Over the next 35 pages of this web you will find the story and photos of the life of Earl and Eliza together. This story is composed of their own writings and the writings of some of their children. For stories of their lives growing up please follow the links to the left.
Edited by Kristine Halls Smith
Grandpa was a storyteller, so he was encouraged by many people in his family to tell his stories so they could be preserved. In 1968, he complied with those requests by telling his stories into a tape recorder and they were then transcribed. Grandma later wrote interesting stories of her life, but she only got as far as 1925 in her writings, so their sons, Lyle and Glenn, added more to complete the stories. Joy also wrote about some of her memories of her mother. Earl and Eliza’s childhoods, of course, were separate and are presented separately. However, because their stories tell about the same time periods and the same experiences after they were married, I’ve combined the stories; to show each one’s writings – Earl’s and Eliza’s, Lyle’s, Glenn’s and Joy’s. I’ve attached a name at the beginning of each section to show who wrote it.
—Kristine Halls Smith
(Eliza) When I was about eighteen years old, Earl began to notice me, but my interest in him or any other boy was nil. There were some I liked better than others, but that was as far as it went. Kids did not date then as they do now because they had no transportation or money. We got ourselves to the dances, shows, and roller skating, or stayed home. But Earl persevered, and on May 1, 1913, we were married in the Salt Lake Temple. We took a horse and buggy from Huntsville to Earl’s Aunt Lottie’s in Ogden to stay the night which bothered me a bit as I had been told she had another girl picked out for Earl. I didn’t think she liked me, although she was very kind and thoughtful to me. She was that kind of person. We got up early and caught the Bamberger train to the Salt Lake Temple. I felt like a star out of orbit, lost. I had a nice white dress at home, but had been told they would not let me wear it. So the only thing I had white was a nice long white skirt and a white blouse, but I could have worn my dress. Huntsville was a long way from Salt Lake City, and when Ma and Dad were married, maybe that was the way it was. The ladies were so nice and helpful, like always. In the marriage room we were all alone. The man that married us and the two witnesses were up on the balcony. It’s so different today. Anyhow, we got married and got home early that evening. I was so tired I put my head on the sewing machine next to my chair and went to sleep. The next night Ma had arranged a nice wedding supper for us with relatives and friends. We got quite a few nice presents.