P R E S E R V I N G   O U R   P A S T

By Ivin Monell Jackson

Waiting until 67 years of age is a bad time to start writing about our parents, William and Mary Gilbert Jackson.  The Church tells us how important a daily journal is.  A journal would certainly help remind a person of so many things long forgotten.  One of my first memories of Mother and Dad was my first day at school.  I was starting a year early as my birthday was in t he middle of the school year.   During the first recess most of the boys went over to Sister Dalton's orchard and filled our pockets with apples.  After recess the teacher took my new had and filled it with the apples and started us over to ask Sister Dalton's forgiveness for taking the apples.  I got as far as the school's door and I took off for home.  In going  home I went by Dad and some other mean tearing down and old school house to get brick to build our house.  He called for me to stop, but I kept going I went home and hid behind and old board fence.

I remember later peeking through a knot hold and seeing the teacher coming to see Mother.  I also remember Mother and Dad calling for me.  At that time  I knew I had wonderful parents for not making be go back to school.  They waited on more year before I was sent back.

Monday was wash day at home.  We always need a good fire early to get the water hot in the boiler and the water heater, both of which were attached to the stove.  Mother often had Mrs. Montoya come help her.  Sometimes they heated water in an old kettle in the back yard.  The soap used was lye soap Mother made in the back years from all the fat and pig skins.

Once Ace Bailey tasted some of the soap after it had cooled.  It burned his mouth and throat quite badly.  He had to gargle with vinegar, etc.  It was strong soap.  Baileys were really on the war path for a day or so.

Mrs. Montoya always made chili.  It was good, and it was hot.  Mrs. Montoya was a good friend of Mother's. Mrs. Montoya often came to borrow $2.00 for Kicko or Palo, her sons.  Dad didn't want to loan the money to her because they never paid it back.  Mother always got the money for her, and then Mrs. Montoya would help pay it back by working on washday.

Saturday night baths were a big event.  Mother would get about three in the tub at a time.  There always had to be a big fire to get the water warm.  There just wasn't any way everyone could have a daily bath.

Mother was a beautiful person with her brown hair and brown eyes.  She often looked as though she was looking far away in her thoughts.  I often watched her braid hair long hair and marveled how she did it.

Mother often said she would rather her children were good Mormons than President of the United States.

Mother could talk Mexican better than most Mexicans.  As a young girl she lived on a ranch near a small Mexican town where there were few if any people who talked other than Mexican.

She told of the times "Old Henri", who was a Catholic Penitente, would come to work on their ranch around Easter time after being out all night whipping himself during the East religious ceremonies.  Grandfather Gilbert would slap him on the back and wish him good morning.  Henri would nearly drop to the floor with pain.

Mother always wanted a nice home.  We had a lawn, a nice fence, and indoor plumbing, and that the indoor plumbing) was rare in Manassa area at that time.  Mother would mild cows.  (She could milk cows faster than anyone I ever knew.)  She always had a lot of chickens and turkeys.  She took in roomer (school teachers) in the winter time.  I don't know how everyone got to the bathroom.  The older boys were expected to go outside as much as possible.

During the fair one year Mother took in a couple of roomers from some of the carnival people.  I had a very good suit of clothes in the closet that I couldn't find the next time I wanted to get dressed up.  I remember Dad teasing Mother about the suit of clothes and how much she made form the roomers.

The only time I remember Mother being really upset was when it was the season for rhubarb and buttermilk gruel.  Mother had been working hard, and as we were up to the table Dad said, "Buttermilk gruel again."  Mother did say to the effect that she had done her best and if that wasn't good enough someone could look around.  (I am not sure to this day just what buttermilk gruel is.  I remember we weren't crazy about it.

Just like head cheese when the hogs were killed in the fall.  Head cheese was good a time or two--but it had to be eaten before it spoiled.  I enjoyed the hog killing time because the kids were given the bladders to blow up like a balloon.  How did we survive?  I would be worrying now about leptospirosis, T.B., or what else.

If Mother had more head cheese, livers, etc., than we could use, then I had to get on Old Nell, the old mere, and deliver meat to such people as the Pruitts.  These people were very poor.  Mr. Pruitt's only way of supporting his family was as a cobbler.  I often took shoes up to Puritts to be mended or delivered meat, rhubarb, or any other surplus there might be.  There were other families I delivered to, like Mrs. Montoya and other who names I have forgotten.  I still remember holding on Old Nell bare back and still trying to go to a fast trot or gallop while holding the hog's head.

Dad a time or two had to go to Slat Lake City to help Grandmother Gilbert er move to Manassa.  Grandmother Gilbert spent much time in Salt Lake City doing temple work.  Dad often told of the time he knew their time was getting short catching the train.  They got to the station tin plenty fort time, but Grandmother Gilbert wanted to go back for a plant to take to Mary.  Dad waited at the station while the train came in, and just as it left Grandmother Gilbert came back with the plant.  Dad said, "Now we'll have to wait another 24 hours for our train."  Grandmother said, "Well, I was just a little late."

