CHRISTMAS MEMORIES
By Bertha Malvina Thurber Butler
The
first Christmas I remember very well was when I was a small child in Grass
Valley, Utah. I knew there was something in mother’s trunk for me, and one day
when she was away I removed the lock and found a pretty plaid piece of cloth
for a dress. (I was a naughty child, but doubt if she knew it). It was about
this time that I received a doll – it was about ten inches tall, a cloth body
stuffed with sawdust, and a china head with black painted hair. The only real
doll I ever had.
After
moving to Richfield in 1889, we lived neighbors to Nebeker’s. Norie (Lanoria)
Nebeker was about my age and we became very close friends. One Christmas eve,
she wagered that she would be first to say “Christmas gift” the next morning.
So, on Christmas morning very early I went cautiously to their door and called
my greeting, and was much chagrined when she presented me with a small pair of
china statues (dolls). I had not expected any gift of that kind.
One
Christmas in Richfield, Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus had arrived and were
presenting gifts from a beautiful tree lighted with candles. Suddenly Mr. Santa
caught his clothing on fire. He got outside and the fire was put out without
any serious damage.
The
Christmas of 1898 was a different one for me. My cousin, Vina Bushnell, of
Meadow, had been living at our home and attending school. Her father came to
take her home for the holidays, and I went with them and had a very lovely time
visiting with my Aunt Elizabeth Bushnell and her numerous family. I was gone
from home about two weeks. It was this Christmas time that my dear John was
doing missionary work in Minnesota and his father died December 30th.
I was away from home and did not know of his death at the time. He had been in
very poor health for a long time, had dropsy. The family were practically
without funds and had a very meager Christmas. Jane tells of how the children
fixed up a tree of some kind, putting spools of thread, scissors or anything
available on, to distribute as gifts. Happy children they were and enjoyed the
fun, but the dear father, who was so ill, shed tears when he saw their efforts.
He loved his family and knew he was about to leave them.
The
next Christmas, 1899, we had been married about six weeks and were at a mine
about two miles over the mountains from Kimberly on Gold Mountain. John and
Jack Gilbert were contracting there. We were snowed in, and isolated. No way to
get to town except on snow shoes or skis. I think we were very much alone for
Christmas as the other men working there had gone to the Valley.
The
Christmas of 1901 we were still at the mines, but now living at Kimberly and
working at the Anna Laura. We all went home to Richfield for Christmas, where
the entire Butler family met together and had the family picture taken. John
and I also had our first picture taken together.
We
moved to Idaho in 1904, and there we had our children growing up in the home.
We always had our Christmas tree, as the men would get one from the mountains
very easily, while hauling wood. One Christmas (about 1911) we had a family
gathering at our home with a nice tree in the kitchen. Most of the folks had
been there overnight, staying at our home and Grandmother Butler’s, across the
lane, so Christmas morning we surely had a jolly time, distributing gifts for
all, visiting, eating, and enjoying the day. As I remember there were present
John’s mother, Grandma Butler, and her unmarried children, Jane, Taylor, Eva
and Lee Tom--, Horace and Ida and their children, Erin and Caroline and
children. There may have been others. This was the last Christmas that Grandma
Butler was with us. The next year she was in Utah, and died after returning to
her home in Idaho, April 21, 1913.
The
Christmas of 1912, Jess and Olive Smith were living in Grandmother Butler’s home, and there we
had a nice Christmas party, the Butlers and Smiths all joining together and the
next morning, December 26, Horace Smith was born. I was present.
The
Christmas of 1914 is one I shall never forget. Our dear father was very ill. He
had left home the 2nd of December, going to a Salt Lake Clinic and
from there he was sent to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where on the
8th of January 1915 he underwent a very serious operation, having a papilloma
or tumor removed from his bladder. He was in very critical condition, but
through having a good clean body, uncontaminated with liquor or tobacco, tea or
coffee, his blood was pure and soon he was on the way to recovery. We felt that
the blessings of our Heavenly Father had been with him. He was never very well
after this time, but lived 22 ½ years longer, caring for his loved ones. This
Christmas day we at home had all received gifts from our dear one. Mine was a
nice warm robe which I needed as the weather was severely cold – the
thermometer registered 20° below zero for many days at a time. My brother Erin
came for us and took us to his home for Christmas dinner. The next day Grant
had his arm broken by a horse falling on him. Taylor was caring for the place
and he took us to Soldier, 7 miles, to the doctor. This was an added worry and
one we did not tell father about until he came home the 2nd of
February.
