could go to the dedication tickets and they went. [Only children age 8 and older are permitted to attend.] In June 1991 when that temple had been refurbished and rededicated by Gordon B. Hinckley she was thrilled to still be alive to witness it. She was age 82.
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| memento - ticket to the dedication of the Alberta LDS Temple |
Her next older sibling, a sister named LuRay, had a malformed hip. The youngest son, Hughie, did also. Grandma and Aunt LuRay (and my parents) told me that LuRay and Hugh worked inside the house helping their mother and Elna and their oldest sister, Annie, worked like field hands with their father out-of-doors. Memories from LuRay and Elna often do not sound like they were even in the same family. Grandma told me that at age 8 she could hitch her own team for plowing. She said her father used more horses but she only had 4 Perchons!
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| Elna about age 17 and LuRay, single sisters, clowning around with some chocolate. Look at the fur on LuRay's sweater! |
Spouse: William [Bill] David Campbell
Married: 22 December 1926 Cardston, Alberta, Canada
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Sealed by Edward J. Wood, temple president, in the Cardston Alberta, Temple [of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints] 22 December 1926.
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| Bill and Elna eating chocolate (according to Aunt LuRay) shortly before their marriage. |
Bill and Elna met in 1924. Their first date was 24 July 1924 to the 24 of July celebration in Hill Spring, Alberta, Canada.
Died: 9 February 2003, Cardston, Alberta, Canada
Buried: 13 February 2003, Hill Spring, Alberta, Canada
I promise that I will get transcripts typed from the fun stories she shared. One of my favorite stories, that I have heard her tell several times was about stopping to rest at THE rock between Hill Spring and Cardston and looking down on an Indian Burial. Does anyone happen to have a picture of THE rock? We all know where it is out on that old gravel road and what it looks like, right? at least all of us over 50 years of age.
