Emma Lee

  Generelle notater:

Betty's memories of Grandpa and Grandma Brown. Betty is the oldest daughter of Yvonne.
"Because I grew up next door to my grandparents, Jethro Daniels and Emma Lee Brown, I have many memories of them both. If I drop back in time I can hear Grandma calling Grandpa, "Jessie, Jessie," or saying, "Yes, oh yes, oh yes" when she was happy with something. I can see her pulling a piece of candy to give to each of us from somewhere in the corner where she sat and I can recapture the good feelings I had when I spent time with her rolling rug yarn into balls or reading to her the continued stories from the little Relief Society magazine that came each month.

Some nights I stayed with Grandma when Grandpa had a meeting to attend and we listened to Intersanctum Mysteries on the radio. She really loved that program, but I was so scared by the time Grandpa got home that I ran all the way from their door to ours.

Sometimes on Sundays I waited with Grandma in the Farr West chapel while Grandpa and Dad attended priesthood meeting. People often stopped and visited with her, but because of the results of her stroke, they didn't always understand what she said. Usually I could tell them what it was she wanted them to know.

Sunday afternoons were times for aunts and uncles to gather in Grandpa and Grandma's living room. Because our family lived next door, we children dropped in for uninvited brief periods of time. Spirited conversations and laughter were nearly always taking place. It seemed that everyone was talking at once and no one was listening. I was there on December 7, 1942, when a late comer came running in and told everyone to be quite and listen to what was being said on the radio. This was the Sunday that Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese.

Grandpa had a special way of leading the music in Sacrament Meetings. He always had his glasses sitting way down on his nose and he sang with such enthusiasm that the chapel was filled with music as everyone joined in.

I loved Grandpa's stories and the poems he recited and I was proud of him for the knowledge he had of the gospel and of the scriptures.

As I grew older I came to realize what love and devotion Grandpa had for Grandma as he took care of her every need for so many years, making it look as if it were fun. What a blessing it has been to have grandparents such as these."

This history is found in "NIELS PETER NIELSEN LEE, wives: HELENE MIKKELSEN and MARIE LARSEN" genealogy book by DEVONA STEPHENSON DAVIS, grandduaghter of DORTHEA LEE STEPHENSON, pages 238-240, printed in 1984. This history was written by HELENA BROWN WATSON as told by EMMA LEE BROWN.
It is also found in "The History of The Family of JETHRO DANIELS BROWN and EMMA LEE by HELENA DANIELS BROWN WATSON, daughter of JETHRO and EMMA, pages 37-40. This book was printed in 1996 and has some additional entries not included in the LEE history.


"Amid the rolling hills and green fields of Ogden Valley, Niels Peter Lee and Marie Larsen Lee lived in the small community of Huntsville. It was here on the 29th day of September, 1879, they welcomed into their home a wee, golden-haired daughter giving her the name of Emma Lee.

At the early age of six months, Emma was stricken with spinal meningitis and was unconscious for several weeks. The doctor said she could not live, and if she did she would have brain damage. It was not God's will that she should die, and gradually she recovered from her illness. Though she was a frail child, she was mentally well and grew into a sweet, beautiful girl.

When Emma was two years old her parents moved to the town of Harrisville which later became part of Farr West. It was there Emma grew and enjoyed her childhood with her seven brothers and sisters. Their parents worked hard to supply their needs; security and love were plentiful.

On Christmas of her third year, Emma hopped out of bed to see if Santa had come. Sure enough he had left her a ball which had two faces. The faces had big noses, and to her delight, the ball squeaked when she pinched it. Emma always said this gift made her happier than anything she ever received.

When she was three and a half years old her loving mother died. Niels Peter Lee was a polygamist. His first wife, Helene, gathered the eight motherless children in with her own eleven. No one ever knew which was which by the way she treated them.

It was not an easy thing in those pioneering days to feed a family this large, but these stalwart pioneers worked hard and supplied the necessities of life. Their main diet consisted of bread, butter, molasses, mild, and potatoes. When Helene Lee could obtain fruit for canning, she had to put it in five gallon cans so it would give each one a helping. This, however, was a rare treat.

Emma's father made shoes for the children--a small one-man factory. Their shoes had wooden soles and leather tops. The children said they were not the most comfortable, but they were durable.