We
moved from Manard, on Camas Prairie, to Acequia in September 1917. Our
Christmas tree this year was a big sagebrush, as we had not been able to get an
evergreen. This substitute was pretty when fixed up, but the odor of sage permeated
the house. It was this Christmas that we got our second Victrola, a portable
square-shaped box which we enjoyed very much. Our first Victrola was an Edison
with a large horn attached to it and was the first, and about the only one,
available to our many friends while we lived at Manard. Our home was a place
where relatives and friends were always welcome and this music was especially
entertaining to all of us. It was at this 1917 Ward Christmas program that
Donald contracted whooping cough, so for the next several weeks we were all at
home either sick or caring for those having whooping cough, as all seven of our
children had it during this time. The next Christmas we had a player piano
brought to the house to try it out. We decided we did not want a player piano
so returned it and got another one which we had a long as we kept our home. The
three older girls became quite efficient in playing it. Edith now has this
piano in her home.
We
moved from Acequia to Twin Falls in March 1922, living in a nice home on a
ten-acre lot north of town. After two years here we moved into town and lived
on Adams Street. We had lost our home and practically everything we had owned,
so now were renting. The Christmas of 1925 was indeed a trying one. Father and
the boys had been farming a place at Filer, about seven miles away. They had
had a very hard year; the bean crops they were raising were almost a failure,
barely paying expenses of the summer. Very much discouraged, father left on the
20th of December for contact, Nevada to get work in the mines. He
worked here for two months, earning $100 per month, and was cheated out of
three-fourths of this amount. Christmas, with father gone, was lonely. Gladys
was clerking in Wright’s store and did all she could to help us. Uncle Lee came
to visit us during this winter and found our coal bin about empty and us,
hoping to get money soon to get our supply. He bought us a ton of coal, for
which we were grateful. Uncle Lee was surely a Santa Claus, though a little
late. Delta Duffin was with us for awhile.
We
moved from Twin Falls to a farm near Hollister, 18 miles south, in September
1926. This farm was leased from E.J. Hunt and Sons of Buhl, Idaho, and was
known as the Beatty farm. We were there seven years. Each Christmas brought its
joys to us. Grant, Edith, Donald and Gladys were all married and we had our
family gatherings as often as we could, the grandchildren coming to brighten
the day.
The
Christmas of 1930 Gladys and her boyfriend (Ervin) came from Lyman, Wyoming, where
she was teaching school. They announced the marriage of Donald and Marie Bosch
in Salt Lake. We had expected Donald to come home for Christmas, but he did not
get home until the next Christmas, then brought his wife and baby Donna Marie.
The
Christmas of 1932 we had dinner at Edith’s home, 336 6th Avenue
North, in Twin Falls. It was the last Christmas that my mother was with us, as
she died the next Thanksgiving day, November 30, 1933. I had had an operation
in the Twin Falls Hospital the latter part of October 1932, so was feeling too
well at Christmas. Glenn was attending college at Caldwell, Idaho. Etta and
Ross were both working for Hunts at Buhl. At Christmas time Ross had received a
five-dollar bill for his work, and when he reached home it was gone, no place
to be found, which was a great disappointment to him.
In
1933 we moved from Hollister to the Gettert farm (80 acres) three miles west of
Eden and thirteen miles northeast of Twin. Here we lived until August 1937,
when I made the move to Shelley, Idaho, where I bought a home. My husband had
died the month before and we were not in a position to continue renting the
farm, so considered it best to make this move. Grant’s home was at Shelley, and
the other boys were in school. Glenn and Ross were at the U. of I. at Moscow.
Each Christmas brought its joys and remembrances. The boys usually came home
from school and the married children and their families came when they could.
I
think it was the Christmas of 1935 that Glenn and Ross were coming home from
Moscow to be home for the holidays. They did not have enough money to buy their
tickets on the train so were going to hitchhike, and against regulations they
chose to ride the cars that were bringing students home. They would get on top,
or underneath or wherever they could find a place to ride. The train officials
discovered them and put them off a time or two, but when the train started
again they would be on it. Finally, before reaching Boise, the train officials
phoned ahead and had some officers on hand to arrest them. They tried to escape
by running but were caught and taken to the lock-up. They were so dirty,
covered with coal dust, smoke, etc., that they did not look like white people.
