Ella Jenson/Monson Part 5 Retirement

On September 23, 1896, her husband passed away leaving her with seven children at home, Ezra having married eleven months before.  With a large family, there was not much to be divided for their keeping, so each family was  left to make their way through the world.  Mother and her children began early to realize the cold facts that were confronting them, and her daughters took up the work of dressmaking and other work where they could help.  Fred, the oldest son at home found work and with all working who were old enough to help they managed to get along.  Her children felt pride in the fact that at no time in all her life did she have to call for charity from the county or the Church.  Some was given to her by kind friends at times, but none was solicited.  She kept her family together as a unit, and as each one married her cares were lightened. 

When the two youngest boys went to Logan to school, she rented her home to Ezra and went along with them.  Keeping the little home warm for them and preparing their meals as long as she could do the work. It was there that she did her last housekeeping, tenderly taking care of the boys.  She became afflicted with rheumatism and suffered with it for years and when she got so that she could not take care of herself, she lived with her children for a number of years and at the last went to the home of her daughter Eva and spent most of her last days.  In this the children helped in the expenses.  A short time before her death she was moved to Idaho Falls to the home of her youngest son Aquilla.  Shortly after she was stricken with a stroke and a few days later on December 14, 1928, she had another stroke and passed away.  Her remains were taken to Franklin for the funeral services and burial was made in the Richmond cemetery where the family burial lot is located.

Her life was full of incidents that speak of her faith and devotion to her family and her faith in God and His Church, an inspiration to her family and all who know her.

If anyone has more info and pictures, that would be fantastic

Whitehead Home in Franklin Idaho

I was doing a search for pictures of Franklin and happened upon a very good website developed by a young man who chose to do an overview of important places past and present of Franklin, Idaho.  You could imagine my surprise when I saw these:

back of the house

foundation

the front

the roof line 

All of these images are of the Whitehead house in Franklin.  Now, I do not know for certain what Whitehead built and lived in this home?  Perhaps these ones?




Or these ones?

I am going to send a little email over to the boy scout (not sure if he still lives in Franklin) to see about more info.
Google searches truly surprise and delight many times!!

Ella (Elna) Jenson wife to Christian Hans Monson Part 4 Relocation

Here the two wives lived in exile with their small children, hid away from society and associations of their friends.  In December, Aunt Vendla gave birth to her daughter, Eliza, now the wife of Dr. Kerr of Ogden, Utah.  Aunt Vendla did not enjoy good health, being afflicted with a weak heart and during one of these attacks, she passed away during the winter of 1887 and 1888.  Imagine the feelings of mother, her bosom companion who was sharing the trials of exile with her, the one who helped to make the situation a little more bearable, to see her taken in death in her young womanhood, leaving three small children, would make a real drama of trial. 


But I will add that the Swann family were kind and considerate of them in all of their troubles.  Father under arrest and waiting trial, her two eldest children in Richmond with Aunt Mary, and the death scene that came into the home and she to be left with the small children was an extreme experience for both father and mother and the rest of the family.  The clouds of  persecution were hanging very heavy over them.  With heavy heart, but without complaint, and with true Christian devotion she accepted her lot, firm in the belief that she was living a sacred law and with the faith that she would again be privileged to live with her family, her husband and friends.

On June 23, 1888, father was sentenced to serve six months in the Utah Penitentiary at which time he began his sentence.  During his imprisonment mother gave birth to her daughter, Sarah, on August 5, 1888.  Father’s term expired on December 23, 1888 at which time he was released and arrived home Christmas eve.  Father set about  to get mother a little nearer home so that he could visit more often and in the early spring of 1889 he moved her to Franklin to the farm home of  Tolef Olsen which was located on the river south and west of the cemetery.  The house could not be seen from the road, and not until you came to the brow of the hill next to the river.  Here she remained until the spring of 1890 when she was moved into Franklin in a home that was on the corner just west of the present highway on the south side of Main Street.  Father had been encouraged to move his mill from Richmond to Franklin as the lumber supply came from the mountains east of Franklin and would be more convenient to towns in Idaho.  He located it temporarily on the river between the north end of the railroad bridge and the river where it remained for two summers when he built a large mill building just south and west of the railroad station, where the Wm. Durand home property is now located.  He had a saw mill and shingle mills together with other wood working machinery.  He provided a home there where mother lived and cooked for  the mill hands.

