The life history of Rachel Lloyd Carson, as she told it to her daughter.

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My mind carries me back to my childhood days in England; I was born in Dudly [sic] Wastershire [sic], England, May 2, 1851. My parents, William and Rachel Burchill Lloyd, had eight children, three boys and five girls. I was the youngest of the family. My father, in order to gain a livehood [sic] for such a large family, found the coal mines offered the best work at that time in Dudly. He worked there for years, but one day there was an explosion and my father lost his eye sight from coal cinders which were blown with terrific force into his face. I was born after this terrible accident so my father never saw me. Even now I seem to feel his hands going over my face in his attempt to discover for himself the contour of my face and to imagine how I looked. This is one of my earliest recollections. Another vivid memory is the many times I have watched mother try to pick out the coal cinders from my father's head and face.

Our home was a typical English home of these early times -- a huge fireplace which furnished us with heat and a means of cooking and roasting our meat. An iron rod was hung over the fireplace and the meat was placed on this rod. The rod was turned slowly and the meat basted every little while until cooked. The floor of our living room was of stone tile. The room stands out vividly in my mind as I reflect back after 78 years of absence, for it was just 78 years ago that I was literally snatched away from my home to come to America.

My father and mother belonged to the Church of England and it was my special care to see my father safely at church every Sunday morning. This particular Sunday, however, I was told by my mother that I was not to accompany my father to church but that Polly, my sister, could take her turn. I was going down to the boat to bid my sister Elizabeth and her husband John Bissell good-bye as they were coming to America on their honeymoon. Just as we were leaving I turned and saw the big roast slowly turning on the rod and my sister Louise bustling, bustling around getting dinner.

When we arrived at the boat my sister Elizabeth discovered that Mother had made arrangements with the Mormon Elders to come to America too. I was taken along because I was too young to leave behind.

My Mother was a woman who would go to any extreme for what she believed right. She had been converted to the church heart, mind and soul, but my father was very bitter toward the Elders and would not allow them in his home. This caused contention in our home and being a small child of nine years I was not able to understand the cause of all this confusion. Nor have I been able to understand how my mother could have left my blind father and all the other children to come to another country. But the Savior said to his apostles, "Leave all you have and follow me." So my mother had the spirit of the gospel and love of God to worship him in truth and service which out weighed her family duties.

Thus we started for America much to the disapproval of my father who attempted to bring me back. In England the law allows the children to choose which parent they wish to live with and of course I clung to my mother.

On the sailing vessel called the Underwriter, I had many experiences. The one outstanding event, which nearly cost my life I shall never forget. I was sitting on the deck stringing some beads that mother had given to me to pass the time away, when suddenly there came a terrific gust of wind which blew the waves over the deck. I was caught in one of the waves and would have been washed overboard but for the quick thinking and action of a young man named David Morgan. Mr. Morgan caught hold of my dress just in time to save me from going over the side. Our journey was a long tiresome one as we depended upon the wind to carry the boat forward. At times we were driven back off our course farther in one hour than we had come forward in a day. We were six long weeks on the ocean. My first sight of land will always remain one of my greatest thrills for it meant that we could soon feel the pleasure of walking on ground. When we were nearing New York, mother made me put on extra clothing, petticoats, etc., in order avoid paying extra duty on our luggage. Then, too, it was getting warm as we arrived in May, 1861.

We stayed in New York eleven months. Mother did sewing for a wealthy woman by the name of Mrs. Van Steter who had a young daughter, for whom Mother made a pink striped dress with the strips running around the skirt instead of up and down. She had her picture taken in it, and I have this picture in my possession.

With the money my mother saved, together with what she received from sewing, we were prepared to come to Salt Lake. My sister Elizabeth who had been with us up until now went to Scranton Pa. with her husband who had secured a good job in the coal mines there. We left early in April 1861 and came by ox team across the plains. I was so frightened of the oxen that I walked for hours every day, then too, the wagons were loaded down with provisions, so we were compelled to walk most of the way. I became so tired and my feet were so sore from trudging along the dusty road that one day I decided to sit down and rest. Of course the caravan did not wait for me. I watched the wagons slowly getting farther, farther from me but I did not care. Mother had been busy talking to a young woman as we walked along and did not miss me for and hour, then she became alarmed and the teamster was sent back to get me. He put me in the back of the wagon. Of course I got a severe scolding from mother for delaying the train.

