1895 - 1950 (55 years) Submit Photo / Document
Set As Default Person
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Name |
OLSEN, Lola Meredith |
Birth |
21 Apr 1895 |
Spring City, Sanpete, Utah, United States [4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13] |
Christening |
6 Jun 1895 |
Spring City, Sanpete, Utah, United States |
Gender |
Female |
WAC |
2 Jun 1915 |
MANTI |
_TAG |
Reviewed on FS |
Death |
20 Jul 1950 |
Spring City, Sanpete, Utah, United States [10, 11, 12] |
Burial |
23 Jul 1950 |
Spring City, Sanpete, Utah, United States [12] |
Headstones |
Submit Headstone Photo |
Person ID |
I52719 |
Joseph Smith Sr and Lucy Mack Smith |
Last Modified |
19 Aug 2021 |
Family |
WATSON, James Albert , b. 4 Jul 1894, Springville, Utah, Utah, United States Springville, Utah, Utah, United Statesd. 13 Oct 1960, Spring City, Sanpete, Utah, United States (Age 66 years) |
Marriage |
2 Jun 1915 |
Sanpete, Utah [6] |
Children |
+ | 1. WATSON, Karma , b. 17 Jan 1923, Spring City, Sanpete, Utah, United States Spring City, Sanpete, Utah, United Statesd. 27 Feb 2014, Orem, Utah, Utah, United States (Age 91 years) | |
Family ID |
F14607 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
Last Modified |
24 Jan 2022 |
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Photos |
| Lola Olsen Watson Watertown, MA Old Burying Grounds (no individual tombstone found) |
| At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
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Notes |
- Son of Bert and Lola Olsen Watson
Written by his wife, Cecile M. Watson, April l, 1990, Spring City, Utah.
(Cecile died in 1991)
The house where Jack and Cecile now live was the home of his parents, Bert and Lola Watson for most of their married life. Jack has also lived there most of his life, except for a short time after his marriage. After Lola died in 1950, Bert re-married. He died in 1960 and Cecile and Jack bought the house from Bert's second wife, Eva.
The house was built in 1904 by Morgan Johnson, the son of Judge Jacob Johnson, while he was manager of the Young Men Co-op Mercantile Store on Main Street in Spring City (by Pratt Osborne's store). That building burned down. Morgan also had interests in the Spring City Roller Mill, east of Earl Clark’s home.
The barn was built in 1900. It was knocked down by a couple of wind storms and a tree falling on it. In February of 1990, Jeff and I tore it down and hauled it away.
The house has been changed and remodeled many times over the years. On October 8, 1988, we had a fire on the porch, and it was going to the upstairs, causing a lot of smoke and water damage to the house. We had a contractor come and knock out the walls, making the rooms bigger and making many other changes. We added cupboards, carpets, wallpaper and paint, and new appliances and furniture. It’s very pretty now.
Our early life was good. We all learned to work and manage money, and made do with what we had. With little money, we experienced many sacrifices, yet still survived, always being busy and learning the value of a dollar. The family went to church on Sunday. I didn't go that much, I hated primary and Sunday School. We always had a good dinner and the folks were good to us.
I enjoyed going to school in Spring City. They held classes up to the ninth grade-six grades at the big red school and three grades at the junior high. My teachers were Ila Puzey, Loa Allred, Geniel Allred, Eva Erickson and Lee Allred. In junior high my teachers were Helen VanCott, Reed H. Allred, James W. Blain, principal, and E. V. Terry. They were all good teachers and I felt I learned a lot while attending school in Spring City. We went to high school in Mt. Pleasant at the big red brick building on Main Street. (It has now been torn down.) I didn’t like it that well and didn't feel that I learned much there.
Dad and Mom raised a big garden in the lot south of the house, but Ma did most of the gardening. She bottled vegetables, fruit and meat, raised chickens and a pig to kill and salt-cure. We ate deer meat and mutton. We didn't have money for fancy food or junk food, just had good, wholesome meals.