Her move to Franklin brought her into a new life, not excluded from the world, with her children she enjoyed the privileges of going into society and attending church, so there was rejoicing in her family.  Her home soon became the center of attraction of many of the young people as she was tolerant with them.  Her children attended the public schools and worked in the various Ward organizations and made themselves useful members.  Three of her children were born in Franklin.

On September 23, 1896, her husband passed away leaving her with seven children at home, Ezra having married eleven months before.  With a large family, there was not much to be divided for their keeping, so each family was  left to make their way through the world.  Mother and her children began early to realize the cold facts that were confronting them, and her daughters took up the work of dressmaking and other work where they could help.  Fred, the oldest son at home found work and with all working who were old enough to help they managed to get along.  Her children felt pride in the fact that at no time in all her life did she have to call for charity from the county or the Church.  Some was given to her by kind friends at times, but none was solicited.  She kept her family together as a unit, and as each one married her cares were lightened. 

If anyone has more info and pictures, that would be fantastic

Ella (Elna) Jenson wife to Christian Hans Monson Part 3- The Escape

As the persecutions came upon the Church, my parents were among those who were sought for on account of their marriage relationship and in the year 1887, my father was arrested by United States Deputy Marshals’ Steele and Whetstone on the charges of unlawful cohabitation.  By this time father had married another wife, Vendla, so that she and mother together with their young children were taken into exile, those remaining living with Aunt Mary. Aunt Vendla had been taken to the home of friends who lived on Worm Creek east of Preston and mother was living with Aunt Mary in the home on Main Street in Richmond, just one-half block east of the bank location.  Aunt Ellen and her children were living in a home one and one-half blocks south of the cemetery.  The home on Main Street where mother was living, faced the south with the kitchen part of the house on the north facing the west and another outside door on the east.  North of the kitchen was a bedroom which did not have any outside door but had a window on the north and east side.

At the time of father’s arrest, he was at his planing mill and lumber yard which was located on the County road, two and one-half blocks south of the present location of the Inter-Urban Depot, on the south bank of City Creek.  He was engaged in setting up a new planer when they found him.  The officers took him with them in their buggy and drove  immediately to the home on Main Street where my mother and Aunt Mary were engaged in the laundry work for the week, using the old-fashioned tub and washboard, just in the middle of the task.  On entering the home, father took them into the front door and was met by my brother Joseph’s wife, who were living in the two east rooms.  She was introduced as Mrs. Monson and was placed under arrest, they thinking that she was one of father’s wives.  In those days old apostate Mormons were the informers of the officers and among them in Richmond were some whom father had befriended when they first came to Utah and sheltered and fed them until they could find employment and make other arrangements.  So with such informers the officers were supplied with intimate knowledge of the home and family relations.  Father invited the officers to dine with them, as it was near noon and they accepted the invitation.  This gave mother a better chance to escape.

As stated before, Aunt Mary and mother were in the back part of the house and learning what had happened and not knowing whether or not the officers would come around to the east or west doors of the kitchen, or possibly they might watch both doors to avoid anyone’s escaping, the north window in the little bedroom was quickly raised and mother climbed our with her babe Rachel, without time to get any change of clothing, but just in her working clothes, without anything to cover her head, other than her kitchen apron tied around her waist, she put it over her head and running north  through the orchard into the lots of Henry Hendricks and on to the street north, then she went east to the Shepard corner, then north two blocks.  She had in mind to go to the home of some friends by the name of Poulsen which was just another half block north.  She had an impression not to go there as there would be a possible danger that the officers might be informed of the family friendship.  She turned east, thinking she would go to the home of Swen Nelson which was two blocks which were on an upgrade, part of it quite steep.  When she arrived at the corner, she again felt the same impression not to go there.  She had now gone five blocks south of where she was.  Without any time wasted she started for the Larson home where she was received and welcomed.