Emma's older sister, Sena, was ten years old when their mother died. She did much to help care for her brothers and sisters by doing housework for other families. While Sena was away working she contracted a severe cold, and at the age of seventeen she died. Emma missed the love of her only sister. She had liked combing her long reddish hair, and her companionship was dear to Emma's heart.

At the age of six Emma hurried off to school with her slate tucked under her arm. She trembled with excitement and anticipation at the thought of her first day of school. She entered the one-room West Harrisville School and sat down at one end of a long hard bench. The teacher, Mattie Dye, called the children to order, and Emma knew her education had begun. In that same room sat a little boy with golden curls hanging down to his shoulders. This Jess Brown was later to become Emma's life companion.

Emma was a religious child and attended church meetings regularly. At age 13 she became secretary of the primary. Each week she walked a mile to and from primary, most of the time barefoot, attending to this duty.

At age 15 she joined the choir. Moroni Ferrin was the leader and taught them how to read music. She was a member of this choir for 15 years.

Emma finished the Fifth Reader at school when she was 16. (This would be equivalent to the eighth grade now.) The family was not financially able to have her continue her education, so she went to work in Pleasant View for the Cragun family. It was here that she cooked for five people, washed on the old washboard, picked and dried fruit, cleaned house, ironed, mended, and handled other duties Mr. Cragun chose for her. Her salary was $2.00 a week. It was not much, but after a year she had enough saved to attend Weber Academy in Ogden, Utah.

During the year at the Academy she took a Sunday School course and applied her learning in teaching kindergarten and Primary in the West Harrisville Ward. She liked teaching children, and she enriched their lives with many lessons, songs, and stories. She had a great store of songs and stories and had an unusual talent for sharing them. All through her life she made others happy with these talents.

One year at the Academy was all Emma could afford. In 1897, when the LDS Church sponsored a silkworm industry, she took the course. She brought silkworms into the already overcrowded Lee home to raise. When the worms were ready to make their cocoons they were placed on the curtains at the windows, and there they hung in great numbers. Emma spun the silk thread from the cocoons and made lace. For two years she raised the silkworms, fed them mulberry leaves, and spun thread. "They were interesting," she said, "a bit messy but at times furnished gleeful entertainment. On one occasion Enoch Groberg, a beau of sister Ella's, came to our home. He was very fussy and prim. While he sat in a straight, starched position waiting for Ella, I dropped a silkworn down his collar. His antics were only comical to those watching, and we all got it from Ella later."

At the age of 19 Emma began working in Bertha Peterson's Sewing Shop. It was located in the upstairs of the old Opera House, now the Orpheum Theater, in Ogden, Utah. For six months Emma sewed without any salary and boarded herself. Apprentice or not, this looked like a poor deal. Emma organized the women that worked there. They demanded wages or said they would quit. Bertha was convinced they meant business and agreed to pay them each a dollar per day. For five years Emma worked there sewing for the aristocrats of Ogden.

Emma was a beautiful girl with blonde hair which gained her the nickname of cotton-top. She had big blue eyes and natural rosy cheeks. Her fiance, Jess, said he could span her waist with his two hands and often remarked, "She was the belle of the town, and if I hadn't been such a cute little rascal, I don't suppose I'd have gotten her."

On February 12, 1900, Emma Lee married her childhood sweetheart, Jethro Daniels Brown. They were married in the old Lee home by Jess's brother-in-law, Bishop James Martin. On February 15, 1900, they went to Salt Lake City where they were married in the temple for time and all eternity. That same eventful day Jess left for a mission to the Southern States.

The two years following were lonesome for Emma, but she enjoyed the inspirational letters she received from her young missionary husband. He traveled without purse or script, and she made a living by sewing. Her many brothers helped her through lonely hours by taking her to parties, dances, and other church functions. On March 18, 1902 Jess returned from his mission, and two happy hearts turned to the future with hope, faith, and determination to make a home.

Emma and Jess started housekeeping in one room of the Thomas D. Brown home. They later moved and lived in four different locations in Farr West and Slaterville, finally buying the old Thomas D. Brown farm where most of their children were born in the old rock house. In 1920, they bought the Niels Peter Lee farm and moved into the old Lee home where they remained until their family was all married. In 1940, they moved back to the Thomas D. Brown corner into a new house Jess helped to build. This house is now owned by their youngest daughter, Helena B. Watson, she loves and reveres this sacred spot with all its memories.