Dad always wanted us to be careful with guns.  Many of us remember when we were around the kitchen table and Dad was working the twenty-two just to see if it was empty--it went off and shot  a hole in the ceiling.  Dad said, "Now you see, I have always told you to point the gun in the air and not at anyone."  It was a good lesson, even if it wasn't planned.

Mother was kept busy in the Relief Society.  I always looked forward to the day she kept me out of school to baby sit.  I am sure it wasn't often.  I remember once making toffee while I was baby sitting and spilling the hot candy on my hand.  I still have a small scar.

Dad would have me haul wood from the ranch with a team of mules and a hay rack on Saturdays.  I didn't like to go along, so I had made arrangement for Delwyn to go along.  While I was hooking up I sent him to town on young Nell with some eggs for candy.

Pretty quick I heard Dad yelling.  "Whoa, hold on, hold on."  Here came Delwyn on Young Nell, full speed ahead, past the house and on toward the cemetery.  Young Nell finally stopped near the cemetery.  That was enough for Dad.  I hauled wood alone that day.  No candy either.  Dad often told about it and how he knew the horse going toward the cemetery was a bad thing.

Young Nell was a fast horse.  One time at the fair there was a free-for-all.  I entered Young Nell and myself.  The track was full of horses and people.  I was riding bare-back and kicking Young Nell all the time.  when we came to the finish line we were second and very close to first.  The only person I saw at the finish line among all the people was Dad.  He was so excited.  He was sure I would have been first, if only I hadn't done so much kicking. I received $5.00 for that race, then let Jim Mortensen borrow Young Nell for the relay race which he won and for which he gave me $2.50.  I was rich that day.  Dad wouldn't have been more proud if it had been the Kentucky Derby.

Grandmother Gilbert fell and broke her hip in Salt Lake City.  Dad had to go get her and bring her home.  She stayed with us a long time.  Mother thought Dad teased Grandmother a little too much.  Grandmother Gilbert believed in education, while Dad talked to her it wasn't always necessary to have and education.  Grandmother Gilbert did get excited--Dad was having fun.

The year I graduated from high school I was going to to B.Y.U. for a quarter or so, and then go on a mission.  The morning I was to leave Dad came up to my room and told me there wasn't any money.  I know he must have stayed awake all night.  So I stayed home and herded sheep out on the range all winter, the coldest winter we'd ever had.  we couldn't afford to pay the $20.00 a month it would cost for a sheep herder.  Dad mentioned several times how disappointed he was I hadn't gone on a mission.  But then, if I had gone on a mission I would ever have met by dear wife.

Dad believed in education, but I know he felt like it took his boys and girls, and he would have like do have more of them to stay at home.  When I was trying to go to school at Fort Collins, Dad told me he wished I wouldn't go.  But I remember Lorraine telling him to let me go.  When he decided to let me go he gave me his full support.  He never complained to me once, and was always ready to help me.  We had wonderful parents, and I am sure we couldn't have been raised in a better time or better circumstances.  We would have missed along any other way.

I remember how much trouble Mother had raising Warren as a baby.  He had eczema--his skin broke out all over.  Dad and Mother finally got mare's milk and Horlick's Malted Milk for him to eat.  I remember how good the malted milk tasted. Sam had trench mouth.  How Mother worked with him.  It was terrible.  I don't see how he got over it without antibiotics.

I remember the babies would be born at home.  The next morning Dad would be out at the corral pump trying to clean up the soiled bedding.

I remember how Mother and Dad always seemed so close.  Mother's death was a terrible shock to him.  I remember him crying on the day and of the funeral and asking the people he was talking to, not to stop coming and seeing us now that Mother was gone.  A Brother Boise told me, when talking about Mother, that there had never been a more kind and good person.

I was in the mountains with the sheep when Glenn Jackson came to get me for the funeral.  I then remember something.  I then remembered something she asked me shortly before I left of the mountains.  She asked me if I ever had bad pains in the abdominal area.  She said she frequently did and was just wondering about it.  I was told that her last concern was about her babies, Sam and Alfred.

Even with all their children, Dad never got over Leonard.  leonard hung on to him and wouldn't let go when he left for his mission in England.  Leonard was about a year then.  He died soon after Dad got to England.  It took courage and a testimony of the Gospel on the part of both my Mother and Father for Dad to go on a mission, leaving Mother with four children, knowing the hardships both would endure.  It must have taken courage and a testimony, too, to raise such a large family--however, I am sure they wouldn't have had it any other way.  The Sam as most of the children would say--"Wouldn't have missed it."