Martha Jane Byington Reed (a sister to Parley)
Obituary of Martha Jane Byington Reed
Martha Jane Byington Reed was born at Nine Mile, now called Cambridge Ward, North East of Downey, May 25, 1872. The daughter of Joseph Henry and Hannah Molland Byington. She was the fifth child in a family of ten. The following is exerts from her own story.
I was born in polygamy, my father having two wives. My mother being the second Aunt Nancy, the other wife, lived about 2 miles from our home. Father had a small acreage of land at each place. Mother taught school in a small one room log cabin near our home, this being the first school district in this vicinity. She being the first teacher. This log cabin has been moved into Downey at the city park, as a memorial. My sister, Miriah, was six years of age and was my nurse during school hours, with mother coming home at recess and noon to nurse me as bottle fed babies were unknown at that time. Our house was near the road which was the stage route going north to Montana. One of my earliest recollections of the stage was when the driver shouted to me, "get in there you little white headed Mormon". My sister, Miriah made an effort to have me indoors when the stage went by, as she wasn't pleased with the driver's remarks.
Near the house was a spring of water over which our cellar was built. Here the milk and butter was stored in a clean cool place.
One day my brothers, James and Charlie decided to build a fire in the yard, this was against Mother's orders as she had always warned them against the dangers of fire. But neighbor boys came to play and a fire was started, however my brothers remembered the warning and decided they must put the fire out at once. so Charlie was chopping up dirt with the hatchet and James was scooping it up with his hands and putting it on the blaze. He got his hand too close to the hatchet and got two fingers cut off, one however was left hanging with a piece of skin. The boys ran to the house to Grandmother Molland who was visiting us and she pressed the finger back together and bandaged it and it grew back.
On my 4th birthday we moved from Nine Miles to Red Rock, which is near the monument erected to Captain Hunt who was a guide and mediator between the Mormons and Indians. At Red Rock, we lived in a three room unfinished house for a while. One end room had been completed and was used for a time to store grain. My sister, Miriah and I slept on the grain until the middle room was finished. At the time we moved to this home there were mother, James, Miriah, Charlie, myself and Mary Ann who was one and a half years old and who died soon after. Susan was born before we had been here a year. Besides the small amount of farming father did he worked away at various jobs such as sugar factory, flour grist mil, cutting timber and working at a lumber mill.
Mother with our help always raised a good vegetable garden which with wild gooseberries choke cherries and service berries was our living. These fruits were all dried to preserve them as we didn't have bottles at that time. We had favorite foods and I liked the gooseberry dumplings best of all. We always had a cow for milk and made our butter. I will remember mother giving me a slice of bread spread with butter and I would scrape all the butter off and give it to Miriah, for she liked it better than I. In my school lunch I always wanted the bread fried in butter or lard. We usually had pork for meat, and chickens which we raised. The eggs and butter we would sell provided us with salt and sugar that we needed. We also raised enough sheep to provide wool for our clothing. Mother did the spinning of the yarn while Aunt Nancy wove it into cloth. Mother did all the washing of the wool. It was put in a tub of water and we children got in and stomped out the dirt with our bare feet. We each knit our own stockings, I always wished that I was a boy so I wouldn't have to knit such long ones.
Mother was never afraid of the Indians and we children had been taught never to fear them. One time I remember and Indian came into the garden and wanted a watermelon. I gave him the melon and he wanted another. I told him he couldn't have it. He was going to take it anyway as he knew there were no men folks around. I called Mother and she called Captain Hunt. The Indian ran off when he found out he couldn't bluff us. Captain Hunt was known as a man of great healing power, and was depended on a great deal to administer when anyone was sick. Doctors were almost unheard of out here.
I only went to school for three months out of a year, and I'll never forget when they built the first railroad. It was a great thrill to see the first train come through. I was about seven or eight years old. We moved from Red Rock to Uncle Hyrums in Marsh Valley and lived for one summer, then moved to Menan, Idaho.
We lived in a little one room log house with a dirt floor. Seven children and Mother. The first winter we all had the measles. There was no school where we lived so one year Mrs. Carr taught school in her home and I went for about two months. The next year I went to Mrs. Comstocks home. Soon after they built a one room school. Here I, Susan, Parley, and Spencer, attended school. My brother Henry died of diphtheria. He was eight years old and was a great loss.
I started to work out when I was about fourteen, whenever I got a chance. I was paid $1.50 a week. Mother died when I was seventeen and I tried to keep the home.
Three years later while at a dance I met Frank Reed, a nice young man who came to visit his brother who lived at Annis. I thought when I saw him come through the door that he was the tallest, best looking young man I had ever seen. This started a budding romance as Frank and I were married Nov. 27, 1894, at Annis, Idaho. George Browning performed the marriage. He was the justice of the peace. We were married at Franks brother Johns home. At first we lived in a one room house back of Reeds, and then moved to Taylorville. It was at this place that out son Frank Jr. was born on Oct. 3, 1895. Even though I was married I helped to take care of my Brothers Parley and Spencer.
We moved back to Annis on the old homestead. Franks sister died leaving a five week old baby. We took her to raise when she was six months old. Her nave was Lydia Tanner.
We moved to Seattle, Washington and lived for three years. When we first moved here there were only two automobiles. We moved to Aberdeen, Washington for three years before moving back to Lava Hot Springs. We lived here and farmed until the Utah Power and Light Dam started at Alexander, where we moved and kept a little grocery store and post office which I took care of until moving here with my brother Parley years ago.
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She has expressed many times to family members and friends her thankfulness to her brother Parley for the good home he gave her, and for the modern conveniences that she enjoyed the last years. Even though she was crippled with arthritis she never gave up, and she was always sewing, crocheting, and knitting or doing other lovely hand work. She made dresses for every little girl she knew and will be remembered for the beautiful star and broken star quilt tops she made and gave to people to enjoy. She has pieced several hundred of them. Her family wanted to get her an electric sewing machine but she wanted her old treadle machine to exercise her legs. She was always independent. Never wanting anyone to wail on her or give her special attention, although for fifteen years she took care of her husbands aged mother. Whenever the relatives came she always made them welcome too.
She was a good cook, keeping the cookie jar full of her prize oatmeal cookies for all the children as they returned from school. All Parleys grandchildren loved her as a grandmother.
In October she made her last quilt top for a great grandchild of Parleys.
Aunt
Martha and Aunt Theao quilting.
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Finished Quilt
She didn't it idle a moment, for when she had to give up her sewing on account of her health she spent her time crocheting hot pads for all her friends, family and acquaintances, making about seventy five of them. She also made lace for pillow cases which she gave to make someone else happy. She read good literature and learned poetry while she was working, reciting it to members of her family every once in a while.
Truly her life has been inspirational and her faith undaunted as she loved church and went as often as was possible. She received her endowments in the Logan L.D.S. Temple on December 4, 1940. She never forgot to get on her knees and thank God for the blessings she enjoyed and for her home.
Aunt Martha passed away December 9, at the home of her brother Parley. Her son preceded her in death seven years ago. She is survived by two grandchildren, Rodney and Francis and five great grandchildren, two of whom are twins and came to visit her on their third birthday. Although she didn't have a big posterity of her own. She adopted all of her brothers and sisters families and their families, never forgetting any of them.
She is loved by all, and has won a place in the hearts of all who knew her. She will be greatly missed.
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