At the jail they washed up as best they could and were given a very good meal
which they needed and relished very much. The keepers had taken things from
their pockets, among which was a letter from their father, telling them of his
hopes of having them home for Christmas, also enclosing some money for them.
After about five hours in jail, some officers came and talked to them, and in
asking questions found that they were not criminals, but just two homesick boys
trying to get home for Christmas. He gave them some advice and released them to
go on their journey. We had a very happy reunion.
The
Christmas of 1937 I spent at Grant’s. I had my home in Shelley and had four
lady boarders who had gone home for Christmas. Agnes was at home and Jack was
completing his high school. The Christmas before that, 1936, Etta came from
Salt Lake with Horace. Glenn and Ross also came from Moscow.
For
Christmas of 1938 I made the trip to Moscow, Idaho, to spend it with my four
sons. Donald was working at Spokane, Glenn at Lewiston, and Ross and Jack were
in school. Margie was there also. I got a ride from Jerome with a Mrs. Jenkins.
Melvin took me from Twin to Jerome and we started about 3 a.m., December 20th.
It was a very foggy day, and hard to follow the road. Mrs. Jenkins was going to
Moscow to bring her son and some other students home for the holidays, then
take them back for school, and bring me home again. We arrived safely in Moscow
about 5 p.m. and surely enjoyed meeting my dear ones again. Margie made the
trip to Boise to visit her parents, so I spent most of the next two weeks there
very much alone. The four sons were all there with us for Christmas dinner.
I
went to a dentist and had my only nine bottom teeth drawn, and got a full set
of new teeth made. It was rather a painful ordeal, but a job I needed to have
done. Glenn was the one to settle this account. It was a fine Christmas present
for me. It was also this Christmas that I received my Parker fountain pen from
my children. It has done me a lot of service and I am writing with it now.
Mrs.
Jenkins came back to Moscow in due time and we were to go home the next day,
but a snow storm had started and she was afraid that the road over the Blue
Ridge Mountains would be blocked before morning, so we decided to start that
night. We left Moscow about 7 p.m. and had a very disagreeable time, all night.
The storm was a bad one, rain, hail, wind and sleet taking turns. As we reached
the top of the divide we met a man driving a big oil truck. He put the chains
on our car, which helped some, as we were having trouble keeping on the road.
This driver said if we had more trouble he would be along and give us help. We
went a short distance and found our engine radiator was dry. We stopped and
waited for the oil truck, but he passed us by without stopping. We would go a
little way until the engine heated up, then stop to cool it. We kept this up
until we reached a highway station where we got water and continued on our way.
Mrs. Jenkins had been without sleep for a long time and her eyes became so
inflamed and sore that she could hardly see. When we reached Emmett we went to
her cousin’s place and stayed a couple of hours, resting and bathing her eyes.
We reached Boise about 5 p.m. where I stopped for a few days.
Christmas
of 1940 was in Logan. Agnes and I attended early pageant.
The
Christmas of 1941 I was living in Logan until September. I rode to Twin Falls
with a neighbor (Mr. Smith) in August. Went to Twin Falls from Salt Lake for
Christmas with Edith and family. Jack came from Moscow and met me there. We had
a fine dinner and a generous good time. Melvin took Jack and me to Acequia
after dinner, where we stayed with Uncle Horace and Aunt Ida. Melvin came for
us on Saturday morning and took us to Shelley where we visited with Grant and
family, also went to Idaho Falls and visited with Agnes and Roland. Jack
returned back to Salt Lake with me where he visited Etta and family. Gladys and
family came while he was here. They stayed just a short time.
I
moved to Salt Lake to be with Etta in September 1941 and here I was for Christmas,
but went to Twin Falls to meet Jack and visit. Etta was working and I was
keeping house and caring for her children. We had a very nice Christmas tree
and many nice presents. I received many cards and tokens, also several dollars
in money from my children.
The
Christmas of 1942 was spent in Salt Lake with Etta and family. Jack did not
come home this year.
Now
it is nearly Christmas of 1943. I am here at Hill Field working. I have a very
comfortable little room where I am able to do some of the things I like to do.
This day (Monday, December 20) has been my day off and I have spent a lot of
time writing about Christmases I remember. I have remembered a lot of things I
am glad to get recorded so our children will know about them. I have had
photographs of father and myself made and sent to the nine of our children.
Hope they will enjoy them. Jack is far away from the rest of the family right
now, but we hope he is well and happy.
