Hannah Elizabeth Yates Thompson daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Francis Yates. Born at Scipio, Millard Co., Utah, February 1, 1865. Was the first child of my father and the fifth of my mother. Had the honor of being born in a dugout as my parents came from England in the October of 1863 and lived one year in Lehi where my father's brother William Yates lived and in the October of 1864 they removed to Scipio and it was too late in the year to get logs from the canyon to build a house so they built a dugout to live in during the winter and they were quite in style as dugouts were very fashionable in those days and it was in this humble abode that I first appeared upon this field of action and was blessed and named by my father when eight days old. My mother had the rare tact of making a home out of any surrounding. Brother George Q. Cannon and wife spent a night with my father and mother while living in this home and said years afterwards that he had never in his life spent a more comfortable night than he had spent in that dugout.

Sixteen months after my birth my sister Sarah Louisa (or Louie as we always called her) was born and from that time to the time of her marriage we were separated scarcely a day. Then came dear sweet, patient little Emily Francis (or Emmie) ten days before I was three years old and my sweet mother had three babies to care for in a new country, away from relatives and friends, and very little to do with and no help as my father, who was never very robust had to clear land and break up the soil with very crude farm implements and a yoke of young steers for a team. And he felt very thankful for these as cattle of any kind were very scarce articles. And mother with her three babies had to manufacture and make everything the family wore and most of the things she used such as tallow candles, lye from grease, wood ashes for breaking the water for washing and for making soap and a hundred and one things that we would think it impossible to do. They had never known anything about hard work before coming to America as my father had clerked in a store and mother was the only daughter in a family of boys and had never had anything harder to do than to help her mother.

Before I was six years old my brother, Thomas Jarvis (named for my father and his brother) was born and was the only brother I ever had. The next child who only lived a year and nine months and died with cholera infantum. And Emily died with Typhoid Fever in her 13th year. My mother and I had typhoid at the same time and it was feared I would die before my father returned from my sister's funeral. My sister, Louie, had walking typhoid at the same time, and would keep around all day but was delirious at night and my brother who was growing rapidly and having irregular meals during our sickness had two or three fits or convulsions from indigestion so we certainly had a time of sickness and sorrow especially after my dear mother was stricken but our lives were all spared with the exception of my sister, Emily.

I shall never forget the kindness of the people of our ward for we were never left alone night or day. I especially remember with gratitude "Aunt Emily" Thompson as everybody called her and I sometimes wonder if I would be here now if it hadn't been for her splendid nursing as she came four blocks 3 or 4 times a day to care for me. (Typist's note: I had written on my copy of this in my Book of Remembrance, "? "Aunt Emily" - Orville Browning Thompson's wife, Emily Lydia Snyder?) As soon as we were old enough to go to school we were sent to Sister Ann C. Martin's school (Typist's note: Jesse B. Martin's wife). School-marm as she was always called who was set apart by President Young for that work. She had two log rooms one of which was cleared out during the day for a school room. Our desks were made by boring holes in the log walls and driving oak sticks two or three feet long into the holes and upon these thick planks were laid for desks and we had to do as little wiggling as possible or the plank would fall and down would go our precious book and slate (that is of those who were so fortunate as to possess such articles.)

When I first started to school the advanced students had a queer mixture of books one in the class may have a Bible, one a novel, one a history and another a Mcguffys reader in fact anything containing reading. But the chart class or beginners all read from a chart on the wall containing our A-B-C's as we called them and figures. Then came the Wilson's readers and three or four scholars would use one book, the first reading a verse and passing it on down the line each one reading a verse in turn and when we were wealthy enough to have a book for two students we thought nothing could be grander, sometimes a boy and a girl had to read from the same book in class and the boys were boys then just as they are today and delighted in teasing the girls by not turning the page in time. And I remember one little girl calling out "School Ma-rm, make George Monroe turn over."

We had no lessons to get at home as all we studied was reading, writing, arithmetic and spelling. Sister Martin charged a small tuition and took anything she could use in raising her family such as vegetables, butter, pork, tallow candles or even spinning, weaving or knitting. After leaving her school we were promoted to a mans school who would be hired by the term of three months but often our teachers were changed two or three times during a term. Perhaps a teacher would leave without a days warning and school would be closed weeks or months while the country was scoured to find another.

We all dressed very much alike as boys and girls, men and women as far as they could afford it. Had a new suit of homespun cloth in the Fall worn all winter and by Spring it would be thin enough for Summer wear and would last till Fall again. I shall never forget how proud my sister and I were when we were 8 or 9 years old and mother made us a dress each of blue denim and trimmed with red braid.

Then times began getting better as the train came into Salt Lake with supplies and we began using calico, lawns, flannels, delaines and challis and didn't have to run to the neighbors to borrow a shovelful of coals to start our fire if we forgot to cover the coals up with ashes at night for by this time matches were only 25 cents a box. A few years previous to this tea was five dollars a pound. Sugar a dollar for brown and $1.25 for white Calico and very thin fabric a dollar a yard and a spool of thread 25 cents when you could get them but the nearest store was in Nephi 40 miles away and wasn't much larger than a good sized packing case so they were usually out of supplies.

I heard my mother once say that she sold a water bucket full of butter worked into solid for one pound of sugar which she bought before I was born and had some of it left when my sister Emily (three year younger than I) was born as she used it only to sweeten the baby's medicine.

My sister Louie and I were baptized by John Quarrenberg into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints September 20, 1874. She being 8 years old and I 9. My father was baptized May 29, 1853, but my mother didn't accept the gospel until she was 18 or 19 years old, being the only member of her family to embrace the true gospel.

