Our Family Tree

(Written by Her Own Hand)

I was born at Ogden, Utah in my grandparents little white house on 23 January l882. I was the 2nd child, but first girl, of a family of fifteen children. My father, James Albert Weaver Sr. came from Childs Ercall, England. My mother, Dora Sophia Johnson, (christened Dorothea Severinsen) came from Hjorring, Denmark.

I was only one year old when my parents bought a farm and moved from Promontory to Three Mile Creek, now called Perry, Box Elder, Utah. I attended school at Perry. Some of the school teachers I remember were Lucy Perry, Lydia Walker, Robert Young, Thomas C. Young and Jacob Harding.

One of the big high lights while attending school was the sleigh riding parties we had in the winter in the Bob sleds.

My greatest task every night when I came home from school was to mix bread, whether we needed it or not.

I was baptized on 23rd January l890 in Porter Springs by Thomas C. Young and confirmed by Richard Thorn on 7 February 1890.

At home whenever my mother was sick, nobody could cook her meals to taste as good as my father could, although he was very busy on the farm, he took time to prepare her something tasty.

We were all raised on the farm in Perry, Utah. We all milked cows, hauled hay, grain and hoed weeds. On the farm we grew sugar cane and made our own molasses, raised grain to make flour, made butter and cheese out of our milk, and also made a lot of our own clothes. We had to make our pennies go a long way, so we went bare footed in the summer time to save our shoes for winter.

We were taught to say our prayers, and to take turns in family prayer and the blessing on the food.

We, as a family were quite healthy; however, my sister, Beatrice, was very unlucky. She broke both her arms at the same time once. The doctor bound her right arm too tight and her fingers rotted off at the first joint, causing her arm, from the elbow down, never to grow.

I attended Sunday School, Religion class, Primary and Mutual in Perry. As I became older I taught the different classes in Religion and Primary.

One hot summer day I was out in the field with my father shocking grain. On the way home I got real thirsty. We came to a stream of water and I laid down on my stomach to drink. I guess I must of drank too much too fast and became real sick before we reached home. My father had to pack me the rest of the way home. I was better in about three days.

When I was twelve years old, I went to the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple with my mother and father. We drove down in a black top surrey. I will never forget the impression it made on me.

One experience I'll always remember was when four of my sisters were very sick. Mother called in the Elders to administer to them. I took another sister outside. As I stepped outside, right beside the steps was a personage all dressed in white. It was the spirit of the sister most sick. I was afraid to come back in, but it was gone. That night my sister Flossie died.

I loved to read good books and we always had the Juvenile Instructor in our home. I joined the MIA at the age of fourteen years. IU was in several plays put on in the ward. I also enjoyed dancing and baseball.

I remember attending MIA conference held in Brigham City and hearing Lillie J. Frize speak in tongues. I felt like I was so dumb, as I couldn't understand her. She looked like a great spirit. When she was through speaking, the President asked if there was anyone here that could interpret what she had said. For a while it was very silent then a lady from Mantua got up. He name was Sister Hansen. She had her eyes closed. The interpretation was mostly to the young girls, to watch and pray for guidance, to hold their virtue for they would be tempted by the evil one. It sure left a guiding feeling with me. The rest of my childhood was spent remembering this experience.

We were never allowed to have face cards in our home. My father called them the "Devil's Bible." Whenever we went out for the evening we were expected to be in by ll p.m. or else.

My father was a strong believer in paying his tithing. He gave every 10th calf, every 10th bushel of grain, every 10th load of hay and a 10th of everything from the farm. There was a Tithing yard in the town and granary to put grain in. They used to hold their Fast Meeting on the first Thursday of each month to settle their tithing. This was from 1886 to 1900. We knew what tithing meant.

We had to go about three miles to Brigham City to do our shopping and sell our products. It was a nice little town and had a flour mill where my father took his grain and had it made into flour. As the family increased father made additions to the house.

My father was called on a mission for the LDS church to the Southern States on l5 June 1898. He left my mother with ten children to look out after. I was sixteen years old at the time.