Dad went on a mission for the L.D.S. church to Australia for three years. Wanda was a small baby at the time. It took six weeks on a boat to get to Australia. Dad said the country was so vast and so green and pretty, with huge sheep herds. He said that since he went into the sheep business, he didn't know why he ever came back to Utah, there was such beautiful country there.
Our house was heated with coal stoves and always cold. It was so cold when we went upstairs to go to bed, we would heat bricks, wrap them up and put them at our feet to keep warm.
One day Ma was out in the wash house doing the laundry. The wash house was out west of the house. She was wringing the clothes out, when she leaned over and caught her long hair in the wringer. She couldn't reach the plug to stop the washer, and it pulled out a handful of hair. It really hurt her.
At one time, Dad was working up at the old flour mill in the southeast part of town. He was pulling shingles off the house and got a sliver in his eye. He went to Dr. Hollman in Mt. Pleasant to get it out, but he lost the sight in his eye. All he could see was night and day.
From 1927 to 1938 our folks ran about 300 head of sheep with Grandpa James Watson and William Watson, Frank Watson's dad. We'd take turns herding the sheep. We would go on the mountains and stay two or three weeks at a time. Our family would go on horseback with six horses; some were used for supplies, bedding, tents and miscellaneous. We rode the horses double, up Canal Canyon. This was before the road was built. Karma and Gwen were babies at the time and rode in front of Mom and Dad on pillows on the saddle. The horse Dad rode was called Ranger. If the rope got under his tail, he would really buck. Sometimes while we were on the mountains it would rain so hard we'd get into bed to stay warm and dry.
In about 1936-37, they were building the road from Horseshoe to Reeder. We'd sit at South Fork and watch the cats work on the roads. They built three roads which were too steep for travel, until they built the one we travel now. You can still see the other ones.
I was up on the mountains one time hunting deer. Dad brought the team and wagon up for me to bring down the camp and supplies. Ma drove our little car up to the mouth of Canal to the gates. She drove up too far, ran over some big rocks, and knocked the battery out of the car. They got mad and walked home.
My sister, Gwen, went on an L.D.S. mission to New York City for 1 ½ years. She became quite sick, so our family decided to drive back and get her. Harry and Karma had just bought a new Plymouth, so Dad, Mom, Karma, Harry and myself went back in March. We had a good trip, saw plenty of country, and had lots of experiences. Ma didn't feel too good and was sick. She had rheumatic fever when she was young and it damaged her heart.
Our trip lasted about three weeks. We visited Harry's sister in Philadelphia. They took us sight-seeing. We saw Times Square, Radio City, the Statue of Liberty, Coney Island, traveled on the subways. The city was big, and yet just a short distance outside the city was farm ground. Several of the men lost their hats in the cafe while we were eating out. We enjoyed some good meals on our trip; experienced many different weather conditions along the way.
Grandma Olsen was a tall, rawboned lady. Grandpa Olsen was a small man, crippled in the hips in later years with rheumatism. He couldn’t walk much or ride his horse. He made a two-wheel cart to ride in, pulled by the horse.
Grandma kept the house neat and clean. The outside-yard, barn and fence were also well-kept, never a board off the fence or barn. The house had one room called the parlor. The door was always kept shut, except on special occasions. This was where the nicest furniture was kept, and where special dinners and celebrations were held. I remember going there when I was young. Grandma would give me a piece of homemade bread and jam. It tasted so good! They were good, kind people.
When Grandpa died, I'd go see how Grandma was doing and do a few things for her. She spent lots of time at our home in her last years. When she became sick, they moved her bed to our house and Ma tended her, although Ma wasn't very well herself. We were all good to her. She stayed here for awhile and then went to Aunt Grace’s for awhile in Provo. Then Doyle and Rozina moved into Grandma's house to take care of her.