Emma's activities in the Church were varied--but all for the wonderful purpose of building up God's kingdom. She was President of the YWMIA for 14 years, Relief Society block teacher, and class teacher in all of the church organizations. She was also an ardent genealogist and did temple work.

She organized a clinic and made it possible for 21 children to have their tonsils removed. She sponsored a drive to raise funds to buy the first piano for the Farr West School.

She was a fine seamstress, knitted, crocheted, and made many quilts. Cooking was not her favorite duty, but she will long be remembered for her good bread, molasses pop-corn, scalloped potatoes, bread pudding, and the cold punch she carried into the field for her family when they were working on the farm. She spent much of her spare time reading. She also liked outdoor sports, movies and dancing.

Going to dances with the family, she not only nursed her own baby or babies, but other mothers' babies who were short on milk. The sleeping little ones of all ages were then laid on benches under coats and covers while their parents danced.

Emma's travels consisted of trips to Yellowstone Park in 1922 with the Brown family; Zion, Bryce and Grand Canyons; Idaho many times to visit her brothers; Ann Arbor, Michigan, where her son Claude received his Ph.D.; and New York where she and Jess met Helena at the close of her mission. A tour of several weeks with Helena in the east consisted of visits to Palmyra for the pageant, Vermont to the Joseph Smith birthplace, Canada, Niagara Falls, Thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence River, New York City, Washington D.C., and on the way home they traced the historical Mormon Trail. Other trips were made to Portland, Oregon, and Bozeman, Montana, to visit Claude. Lee also took them to Visalia, California, to visit; and they visited Helena in Kanab, Utah, several times.

In 1950, Emma and Jess celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in Farr West, Utah. All of the family was present with the exception of Lee. They enjoyed visits from many friends also.

Emma had eight strokes during her life. The doctors said that only through her great desire to live, her faith, and her courage did she overcome all of them except the last one in 1939. The last stroke paralyzed her right side and took her speech. Even so, she learned talk well enough to make her family understand her wishes. She also learned to use her left hand, and she made more than 200 rugs. These were made on frames given to her by her son, Claude. Each rug contained 7680 knots. She also made many pillow tops, dresser scarves, and chair covers.

For fourteen years Jess took her to church, funerals, on trips, to celebrations, and to reunions. Her wheelchair traveled many miles, and Jess gave her tender loving care all through those years.

Emma's children, Lila, Claude, Monna, Yvonne, Lee, Dee, and Helena, were her greatest interest. She and Jess sacrificed and worked hard to send them all to school and on missions. Six of them attended college. Claude received his Ph.D. and Helena her Master's Degree. Lila, Lee, Dee, and Helena filled missions for the LDS Church. Monna and her husband, Abe, filled a mission after their children were grown.

Emma know many years of toil and sacrifice, but she also knew the rich blessings which love of the gospel affords the righteous. She enjoyed giving to others more than having material things of her own. She was patient and cheerful and was loved by her husband, children, grandchildren, and many friends.

She died in Bozeman, Montana, May 21, 1953, while visiting Claude. She was buried in the Ogden City Cemetery. At the time of her death she had 32 grandchildren. At the time of this writing (1996) she has 34 grandchildren (the last one named Emma in her honor), 63 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.

Her impressions, teachings, and living example of faith and love will live forever in the hearts of her children and all those who knew her.


Added comment by Annette B Van Dyke:
Emma Lee Brown is my sweet grandmother!! She died when I was about 8 years old so my memories of her are few, but living next door to her and grandpa all my life was a wonderful blessing to our whole family and I am so grateful for them!



Memories of EMMA LEE as recorded in the "NIELS PETER LEE wives HELENE MIKKELSEN, MARIA LARSEN genealogy book", by Devona Stephenson Davis, Granddaughter of Dorthea Lee Stephenson (half sister to Emma), printed in 1984 (page 241) and also additional information was taken from "The History of the Family of JETHRO DANIELS BROWN and EMMA LEE", by HELENA BROWN WATSON (daughter of Jethro and Emma), printed in 1996 (pages 41-42).