I met a nice young man, by the name of James Sheldon Nelson, and went with him a lot. He was called on a mission for the LDS church to Canada, l0 September 1899 to help build a canal. He returned home 30 December 1899, and we were married in the Logan Temple for time and eternity on the 28th February 1900 by Marimer W. Merrill.

We lived in Perry two years. We had our first baby a year after we were married, born 4 January 1901 whom we named Jamsey Sheldon Nelson. Our second son, Myron, was born December 29, 1902 but passed away when he was only three years old. He had a bronchial tube condition and after three days illness, he left us. He was buried in the Thatcher cemetery. After this there were eight full time children. We also had two premature babies, who never had the chance to breathe on this earth.

In l902 we moved from Perry to Thatcher, Box Elder County where we bought a home. We lived there for fifteen years, moving back to Perry in 1917. While in Thatcher, I was sustained as first counselor of the MIA on April 2, 1902 to President Ada L. Jeppesen and second counselor, Geneva Nelson. Released in l906 and sustained again as first counselor to President Geneva N. Sorensen with Flora Hatch as second counselor. In 1911, I was sustained as President of the Thatcher Ward MIA with Alice Laws as first counselor. In 1912 I was released as president and Hazel Watt sustained as President and I became her first counselor with Alice Law as second counselor. A year later in 1913, we were all released and Alice Laws was put in as President and I became her first counselor with Nellie Nelson as second counselor. I held this position until I was released in 1914 from the MIA.

We lived in Thatcher for fifteen years where the following children were born. Nola was born 7 November 1904. I happened to be visiting my mother in Perry when Leona arrived a bit early, l4 March 1907. Merlin Joseph was born at Thatcher 2 November 1908. LaVon was born 7 September 1910, then another little girl on 3 September l912, whom we named Ethelyn. Arnold was our last one born at Thatcher, he arrived on November 28, 1914.

When Arnold was a little boy, he walked through a puddle of water with his shoes on. I chastised him quite severely and asked him why he would walk into the water with his shoes on? He looked up at me and said, "The water wouldn't move."

We moved back to Perry where my last two children were born. Lloyd was born 25 January 1918 and Iona was born 22 November 1920. Then we moved to Corinne, Box Elder County, Utah to run a farm with the help of the children.

We moved from Corinne into Brigham City after our children started getting married. While in Brigham we did live at two different locations. In 1931 we moved to Ogden, Weber County, Utah. We bought several different homes and sold and moved many times. Then we had a home built at 36th and Jefferson Avenue where we lived for several years.

While we lived at our home on Jefferson Avenue we celebrated our "Golden Wedding" anniversary with an open house being held Sunday afternoon from 2 to 5 p.m. on 26 February 1950. A big three tier wedding cake with a golden bell on the top was served with punch to family, friends and ward members who came by to congratulate us and wish us many more years of happiness.

That same year Sheldon and I were named the "Sweethearts" at the 28th ward ball.

Shortly after, we sold our home on Jefferson and bought our present home at 2146 Fowler Avenue in Ogden. My dear beloved husband passed away while living here on March 25, l953. I have lived alone in this same home ever since. I have continued my church activities. I am going to the Special Interest class where they are teaching the 'Book of Mormon'. I also received my diploma for completing a course in Genealogy.

In the year l957 I went to the Temple sixteen times to do endowment work for the dead.

I do enjoy my yard and am a lover of flowers. Where ever I have lived I have had to raise flowers. I enjoy driving my car. I still have my grand daddy license.

Important Dates:

Born - 23 January 1882 in Ogden, Weber, Utah
Blessed - by John Welch Sr.
Baptized - 23 January 1890 by Thomas Young
Confirmed - 7 February 1890 by R. Thorne
Married - 28 Februaryl900 - Logan Temple by Marimer Merrill
Died - 2 May 1958 - Ogden, Weber, Utah
Buried - 6 May 1958 - Ogden, Weber, Utah