Daughter of Charles and Rose Olsen
By Grace Olsen Ahlstrom
Lola Meredith Olsen Watson was born in Spring City, Sanpete County, Utah on April 21, 1895 to Charles Alfred and Rosey Minerva Blain Olsen. She was a sweet little girl with dark hair and brown eyes, taking after the Blain side of the family. Though she was sick much of the time, she lived a very full and useful life and accomplished much more than many people accomplish who are much stronger than she was.
She was eleven years old when I was born, so I don't know a lot about her childhood, but I remember our Mother telling things about Lola which I have never forgotten. When she was a small child she had many sick spells and childhood diseases, and because there were no antibiotics at that time she was not able to overcome them very well and became very weakened. She developed rheumatic fever and was left with a bad heart. I remember Mother telling us how she would put Lola in a baby buggy and wheel her everywhere. The buggy was a beautiful carriage and I remember it well. It was quite large and was made of beautiful wood, with a fancy lining covered with lace, and it had a large umbrella over it. I suppose Mother used it for all her babies. If we still had it today, it would be a lovely and valuable antique and a prized possession. Even after I was grown up it was still around-quite dilapidated-and Mother used it to haul wood from the woodpile to the house.
I remember Mother telling about Lola's spells of rheumatic fever and how she would often sleep with her. Many times she would lay on Mother's arm all night. She would have sinking spells and Mother would have to raise her up and shake her to keep her breathing. Doctors and medicine were scarce and the transportation was only by horse and buggy on roads that were so muddy in the winter that the buggy sank down sometimes to the hub of the wheels. Everything possible was done for Lola. At one time she was taken to the Manti Temple for a special blessing.
Perhaps as a result of this and also because of the constant and loving care my Mother gave her, she grew strong enough to attend school. She went to the public school in Spring City and then to high school in Mt. Pleasant. The school bus was a covered wagon driven by Pratt Allred. One day Lola came home and told Mother she had put a pencil in her ear and the eraser had come off. In trying to get it out she had only pushed it further in and so she had to be taken to a doctor to get it out. One of her teachers, James Blain, said of her, "....she was always smiling, happy, never causing me one bit of trouble, never failing in her work to do the things that were asked of her."
Lola was a charming girl and never lacked for friends. In spite of all her sickness-maybe even because of it-she wanted to get as much out of life as possible. She sometimes did venturesome and daring things, and being full of life and vigor, she sometimes also showed a side of spunk and temper.
Some of my choicest memories of Lola and also the rest of our family were in connection with the big farm which Dad owned about two miles outside of town. There was lots of hay and grain, sheds, barns, livestock and a good adobe farmhouse. Lola and her friends loved to spend time there, as all of us did. There were lots of fun things to do, and I remember how Mother would bake many loaves of warm, wonderful bread and feed it to us and our friends. She always let the kids into the house to change their clothes to go swimming in the pond, and sometimes there would be a big crowd of them.
One time Lola and her friend, Phyllis Strate, overheard some young people planning a chicken supper “out at the Charley Olsen farm.” They didn’t want him to find out about it because he always worried so much about fires with all the hay. On the night of the party, they waited until dark and then walked out through the fields to the farm. The crowd had come in a large, white-topped buggy and had tied their horses near a haystack to feed. While everyone was busy with supper, Lola and Phyllis took the horses and led them back to town where they tied them at Joe Puzy’s hitching post. Then they went and told Dad what was going on. He took Orland and went to the farm. Soon the crowd was dispersed, but not before someone went to town and got the horses.
Even in her youth, Lola was interested in civic affairs. In our little town of Spring City, holidays were important and the Fourth of July was always a big occasion. At one of these celebrations Lola was chosen “Goddess of Liberty.” She rode in the parade and ruled over the affairs of this grand event with dignity, her dark hair flowing out from under her lovely crown and down over a beautiful white embroidered dress that Mother had made for her.
I was just a kid at that time, but I remember how I felt about her. I was always proud that she was my sister. I thought that she and Bert were the most handsome couple in town, and I still believe they were. During their courtship, Bert took her to many theater shows. Traveling troupes would come to town every two weeks. The boys would always give the girls a nice box of chocolates and they would sit and eat them during the show. After it was over, the younger kids would rush up to the front where the reserved seats were and see who could gather up the most boxes. (I had a stack of them in my room. I’ll bet some of them were from Startup’s!)