"The first part of Mother's and Dad's married life was lived in half of the house with Grandpa and Grandma Brown. It was not easy for Mother living in the same house with Grandma Brown, for Mother was expected to keep her seven children quiet, which was almost an impossible task. Mother was constantly warning us children to be quiet; when the noise level got too high and could be heard through Grandma's wall, Grandma fiercely rapped on the wall and demanded silence. Poor Mom lived in constant fear of displeasing Grandma.

Mother was also expected to sew for Dad's sisters without pay and then they grumbled if they didn't like the things she made. Finally, Mother told Dad that she wouldn't do it any longer and he assured her that she didn't need to.

In the early 1900's women received very little care during pregnancy. Most of Mother's babies were delivered by a midwife and she had several miscarriages. On one of these occasions she nearly lost her life and was hospitalized and near death. We younger kids were sent to stay with uncles and aunts and I remember how lonesome it was being away from home and family. Years later Claude told me how frightened he had been of losing Mother. He was working on a threshing machine in Harrisville and had heard that Dr. Merrill was coming in his car to take Mother to the hospital. He ran through the fields several miles so that he could stop them on the road to see her before she went and as he ran he prayed to the Lord to spare her life so that she could raise our family. Years later Mom died at Claude's home in Bozeman, Montana. Claude always felt that his prayers had prolonged Mother's life.

Once in Mother's life we talked her into getting her hair cut and a permanent. She had always worn it long and we had never seen it any other way. Mother's hair was so fine that the permanent didn't take too well and she disliked it being cut very much. That was the last hair cut Mother ever had. Her hair never did go gray and she wore it with a bob in back and curled around her face in the front. For fourteen years while Mother was an invalid I came from my house next door and combed her hair every morning. Mother was always so appreciative and gave me a tender pat before I returned home.

In the summer of 1917, Mother planned a long-awaited trip to Idaho to see her brothers and sister. She made herself a beautiful black taffeta skirt as part of her wardrobe for the trip. This skirt, worn with a white blouse, was her only outfit for Sundays and special occasions, so it was a treasure to Mother. One day Monna and I, ages ten and eight, had been playing in the irrigation ditch. The water was low in the ditch and so we didn't do much swimming but mostly mud crawling, as we called it. The little gingham dresses that we wore for swimming suits were plastered to our bodies with mud. While we were in such a state, some company came. Knowing that we looked rather ridiculous, we jumped out of the ditch and bolted for the kitchen door. The first place we saw that we could hide was a walk-in closet which had a curtain hung in front of it for a door. The company entered the house as we entered the closet. We shifted and tramped around in the closet whispering and giggling softly because we had escaped being seen by the company. When the company left, Mother came to the closet to see what her two daughters were up to. She looked with horror at the beautiful black skirt knocked from its hanger and trampled with muddy feet. Without a word Mother picked up the skirt and then she softly cried and sobbed for some time. Monna and I were distraught and we also cried when we saw what we had done and how unhappy Mother was. When Mother saw her little daughters in tears, her unhappiness and anger disappeared and she tried her best to comfort us. She said that she could wash the skirt and it would be alright. She did wash the skirt and then she told us that it was more beautiful than before. This was such a comforting thing to us and relieved our anguish. In later years we knew that the black skirt was never as beautiful after it was washed as it was before.

Emmas livsopsummering
Da Emma Lee blev født den 29. september 1879 i Huntsville, Weber, Utah Territory, USA, var hendes far, Niels Peter Nielsen Lee, 36 og hendes mor, Marie Larsdatter, 32. Hun giftede sig med Jethro Daniels Brown den 12. februar 1900 , i Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, USA. De var forældre til mindst 3 sønner og 4 døtre. Hun boede i Farr West, Weber, Utah, USA i omkring 20 år og Farr West Election Precinct, Weber, Utah, USA i 1940. Hun døde den 21. maj 1953 i Bozeman, Gallatin, Montana, USA, kl. alder af 73, og blev begravet i Ogden City Cemetery, Ogden, Weber, Utah, USA.

  Begivenheder i hendes liv:

• Salt Lake Temple: Temple Sealing, 19 Feb. 1900, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States.

• Bopæl, 1910, Farr West, Weber, Utah, United States.

• Bopæl, 1920, Farr West, Weber, Utah, United States.

• Bopæl, 1930, Farr West, Weber, Utah.

• Bopæl, 1935, Same Place.

• Bopæl, 1940, Farr West Election Precinct, Weber, Utah, United States.