Annie Parthenia Holt 1883

HISTORY OF ANNIE PARTHENIA HOLT 1883

I was born in Gunlock, Utah, October 22, 1883, a daughter of Franklin Overton Holt and Emma Maria Truman. We lived in Gunlock but would move to Holt’s Ranch six miles East of Enterprise in the summer. This used to be the main road from St. George. This ranch was owned by George A., Henry D., and Franklin 0. Holt. There were beautiful homes there and both Henry and George lived with their families both summer and winter. Uncle George finally moved to Gunlock and had a home where the school house is now. We lived where Wilford and Blanche live. Father owned the upper field of Wilford’s. He owned from the Doty lot up to Linford Brackens. He had lots of cattle and milked a good many cows. We used to make butter and cheese. The population was around 175 and there were miners and other people going through, so there was plenty of sale for the milk products.
Mother had a boarding house and my chief job was washing the dishes. She also had a general store and we all helped clerk in it. She was kept very busy as she also went out as a mid-wife. We all helped on the farm during the planting and the reaping of the crops. Pa always believed in planting crops. He didn’t feel like he would be out much if there wasn’t enough rain to mature the crops and if there was enough rain then he was prepared. There nearly always was plenty of rain. He always planted by the moon. He would plant one crop during the dark - and so on. Regardless of what he was going to do, from planting to butchering a pig, he watched the signs.
The crops were all stored in a granary and it was always full. Eggs, bacon, corn, wheat. He spent a good deal of his time fixing things up, keeping them in repair and also building new buildings, sheds, etc. My childhood was happy and I spent many hours helping my father and mother.
I went to school in Gunlock. My first teacher was Ella Jarvis (Seegmiller). Other teachers were Zera P. Terry and George Lund. Joe Walker was my last teacher - I was in the 8th grade at that time. Joe boarded at our home and we enjoyed his company. He was a poet and later became a doctor. I went with several boys before I met Dad. Moroni McArthur, Joe Thompson, and I went with Ben Chadburn all one summer and then in the fall I started to go with Dad and went with him until we were married in May.
The old apple tree down in Wanda and Clark’s lot was young when Dad and I used to dote and we would walk up to the field and get apples. We used to hove lots of good parties and dances. From Christmas night until New Year’s we would hove dances every night. Bow dances were fun. We would each make two bows and put one on us and the other one in a hat and then a boy would draw them out and he would go with the girl who had made the bow he drew. We had cake dances, leap year dances and every kind of dance we could think of. We always danced the old year out and the new year in.
I always sang in the choir. Nancy and I were just two years apart and we used to sing together and she would play the guitar. I would take the lead in the choir and especially when Grandpa Bowler was leading it. Dad would play the guitar and he and I would sing together in public. When Erma got old enough to play the piano she would accompany us and we would sing for programs and gatherings. I had nine brothers and sisters. Frank was the oldest, Mary Ellen, Emma Lavina (she died when she was four years old) Nancy Elizabeth, then I was born. James Overton was next, Clara Maria, Roxie Luella (she was burned to death when she was about 13 or 14) Jacob, (he died when he was about 4) and Wilford Martin was the baby. My brother Frank and his wife moved to Canada right after he and Sarah (Bullock) were married. They raised their 12 children there and most of the children have remained there to raise their families,
 