I was thrilled to see the buffalo herds which were very numerous when we crossed the plains. Another spectacle that never tired my interest was our camps at night. The wagons were all circled around for protection. Inside the circle we prayed and sang songs to keep up our courage.

Mother had given me a pair of new black "merrico" shoes for my birthday and I did want so much to put those shoes on, but mother said, "wait until we see Salt Lake then you may wear them." We reached Salt Lake in the early summer of 1861. I was disappointed. I thought it would be a beautiful city of Zion, but instead, all we could see was sage brush and a few adobe houses, but Mother kept her promise and I was allowed to put on my new shoes.

The problem of getting a home and some work to do was of great concern to my mother as we were living at the mission home; but mother was an expert dressmaker and soon found a job in the home of a family by the name of Fermore Little. I helped by taking care of the children. Our burden was somewhat lightened through my Aunt Mary Burchill, who had come from England some years before us. Although she was a widow with two children, she was quite well established in her home at Fairfield. We made our home with her for some time until I was placed in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ruben Carter at a place called Old Session Settlement, now Bountiful, Utah. After staying there for while the family moved to Fountain Green taking me with them.

The trip to Fountain Green was a tiresome, cold journey. We had to be wrapped in buffalo robes which felt very comfortable to us. The Carter family were very kind to me, and through them I met many nice young people, who welcomed me into their crowd. We went to dances and many sleigh riding parties. After staying there for one year I was beginning to get lonesome to see my mother. I was just past 15 years of age. I was fortunate in getting a ride to Salt lake with a gentleman who was delivering flour from Salt Creek to Salt Lake. Of course we had to camp out over night. I was frightened to sleep on a bed in the wagon which this kind man prepared for me, so I sat on the wagon tongue until I was scared to death by the howling wolves. Only absolute assurance by this good man that nothing could harm me enabled me to get into the wagon.

We arrive safely, with my earthly belongings in a flour sack, at my mother's dugout home in the 10th ward of Salt Lake City, Utah. My mother had married Mr. John Archer while I was in Fountain Green. This was unexpected news to me. I also felt very discouraged to think we had to live in a dugout, but my mother was very clean about her home. Every morning after cooking she would white wash the inside of the fire place and blacken the "irons," which held the wood. Her hands were never idle. She could knit a pair of girl's stocking in a day. She knit my stepsister, Zelpha, a pair of black stockings in one day because she was so much in need of them.

I found that I could get work in Fairfield which was then Camp Floyd, with my cousin Emma Flack. So my stepfather's daughter, Zelpha, a girl just one year younger than myself, and I went to Fairfield. My stepfather, Mr. Archer, and mother also came to Fairfield. Mr. Archer had been engaged in the picture business working in connection with Mr. Savage in Salt Lake.

Here I got to see many of the soldiers of Johnson's Army, who had not been called to service in the Civil War. I worked for a family by the name of Achord; I also worked at the John Carson Hotel, and for my cousin Emma Flack. She had a son born on my eighteenth birthday. I always called him my birthday present.

Probably the hardest task I had to perform at this time was fighting the grasshoppers. The men dug holes in the ground and had the girls and boys shoo the 'hoppers into these holes where straw had been placed. Then they hurriedly burned them. In this way we got rid of millions but it seemed that there were just that many more to come. But as you know, the Sea Gulls helped us out of our difficulties. In spite of my long hours of work I became acquainted with many nice young people. We danced and had molasses candy parties and of course our social activities centered around the church. Both my stepsister, Zelpha, and I were in the ward choir which was led by "Bill" (William) Young. It was through these gatherings that I met my husband, William Franklin Carson, who had a very fine baritone voice, and sang in the choir. We came to Lehi several times to sing for Bishop Evans. He always called for the song "Utah and the Mormons." One of the verses ran something like this:

Utah and the Mormons
In every place I guess.
It's Utah and the Mormons
In congress, pulpit and press.
We must be growing greater,
We can't be growing less,
For all are talking of Utah.

Wherever I worked the people were very good to me. My cousins, Emma and Charles Burchill, were especially nice to me. I remember Charles gave me a beautiful pair of white buck skin gloves embroidered on the cuff with a bunch of grapes. I was very proud of them.

I was married at the age of 23 to William Franklin Carson by William Henery [sic] Snyder who had been a soldier in Johnson's army, but had obtained a discharge and joined the church. He and Mrs. [? Mrs.] James McLanen were the only two soldiers who lived and died in Fairfield.