I remember the day Bert and Lola went to the Manti Temple to be married. I was about eight years old and I remember I was very excited. Mother’s sister, Aunt Mary, was in charge of the dinner, and she taught me how to clean chickens. (I hate cleaning chickens to this day!) Anyway, they had a very lovely dinner and that night a reception was held in the Opera House which was located west of where Marsden Allred lived. That was before they had the theater that was later used for so many things.
Though one might have thought that she would be delicate and reserved because of her bad health, sometimes she was just the opposite. She was very athletic and loved the out-of-doors, riding horses and going to the mountains to the sheep-herd. She helped Bert with the outside work, often far beyond what others thought she ought to do - chasing cows, herding sheep, pumping and carrying water, but never neglecting her children. In the early days of their marriage, they did not have the modern conveniences we have now, and at times she carried her large family washing to Mother’s to do. She grew fruits and vegetables and always had a full pantry.
Bert was called to go on a mission to Australia when Wanda was about ten months old. He was in the sheep business with his father and uncle and had been doing well financially. Lola was left to carry on the responsibility of raising their little daughter and taking care of herself for three years. At times she was very lonely, so she decided to come home and be with her family while Bert was away. I helped her with Wanda while she kept herself busy with church work and supporting herself.
I remember she had two cows, a black one and a brown one. One Sunday evening while Lola went to a stake board meeting, I went to milk the cows and do the chores that needed to be done. The cows gave a lot of milk, and my arms nearly gave out. When I had a large bucketful, I decided there was enough milk for the calves, so I turned them out to their mothers, but I could hardly get them back when it was time to put them in their pens. It was a hard job, but I enjoyed doing chores for Lola. I think it helped to build the bond of love that always existed between us through the years.
After Bert came home from his mission, their family increased. They became the parents of seven children. I always loved to go to their home, often visiting for long times at late hours. Lola always worked very hard at raising her children, being a good wife and church-member. She had good times and trying times, and grieved as any Mother would when she lost a three-month old daughter, Dawn.
Bert and Lola made their first home in a little three-room house two blocks east of the Watson home, eight blocks from our house. I remember what fun it was walking up to Lola's and visiting with her when she was just a young married girl. After their first baby, Wanda, was born it was even more fun for me.
Later, when they had electricity, she was doing the washing one day and got her hair caught in the wringer. Luckily, she was able to pull the plug and stop the washer, but not before it had pulled out a large handful of her hair.
She seemed to have a perpetual drive for keeping busy, and would often get into a little roadster they had and go up into the mountains by herself and haul rocks back to build a porch. She never used her health as an excuse to refrain from doing the things she wanted to do or felt she should be doing.
Lola was so fun to be with and always made people feel welcome in her home. My husband, Dwane, and my daughters, Mignon and Sherrie, vividly remember the wonderful visits to Aunt Lola's and the loving memories shared with her and her family-the sleeping in the upstairs bedroom; the swinging in the lawn swing; having Thanksgiving dinners and sharing Christmases-especially when we all walked through deep snow to get to each other’s houses and the Christmas trees with a thousand shimmering silver icicles; and playing the old organ in the parlor.
I have missed my dear sister more than I can say and have felt her loss in my life many times over the years. How I would have loved to be associated with her in later life and do some of the things we did when we were younger. She had and will always have a special place in m heart.
She had a great love for her family and was always anxious for them to develop their talents and their testimonies. She implanted in their souls a love for the gospel and set a great example for them to follow. She had a hard life at times, but she was not one to complain or see the negative side of things. She enjoyed the good things of the earth and was grateful for the Lord’s many blessings. She was happy to see Gwen go on a mission and she lived for the day when she went back to meet Gwen. She was very weak at that time, but the doctor gave her permission to go with Bert and Jack, and she enjoyed the trip very much, though it-exhausted and weakened her still more.
