About 1881.
Between October, 1881, and May, 1882, while I felt afraid I would not live through my coming confinement, I dreamed I was on a very sandy plain, the sand was knee deep. And I was traveling alone with five dear sweet children of my own. We struggled on though the wind blew fiercely in our faces. We clung closely together, and made progress, though the odds were all against us.
I believe the Lord gave me this glimpse of the future to let me know that I should live, and have a family. I had prayed many times and told the Lord I was willing to endure hardships if He would bless me with a splendid family of children. And my children were just as much children of prayer as Samuel of old. This dream was fulfilled when Floy my fifth child was born, and through some years that followed.
During the last months before baby came Aunt Julia excused me from the hard work but I did the family knitting. We all wore home knit woolen stockings in the winter. I also made crochet and netted tidies. I made one beautiful netted tidy with worked in designs which we sent to our husband in Norway, a present for his Aunt Tameria Torvaldson from Julia and I. And I did painting on velvet, flowers on little girls’ velvet dresses, and on the sides of velvet hoods for children.
Aunt Julia was so generous she wanted me to use her baby clothes as money was very scarce. But my mother was doing tailoring, and dress-making, and she gave me the opportunity of coming to her home and helping her, and sharing the money which came from the work. And in that way I had a very fine layette for my baby, beautiful clothes, fine white flannel shoulder-shawls and slips embroidered with silk floss, dresses of delicate materials tucked with insertion, lace and ruffles. All the clothing were among the finest in the country, I made about half dozen little shirts of white material, beauties at that time.
My sister Huetta gave me one made of pure linen. (The following is the history of that baby shirt.) [Page 47]
Before her first baby was born about 1867 she made her little baby shirts from a pure linen cape which had been bought in the east before the Pioneers came to Utah. It was richly trimmed with white braid. Mother gave the cape to my sister Louisa when she was in her teens, and it was her fine summer wrap for a few years. Then on one wash day it was left on the clothesline over night, and a calf chewed it on the front corner and ruined it. It was then given to Huetta for baby shirts.
Her six children had all worn those shirts. My baby was presented with one of them, a very choice heir-loom. My first four babies each wore that little shirt, and I still have it among my things at Monroe.
By holding the Y. L. M. I. A. weekly meetings at our home, there were occasional visits from my mother, sisters, and friends, and the almost daily visits of my father, who had always been my confidential advisor as mother was almost constantly in the public service being R. S. President, looking after the poor, and needy, nursing the sick, and teaching emigrant women how to adjust and make a living in this new strange country. She did more public work than some whole communities do now. Father was kindly, and wise, and I always thought if I had a problem he could surely help me solve it.
With the above conditions, I had all the fine social contacts necessary for my happiness during that shut in period.
I occasionally wrote poems, and small articles for the Woman’s Exponant, and though they may have been primitive, they were published. I wrote most of them in the wee hours of the night, when I awoke and the mood came on.
On May 10, 1882, my son Bent Franklin was born. I was very sick from Sunday evening until Wednesday at 1:30 o’clock. My life was despaired of, but by the goodness and mercy of the Lord I was delivered, and the instant my babe was born, my father prophesied that he would be a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator in the Kingdom of God. On Sunday evening just before I took sick I dreamed that I was up by the mill near the mouth of Monroe Canyon. I started for town, but found streams of water everywhere so deep I could not cross them. I tried and tried to cross the streams, I wandered for miles trying to find a shallow place but there was none, finally I was away northeast of town. I had traveled on the east side from the first, but now I had got nearly to the Washburn farms and found that the great stream was more narrow, but very deep. I could hear its [Page 48] awful roaring deep in the ground. I was looking in vain for a place to cross when I saw on the opposite bank Bishop Dennison L. Harris and two other men, one dark complexioned, and Brother Harris told me to wait a little while, and they would get me across. They then felled a forked tree, and put the forked part onto my side of the stream, and Brother Harris told me to crawl carefully onto the tree and cling tightly to the trunk and they would pull me over. I did so and when I was safely landed, I knelt down and kissed their hands in gratitude for their splendid services.
On Wednesday forenoon before baby was born Brother Harris came and brought Uncle Al Wingate, and I think Martin Larsen, and when I saw the three men, and Uncle Al with his dark hair, I was inspired with a little hope that I might live through it. Brother Harris said there is something wrong, and we have no dependable physicians. We must do what we can. He came and put his hands on either side of my abdomen, outside my clothing to see if he could discover what was wrong. He and Uncle Al went away, but he came back about 1 o’clock, and said his own wife had been taken out of bed, and had been delivered on his knees. When it seemed there was no other way, he then asked if there was anyone present who would volunteer to take me on their knees, and see if that would help. Martin Larsen said he would, and I was lifted onto his lap, and soon after baby came, the house was full of people, and everyone praying at the same time, with tears in every eye.
Word had gone out that I was dead. Grandma Swindle, Charles Swindle’s mother was washing that morning, and when she heard it, she fainted.
They dared not let me close my eyes for hours after baby came, for fear I would never open them again.