Before the organization of the Primary Association myself and sister with 8 or 9 other little girls organized a club we called the "Little Relief Society". We had a president, secretary and treasurer. I being the secretary and my sister Louie, Treasurer. My mother furnished us the books and taught us how to keep them. We held a meeting each week having a program afterwards piecing quilt blocks. When we had sufficient for a quilt we took a contribution to get sufficient calico for setting it together and lining. Some of the sisters donated wool which Ida McArthur and I carded into batts (the only carding I ever did) and we children set it together and quilted it doing every stitch from beginning to end ourselves.

Soon after, a destitute family from Sweden who lost all their belongings during transportation moved into our town and we took our highly prized quilt and presented to them and of all the presents I ever made in my life that did me the most good. The dear old lady was so grateful and we were as grateful as she. Soon afterwards the Primary Association was organized and we all became members so that ended our "Little Relief Society".

When I was 13 years old I was sent to Nephi to learn making artificial flowers to be used in millinery which I found very useful after I became a milliner.

When my sister was 14 and I 15 my father took us to Provo to attend the Brigham Young Academy and it was there that we received most of our education as we had got but little from the schools we had attended with the exception of one winter at the school of a gentleman from the East (a Mr. Thos. W. Brookbank a splended teacher) who was traveling through the country and was short of funds so took school for a year. Here I received my first knowledge of grammar and arithmetic aside from simple problems in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and I always think with gratitude of Thomas W. Brookbank.

A short time before I was twenty years old, I was married in the Endowment House Salt Lake City to Henry Thompson who had recently returned from a mission to the Southern States. We were married on Christmas Day, Bro. Franklin D. Richards performing the ceremony. The Endowment House was closed at this time but as Bro. Richard's nephew, Dr. Charles F. Wilcox, was to be married that day, Bro. Richards used it for performing the ceremony. His bride was a great friend of mine so she sent for us to come and be married at the same time. So that is how we happened to be married on Christmas Day in the Endowment House. There were married there on that day, December 25, 1884, Charles F. Wilcox and Elizabeth Stevenson Wilcox, George M. and Addie Cannon, Henry and Elizabeth Yates Thompson. Very shortly afterwards the Endowment House was torn down so I think we were the last people married there. (Note: the Endowment House was closed 22 Sept.1889 per PAF)

We lived with my mother for a couple of months after we were married then started an establishment of our own renting the first Summer. On the first of the next October we moved into our new home and on the first of November I looked into the eyes of my first born, a beautiful baby boy. The sweetest baby in all the world to me. We named him Henry Merwin, and I never expected to love another child as I did him. Thought it impossible but when on the 17th of April 1888, I saw my baby girl Bessie Henrietta she was so sweet and dear as the first and I found it just so with all down to the very last. Each one brought its little bundles of love with it. On March 8th, 1890, my little Vera Louise came to gladden our hearts and home for a short time for on April 1890 she was called back by pneumonia to the kind Father who gave her to us. Leland Millis was born on September 25, 1891, Gordon Francis on April 28, 1894, Sterling Daniel May 7, 1896, Shelby Yates January 1, 1898 and Ethel Irene April 9, 1904.

All the above children were born at Scipio, Millard Co., Utah but we removed to Ogden on September 21, 1904 where we lived for nearly three years and on June 3, 1906, my baby Norma Marguerite came and how glad we were that she was a little girl whom we would have to love and cherish us in our old age but our Heavenly Father willed it other wise for on November 6, 1914, after a few hours illness with pneumonia she too was called home. Being released from her frail little body and although we wll miss her little loving arms we can say with all our hearts "the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord".

Not having employment for our boys during school vacations without sending our boys away from home we decided to get a farm so during the Summer of 1907 we bought a farm of 106 acres and on the 10th of August of that year removed to Plain City. We rented the home of Claude Bramwell for nearly six years but in May 1913 we moved onto our farm having during the spring built a six room cement block house and was glad to get there as my dear hard working boys had to eat a cold lunch everyday but now I can have a good warm meal at each dinner time.

When a child I wasn't particularly fond of attending meeting but when I would ask if I may stay at home and play my father would say he would much rather I would go to meeting. That was all that was needed and I went and can never be grateful enough to my parents for urging me to attend to my duties. And always attended Primary, Sunday School and the Mutual Improvement Assn. Became Secretary of Sunday School holding the office until I was married. Was president of the Young Ladies Assn. for six years only giving it up when I removed to Ogden.

While in Ogden was teacher in the religion class during the summer of 1905 but was obliged to give it up on account of ill health. After removing to Plain City was class leader in the Young Ladies Association for about 3 1/2 years and one year councelor in Primary. Then released from both and made president of the Relief Society of the Plain City Ward on November 1911, and have striven in my weak way to do my duty in these organizations to the best of my ability. Was a member of the Scipio Ward Choir from the time I was ten years old till I removed from that ward. Was a member 29 years. After removing to Plain City was called into the choir but after attending a short time found it called me away from my home and delicate child too much so I had to resign.

I helped my father (who was Supt. of the Scipio Cooperative Mercantile Institution) in the store from the time I was quite a small girl (during school vacation) until I was married and occasionally afterwards, and after Father resigned my husband was superintendant one year and I assisted him as I knew all about the business.

Then my husband being called on a mission I superintended the business for three years at the same time being a member of the school board, and chairman of the Democratic Party and Census Enumerator, and twice was one of the Judges of Election. Was a milliner for 22 years furnishing not only the town of Scipio but Oak City and Leanington and frequently Deseret, Holden and other towns in the county. Also taught school one year. Was a member of most committees for celebrations or entertainments from the time I was a small girl till the time I left Scipio. In fact have tried to live a useful life feeling that it is better to "wear out than rust out".