On the 22nd day of September in 1896, my parents, Charles Gustave and Edith R. Ash Johnson, were busy, trying to finish the new home they were building on 20 acres of sage-brush land they had purchased, located on the southwest corner of what is now known as 1600 North and 950 West, Orem. But on this sun shinny day I came to make my home with them, so this slowed the progress on the new home considerably. Father continued to work on the house during the winter months, also to build sheds for his animals, and he cleared most of the sage brush from the land.

They had previously built a two-room brick home on the four acres of ground given them by Grandfather Johnson when they were married. This little home was on the northeast corner of what is now 1600 North and State Street, Orem, At that time it was known as Lindon Ward, also "Provo Bench" though it was a part of the Pleasant Grove mail route.

Father sold this little home and acreage to Aunt Louisa J. Ogden, and for a year our two families lived in the small home. Early in the spring of 1897 we moved into our new home, father, mother, Leona, (2 years older then me, born 20th of June 1894) and myself, and what a happy day that was.

With the help of Grandfather Ash, mother soon had flowers and lawn around our new home. Father planted fruit trees, with strawberries, raspberries and dewberries between the tree rows. He also planted some quick growing shade trees, so it wasn't long before there was plenty of fruit and shade.

Father was a good farmer and the soil was new; there was plenty of water by this time, so the crops he planted, produced abundantly. It wasn't long before he soon had several good dairy cows, also a large flock of sheep.

February 7, 1898, a little baby sister, Zina was born, but was only allowed to stay with us for two short weeks. Late in the fall November 1, 1899, Harold, our first brother was born. On the 25th of July 1901 our sister Eliza was born, and a few weeks later my grandfather Ash became very ill, mother spent a lot of her time, helping to care for him. In November he passed away, my first experience with death that I can recall.

One evening soon after the New Year of 1902, Bishop Cobbley and his counselors came to our home; and although we youngsters were not old enough to fully understand just what the visit was about, we could sense that some- special was being asked of our parents. As the weeks and months went by and father disposed of the animals we knew something very different was coming into our lives, On April 1, 1902, he turned the farm work over to Brother Chester A. Gillman, and a few days later we all drove to the railroad station in Pleasant Grove and watched him board the train for Salt Lake City as he departed for the Swedish Mission.

It was hard for our mother, with four little ones and another on the way, to go home and face the task of caring for us. But out mother was a true "Latter-day Saint," so never was there a word of complaint or discouragement from her.

Those two years sometimes seemed lonely and endless without father's cherry songs and harmonica music in the evenings, but mother read numberless books to us, and eventually the time was gone and early in May 1904 we were again at the railroad station; this time in Provo, waiting for the train to come in from the East, bringing our daddy back home to us.

Among the many things I remember most while father was away, was the birth of our sister Rosa, just four and a half months after he left us, on September 24, 1902. She was a happy, healthy baby and a very good one, so we all felt very blessed in having a new little sister to love and care for.

It was wonderful to have father home again, but a little disappointing at times, because things were not as we remembered them before he left. Now he was always busy at Church, or with plans to help care for the converts who had come to "Zion" with him.

On March 14, 1905, our brother Francis was born and the next month we moved into grandfather Johnson's home, selling the farm and home of my young childhood to Albert Backus. Grandfather was building a new home on the south- east corner of his ground, so we all lived together that summer. At Thanksgiving time, grandfather and family moved to their new home. Father, mother and we six children had plenty of room to spread around in, for the first time we could remember.

During the eleven years following, six more children came to bless this home, but three of them only stayed with us a few short months. Ruth was one month old when she died, Thanksgiving morning, 1906. Milton was born one cold January day in 1908, and died one week later. Then on May 2, 1909, Joe came to stay with us, and two years later June 26, 1911, Cyril was born. On April 22, 1913, Virgle, another little brother was born. During this summer mother became very ill and as she was nursing the baby, he also became ill, and never fully recovered from this sickness. In October 18, 1916, Hazel, our baby sister, was born. During the "flu" epidemic of November 1918, Virgle passed away; so that left nine of us who grew up in our grandfather's old Home. Though some of the rooms were sparsely furnished and one of them extravagantly, they were always clean and comfortable and there was always room to being in our friends and playmates, with a place for them at the table at meal time.

In the summer It was the gathering place of all the youngsters in the neighborhood. The big barns, sheds, granary and orchard made such ideal r)laces to play. our evenings in the winter time were something special too, for there was always a bowl of crisp, juicy apples and mother with her story books. In later years we often played games, the whole group of us around the big kitchen table. We had an organ, which some of us attempted to learn to play, after a few years the organ was replaced by a beautiful piano.

My school years began in the Lindon School. I was fortunate to have devoted, good teachers and with the desire I had to learn and the love of books and reading I graduated from the eighth grade with an average of 18.7, first in a class of 59 students. High School days followed and was held in the building now occupied by the pleasant Grove Third Ward. It was a distance of 3 miles. The first two years I walked to and from school each day during the fall and spring months, but stayed in town during the cold weather, coming home only for the weekends. During my third year at High School, mother be- came ill just after the Christmas holidays, so I left school to help her.

Along with my school years I attended Primary and M.I.A. as often as I could because of the distance we had to walk, but I always went to Sunday School, because father went too, and we could ride.

Just shortly before my sixteenth birthday, I was called at act as assistant secretary in the Sunday School, later becoming secretary.

The Lindon Ward was divided in August 1915 and father was sustained Bishop of the new Lindon 2nd ward, and I was again secretary and treasurer in the Sunday School, I also taught the junior girls in M.I.A. These positions I held until I went into the Mission Field in April 1916. I was the first missionary to be called from the Lindon 2nd Ward.

My missionary experiences I shall always remember and treasure. I labored in the Eastern States Mission under Mission President, Walter P. Monson, until February 1917. I was having thyroid difficulty, as my goiter had enlarged considerably so I was released to return home for an operation. In April 1919 I went back into the Mission Field to finish my mission, this time I was sent to the Northwestern States, where I labored under President Melvin J. Ballard. I was released from this mission the later part of April 1919.

During the months between terms in the Mission Field I was called to be President of the Primary Association. I also taught a class in Sunday School and the Senior girls in M.I.A. After my return from the Northwest I was made 2nd counselor in the Y.W.M.I.A., also taught a class in Sunday School. I especially enjoyed my work in the Mutual and for years after my marriage was Gleaner or Senior girl's teacher as the class was then called.

While attending general conference in October 1919, I met one of the Elders from the Eastern States Mission that I had met in September 1917 at a reunion of Missionaries from the Massachusetts and Rochester conferences. The young Elder was Wilford J. Stark from Payson, he was working in Salt Lake City at the time.

Through the coming months he was a visitor in our home quite frequently on Sundays; on Thanksgiving Day and during the Christmas Holidays; and I visited at his home in Payson. In August 1920 I accepted his ring and we made plans for our future marriage.