Lola always tried to do what was asked of her and many things that were not asked or expected of her. Her life was one of service, and she learned what it meant to be compassionate and thoughtful of others. She had a beautiful voice, and will always be remembered for the many lovely songs she rendered at public gatherings, especially at funerals. Several older people told her that they wanted her to sing at their funerals. Many of them outlived her. She was always sending cards to the sick and visiting the aged, and was especially good to our Mother. There seemed to be a bond between them, probably because of the loving care and special attention that mother had given her so willingly when Lola was a child and so ill. I'm sure it was all that saved Lola's life.
When our Mother was not well and had been alone for some time, Lola took her into her home and cared for her for about nine months, even though she was not really strong enough to do it. As time went on, preparations were made to return Mother to her home. Lola went to see her every day taking meals and doing things for her. On March 20, 1948, Mother passed away. She had had strokes and was bedridden. Her death was a great loss to Lola, who had a hard time adjusting to it. The power of their love for each other seemed to reach beyond that of the ordinary. I think it was because of all they had been through together. Lola died two years after Mother's death. I think they were not meant to be separated for too long, and I feel that they are happy doing things together, just as they did while on this earth.
Lola was a very loving daughter, sister and mother, a good wife and help-mate and a wonderful friend. She raised a good family, honored her Father and Mother, and showed her love for her Father in Heaven by serving her fellow-man. She gave freely of her time and her talents to comfort the hearts of the sorrowing and to share in the joy of another’s happiness. Surely, if anyone ever deserved a rich reward, it is Lola. I, like many others, will never forget her, and those who have never known her, have missed a rich experience, indeed.
Lola-
She was a very hard working women who provided for her family and because her husband was away with the sheep a lot of the time and because her family needed milk she milked the cows. She always had a lovely garden and she died at a young age. Because Wanda was the oldest child she had dinner with her almost every Sunday. Richard was born in her home in Spring City.
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Sources |
- [S53] Unknown.
- [S48] GEDCOM File : MASHarris 8.ged, 19 Dec 2003, Standard Examiner (Reliability: 0).
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- [S157] Ancestry.com, 1930 United States Federal Census, (Ancestry.com Operations Inc), Year: 1930; Census Place: Spring City, Sanpete, Utah; Roll: 2422; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 0024; Image: 336.0; FHL microfilm: 2342156.
- [S32] Unknown, (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.), Ancestry Family Tree.
http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=32128504&pid=20749
- [S163] Web: Western States Marriage Index, 1809-2011, (Online publication - Brigham Young University–Idaho.).
- [S192] Ancestry.com, Unknown, (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.Original data - Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Rec), Year: 1920; Census Place: Spring City, Sanpete, Utah; Roll: T625_1864; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 100; Image: 205.
- [S231] Ancestry.com, Unknown, (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.Original data - United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1), Year: 1900; Census Place: Spring City, Sanpete, Utah; Roll: 1685; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 0119; FHL microfilm: 1241685.
- [S232] Ancestry.com, Unknown, (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.Original data - Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Wa), Year: 1910; Census Place: Spring City, Sanpete, Utah; Roll: T624_1608; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 0149; FHL microfilm: 1375621.
- [S429] Ancestry.com, Unknown, (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.Original data - Bureau of Vital Statistics. Utah Death Index, 1847-1966. Salt Lake City, UT, USA: Utah Department of Health. View Complete Source List.Original data: Bureau of Vital St), Utah State Archives and Records Service; Salt Lake City, UT; Utah State Archives and Records Service; File Number #: 1950002918.
- [S863] Ancestry.com, Unknown, (Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.).
- [S161] Ancestry.com, Web: Utah, Find A Grave Index, 1847-2012, (Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.).
- [S32] Unknown, (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.), Cited in the family tree "SCHOONOVER FAMILY TREE/ WITH SOURCES" created by "greateridea".
http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=32128504&pid=20749
http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/5637090/person/-977060583
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