My husband was a great lover of music. He and Mr. Young felt the need of a church organ. In those early days the cost of a musical instrument was no small sum, as everything of that nature had to be hauled from Chicago by teams. Before the organ could be purchased someone had to raise $300.00 or sign a note to pay that amount. My husband with Mr. Bill Young signed the note, thinking with intertainments [sic] they could easily get it paid. However, the town of 7,000 people found it hard to make a living after the soldiers had left. So many moved away, including Mr. Young who in the mean time married Zelpha Archer. This left my husband the hard task of paying the remaining amount of $250.00. I remember it took our last cow to finish paying the debt.

I was, however, fortunate in having a new home to go into when I was married. Mr. Carson had bilt [sic] a four room adobe house, with small pane glass windows much the same as are being used now in the modern homes. The wood work was of the best grained oak highly polished and was found to be in good condition when torn down after having stood for 60 years. I felt very proud in later years to boast of being the first woman of Fairfield to have screen doors to keep out the flies as they were a big problem in those days. I was also fortunate in having an ironing board which stood on legs.

My husband ran a "Burr" flour mill in Fairfield for years. People from Vernon and surrounding towns came with their wheat to be made into flour. He also chopped grain for the animals. Then the Rollers [sic] Mills were built with more modern equipment and of course the mill was done away with. Mr. Carson then went into the sheep and dry farming business. So I spent all of my young married life in Fairfield with occasional visits to see my mother in Salt Lake. She and Mr. Archer had made their home in Sugar House just on the road where the old stage coach passed, and not far from the Old Paper Mill. My mother died at an early age of 58 in march 1875.

I had a family of 4 boys and 4 girls. My oldest child, Maude, died at the age of 5 during the epidemic of Diphtheria along with many other children of the town. We did not know how to cope with the disease and public funerals were held as we did not know that it was contagious. This allowed the disease to spread. This was my first real sorrow.

Raising a large family in those days was a hard task as all the clothing, including the knitting of stockings, had to be done by hand. So there was little time for church duties although I attended Relief Society and helped to make quilts. I was happy to have my sister Ester [sic] Ann visit me in May of 1899 from Seattle. She did beautiful sewing and made each of my three daughters several dresses which certainly helped me with that year's sewing.

In 1900 my greatest shock came when I lost my 20 year old son, George, who was killed with a Mr. George Young, while digging a well to pump water to Sunshine. Soon after this my eldest son, David, went on a mission to the Northern States. The family was growing up and some went away to school at the University of Utah. So in 1907, my husband and I decided to move to Lehi, as our sons Matthew and Raymond were old enough to carry on with the sheep business. We purchased our home from Mr. Hoffmyre, and by making a few improvements such as installing the bath, running water, and etc., we had a comfortable home. We were made happy to find that our sons and daughters when they married made their homes in Lehi, also.

I have had the privilege of seeing all my 32 grand children and my husband was denied the privilege of seeing most of the grand children, as he contracted a disease that he never recovered from and died December 14, 1911, after having only four years in our new home. However, during that time he made many friends both in the 1st Ward and among business men. When he died, both the children and I felt that we had lost a great support, as he attended to the business end of our sheep and farming industry. To lose one's helpmate leaves one somewhat stranded. That is the way I felt. I have never been much of a business woman. With the change of times and the Great Warld [sic] War the bottom dropped out of our business and I lost nearly all of my world's goods. I still retained my home here in Lehi, and for seven years was a teacher in the 1st Ward Relief Society with Sister Zina Anderson. During the war I knitted sweaters and socks and made underwear for the soldiers. In 1922, I went to live in Salt Lake with my daughter Hazel.

I have the happy remembrance of being able to take some very interesting and delightful trips to California, Oregon, and Idaho and Washington with her. My two sisters had made their homes in Seattle, Washington and my visits to them are pleasant memories to me.

I moved back here in my old home in 1935, just a year after the sudden death of my youngest son, John Raymond. His passing and the deaths of my two lovely granddaughters, Emily Carson and Rae Fox have just about broken my heart. But I know that I am very fortunate in having my daughter Annie Fox, who is cheerful and willing to take care of me now that I have been denied my eye sight, also my two sons David and Matt with their wives who are ready to help me and grant my every wish.

So I feel that my blessing outweigh my misfortunes and I can say I am just 88 years young.