As soon as I was able I wrote to my husband and asked him what we should name baby. And while we were waiting for his answer, when baby was about six weeks old, Mother took pneumonia. One morning when I went up to see how mother was, I met Bishop Harris. After he looked at baby he said “I advise you to have your father name and bless him.” I told him I was waiting to find out what my husband wanted him named. A few days later when I had undressed baby to get him ready for night, he started to scream. It was a long time before I could even get his band fastened. I wrapped him up to keep him warm, but he screamed the whole night through. We sent for Uncle Martin Larsen and Andrew Rasmason to come and administer to him. But he could not be administered to without a name. After [Page 49] consulting with Aunt Julia I told them to name him Bent Franklin. Next morning baby was in a stupor. Julia and I did not know what to do. Mother was at the point of death, and no doctor, and we decided that I would have to carry him on a pillow up to my sister Almeda Wingate’s, and get her to help me nurse him, or give directions, as she had had some experience.
That afternoon I sent for Bishop Harris to come and administer to baby, but when he came he said he was not well, and did not like to administer when he was feeling poorly. He told me to have my father and about five other men come in the evening, and told me to undress baby, and have his entire body anointed with oil, and then administered to, and he said if that doesn’t heal him, and he is to live, the Lord will put it into the mind of some old lady to tell you just what to do so he will recover. I told the bishop I loved baby so much that if he should die the light of the whole earth would go out, there would be nothing to live for. He said “foolish woman don’t talk that way. We have to be resigned to the will of the Lord which ever way things turn.”
That evening when the elders came baby was still in a stupor. I told them I was almost afraid to undress him on account of the way he had been the night before, and most of them said better not undress him, but my father said if the bishop said undress him and anoint his whole body, that is what we will do. So we did, and he slept on.
After he was dressed again, Uncle Al told me I must lie down and get some rest as I had not slept for two days and one night. I seriously objected, but he said he would carry him on the pillow and watch him every minute, and if there was any change he would wake me. So I laid down and slept for hours, and when I awoke baby was sleeping peacefully by my side.
It was a time of great anxiety, mother so very ill, and Orson had a little boy who died that night.
We soon after had a letter from my husband and he said name baby Benjamin Franklin.
We had a fast and prayer day for mother and in the afternoon the whole family gathered for prayer, and during the afternoon some members of the family said they thought that they needed a little stimulant, so toddy was made and nearly all excepting myself and my father took some toddy. I was disgusted, but said nothing. [Page 50]
I think a great majority of people in those days knew very little about the real spirit of fasting and prayer. And nearly every body had a little brandy, alcohol or wine in the house for sickness and special occasions, yet you saw very little real drunkenness.
While my husband was on his mission he wrote letters regularly every 2 weeks. He addressed all the letters to Mr. Bent Larsen. Aunt Julie and I decided that she should take the first letter, and I the second, and divide them all in that same way until he returned home.
We were glad that there were two of us; it kept the home more cheerful. And with Mutual meetings at our home once a week, we had plenty of social life.
The Mutual girls thought it was sure an ideal life, and some of them said they would never marry unless there could be two of them, congenial like we were.
Answer to Prayer
I always had a special liking for Sunday School, perhaps it was because everybody took part.
When baby was about a year old his shoes wore through on the toes, and soon looked very shabby. I was too proud to take him to church looking shabby. Some people had previously asked me to do velvet painting for them, but I had been too busy. But now when I was needing shoes for baby, I sent word that I would do their painting for them, but no work came. I went to mother, but there was a lull in dress making. And it kept us rustling to get enough money for our husband’s missionary expenses. But I knew the Lord could open up a way. So one day when Aunt Julia was to her Mother’s home sewing, and no one at our home but baby and I, I knelt by baby’s crib and told the Lord that I knew He could help me, that He knew how I longed to attend Sunday School and church, and that it was so hard for me to go and have baby looking shabby, and would He please inspire someone to send me work so my baby could have new shoes.
I arose and started toward our corral, when but a few steps from the house Marie came running and said. Aunt Lorena have you any new shoes for baby. I said no. Then she said Aunt Mary Ann told me to run as fast as I could and ask you, and if you haven’t, she is going to buy the nicest ones in town for your baby. Next day she sent a beautiful pair of cream morroco trimmed in black. [Page 51]
Letter to Daddy
about Baby B. F.
You are in far off Norway
Oh Husband, dearest one,
And I sit at home alone today
Beside our little son.
And as I gaze upon him
My heart overruns with joy.
I know you would be happy
Too, to embrace our darling boy.
His eyes are bright as diamonds
They shine with an intellectual gleam
He is the finest Heavenly treasure
That mine eyes have ever seen.
May his life be filled with progress,
Angels guard his earthly way.
God, send many more just like him
To bless our home some day.
Lorena
Our husband went on his mission in perfect health, but one cold stormy night in February he and his companion were traveling out in the country. Night came on and although they asked at every farm house they came to, no one would give them a night’s lodging, because they were Mormons. Finally with their clothes wet from the storm they crawled into a barn, and slept on the hay. My husband took a heavy cold that night in Norway, his native land, which later developed into asthma, from which he never did recover, but suffered from its effects the rest of his life.
No comments:
Post a Comment