MARRIAGE
David H. Cannon married us on the 17th of May, 1901, in his home in St. George, Utah. Aunt Sine (Lasina) went with us and Davis’s wife Wilminia was present. In June, 1902, we went to the Temple to be married for time and eternity by the same David H. Cannon. Mother and father Holt accompanied us there.
We lived in the old Bowler place ( the Arvel Leavitt home) until the 27th day of February then we moved to the home where Lyn and Estella Bracken live and lived there until 1932 when we moved to our present home.
Erma was born the night of the big earthquake. Aunt Laura Knight was the mid-wife. She was Max Hafen’s grandfather’s second wife. We had to keep the lamp or the fireplace going all night long for several months because of the tremors. After the tremors stopped we tried to blow out the lamp at night and every time we would blow it out Erma would wake up. She was used to sleeping with the light on.
I remember more about the first children. Erma talked very early. She noticed everything and was interested in the things about her. Every time she would see a cow she would point and wave. She had beautiful long curls. When she started to school Aunt Clair braided her hair and finally after years we decided to have her curls cut. Dad cut them off and it was a sad day for all of us.
Erma was given music lessons by Flora Leavitt when she was a youngster. Later when she was in school in St. George she took them from Evelyn Thurston. She always liked to practice and also liked to milk the cows and go on the range with dad. She loved to get on a horse and go get the cows in the evening. She would bring them in and feed and take care of them.  She loved the outdoors.
Estelle was a fair baby. Blue eyes and pink and white complexion. My grandmother Truman waited on me when Estelle was born. As she grew she became very aware of flowers and was always planting them and loved them. She also loved to cook and made lots of candy and cookies.
My grandmother Truman waited on me again when “Dick”, or Leo, was born. When his hair began to come in his head looked blue-black his hair was so dark. He followed dad around all the time - wanted Jo do everything he did. He loved the horses and the animals.
Grandmother was still helping me when J. L. was born. J. L. was always a great reader. He also loved the fruit and would go into the orchard and bring fruit to the house.
Roland used to walk across the street to visit my mother. She would give him candy and little treats from her store. He was very late talking. Finally one day Ma said to him, “I won’t give you anything unless you ask for it,” and he said, “Knick-knack.” After that he talked.
When Tone came along he also became a great boy for books. It didn’t seem to matter to him whether it was something he could read well or not. He would carry the catalog around with him. He liked to be alone. One day I lost him and we couldn’t find him anywhere. So Ma and I finally walked down to the lucerne patch and just outside of the fence was the little red wagon he had been pulling, stuck in the fence. On the other side of the fence, in the lucerne patch, was Tone fast asleep.
When Wanda was a baby, six months or so old, we went down to Santa Clara to a ball game. We were in the white top buggy. On the return trip home it was night and as we went to go down into the creek to cross the water the double-trees broke loose and let the buggy down and pitched the baby out of my arms into the icy cold water. Dad jumped into the creek and rescued Wanda, handed her to me and I wrapped her in blankets. The horses started up the road and Uncle Amos, who was ahead of us, caught the horses and brought them back to us. We fastened the double-trees and came on home at a mighty fast trot over the rocks and water. We had to cross the creek about 13 more times before we reached home. Dad was wet to his waist. No ill effects were suffered by either one of them from the exposure.
When Marion was just tiny he would stand right in front of his grandfather Bowler and lead the singing. It didn’t make much difference to him whether he had a pencil or a stick or just his hand. It always pleased grandpa and he would encourage him. I would have a real hard time trying to keep him on my lap.
Fern always went across the street to Ma’s to breakfast. Every morning mother would come over and get her. Fern loved this. She was only a year old when Ma took sick and wasn’t able to tend her anymore. Fern missed Ma and would cry for her. Fern was only a little over a year old when Mother died. Aunt Sine (Lasina) took Fern to church the day she was named and she told Dad to name her Anna Fern instead of just Fern.
When Fern was about four years old we went to Las Vegas and she walked out of the store where we were shopping and it was several minutes before we missed her. When we went outside we couldn’t see her and we searched frantically. Finally a policeman located her for us.
Truman was always inquisitive. He liked to look through all the drawers and shelves in the house. He was always interested in everything. One day he found a bundle of letters. He thought this was an excellent opportunity to be the mailman so he went down through town delivering letters to everyone. It wasn’t half as much fun on the return trip when his brother Leo discovered the letters were all his old love letters, and demanded he pick them all up again.
Maxine was the darling of the whole family. I was poorly after she was born so Erma took almost the complete care of Maxine.
One night we had gone down to the church to see a show Mr. Bowen had brought to town and we left Maxine asleep in her bed. During the show Dad and I went up to check on her and found she was gone. We couldn’t imagine what had happened. Paul Hafen and some of the Santa Clara fellows were camped at the barn and as we went by we asked them if they had seen a little girl. He said they had and that a little cat had been following her. So we went back to the Church House and there sitting in the back was Tone holding Maxine on his lap and she was sound asleep.