The delay to the officers occasioned by the invitation to dinner and waiting for its preparation gave mother the opportunity to get away without their knowing about her escape.  They were quite contented thinking that they had mother and knowing that Aunt Vendla was out of town.  On leaving, after placing father under bond for his appearance, they went to these apostate “spotters” of theirs and to their disappointment learned that they had my brother’s wife.  They went to the Poulsen home first and searched it through, going into the attic from a ladder up the east end of the house to a door in the gable.  They searched the cow shed, the chicken house and through the lot where the berry bushes were.  Failing there, they went direct to the Swen Nelson home and made a similar search.  At neither of these homes had they learned of father’s arrest.  Failing at these two homes the search was abandoned.

A few days later, father got brother Nathan Porter of Preston to go and get mother and take her to Preston  where her cousin Mrs. Annie Larsen was living and left her temporarily at the Larsen home.  Arrangements were make for her to move to the Ephriam Swann home which was about three  miles north and east of Preston.  The home was built on the north slope of the hill so that only the upper part of the home, the roof, was in sight from down nearer to town.  Aunt Vendla was moved from the place on Worm Creek, where she was staying, to the Swann home with mother.

What's In A Name?

Look what I found!  As the Ostlunds came from Sweden I didn't even think about looking for a family shield- well, this was fascinating because there is much associated with the name.
Ostlund in Swedish and Norwegian means ornamental or topographic composed of the elements 'ost' 'east' and 'lund' means grove.
Upon further investigation it describes people who came from the east, how interesting that Jonas Oslund and his wife came from the east to the US and then made their way north to Canada.

http://www.4crests.com/ostlund-coat-of-arms.html

Preston, Idaho Facts Part 1

This is just for fun- today when I was looking for historical images of Preston and Franklin Idaho I came accross a fun fact- Preston is the home of Napeloen Dynamite.  Most of the movie was filmed there.  So here is a little video I found on utube that shows some of the landscape of what Ella would look out on everyday as she hung laundry, did chores and hugged children.  

Part 2 Ella Jensen Monson- Married With Children

In January 5, 1874, she was married to Christian Hans Monson in the Endowment House, Salt Lake City, and the following children were born to them:  Ezra Peter, born Sept. 30, 1874; Emaline, born Oct. 25, 1876, died the same date; Ella Evaline, born Oct. 11, 1877; Fredrick Lorenzo, born May 2, 1881; Julia Amamda, born June 7, 1883; Rachel, born July 31, 1885; Sarah, born Aug. 5, 1888; Franklin LeRoy, born Jan 10, 1891; Willard, born April 11, 1893, died Nov 15, 1893; William Aquilla, born Jan. 12, 1895.

In her marriage she became the fifth wife of her husband, who had two wives living at the time of her marriage, Aunt Ellen and Aunt Mary.  She took her place in the home with the other members and accepted religiously her marriage relation and her loyalty to the other families of her husband.  With a large family, the struggle for a livelihood made it necessary for all who were old enough to work, to assist in providing for the family.  The family home was in Richmond, Cache County, Utah where most of the family were born-six of her children being born there and four in Idaho.

Her father and mother, together with her sister Elsie and husband Nels Adamson and her brother Nels came to Utah in the early eighties and made their homes in Smithfield, Utah where they remained some time.  Her father, aged seventy, and mother, aged sixty-five, found it difficult to make a livelihood as there was not much to do in his trade, that of a tailor.  Their son Sven encouraged them to come to his home in Minnesota where he would care for them, so in early fall of 1882 they went to Minnesota and her sister Elsa and husband and brother Nels accompanied them.  Mother felt quite concerned over this, wondering if they had lost their faith in the Gospel and Church.  I had the privilege of visiting with my Uncle and family in Minnesota in July 1912 and learned that my grandparents were very much dissatisfied and that they intended to return to Utah in the spring of 1884, but grandmother died in March of that year and grandfather did not like to go and leave and chose to remain, which he did.  My Uncle’s wife told me when there, that my grandparents were very much disappointed and said that the Mormons in Utah were a much better people than the people in Minnesota.  It was a source of satisfaction to mother to learn that they were true to the faith.