29. An Inspirational Sunday! And "Grandma Pal"
Today has really been a lovely day! It has been different, because here in St. George, Utah, we don't get snow even once a year, and then only about one inch. In the last two days, we have had about six inches of snow. We don't even have snow plows, as they are usually not needed. Today Church was cancelled -- During the morning we had a grandson and his wife, and three children, (our great grand children) under five who were on their way to California. They had to wait three hours for the mountain pass south of here to open up. It had snowed a lot, and large trucks had slid off the roads, etc. We really enjoyed the time with them, and it made me think back on my life, and how I have known only one grandma, and she died when I was twelve. After they left, we enjoyed the Christmas Devotional, and then the movie "Silent Night", both of which brought our thoughts deeply back to our Savior Jesus Christ and the true reason for the reason December is so loved!
My own great grandmothers were born from 1824 to 1841. And now I know quite a few great grandchildren. My great grandparents passed away around 30 years before I was born! I'm sure those dates are because my parents were the 8th and 9th children born in their families, and my father was 43 and my mother 26 when I was born. When I was born my father's mother, and both grandfathers had passed away. What a blessing to have lived to know at least 13 of our own great grandchildren!
I want to tell just a bit about my own grandmother -- Paralee Amanda Church Miles. I was named after her, and she had the nickname of "Pal" all her life here in St. George. From the day I was born I was also known as "Pal". It is a great privilege to try and live up to her name. She is the reason I have named my blog "grandmapalspocket".
She married William Gustavus Miles in 1874. In my post #23 "How Did They Do It? -- Some pioneer histories " I tell of Paralee's father Haden Wells Church, who was an original pioneer in St. George in 1861.
My grandmother Paralee, with her parents, moved from Salt Lake City, to St. George, Utah in 1861, when she was 4 years old.
(The following was written by my Aunt Sarah, my dad's sister.) "This was a call from Brigham Young to go and help settle Dixie. Her girlhood days were real pioneer days with many hardships, and privations, but with it all she was a girl of cheerful nature and earned the name of being one of the most charitable of women,always looking for the good in others.
Being the only girl of a family of five, she early learned to be a good housekeeper. Many a day she was left alone to do all the housework as her mother acted as midwife and spent many years in the town of St. George as a practical nurse. Her father went on four other missions, so her mother had to earn part of the living while her father was away from home so much.
Paralee graduated from the 8th grade in St. George and was a bright and intelligent woman. At that time there were no high schools there. In May 24, 1874, she married William Gustavus Miles.
They took a trip to Salt Lake in a covered wagon to be married and sealed to each other in the Endowment House. The Temple in St. George was not then completed. They took a load of dried peaches along to help pay the expenses. Another couple went with them, George and Cornelia Brooks. It took three weeks to make the trip. Uncle George and Aunt Cornelia, as we always called them (although they were not relatives) were always the dearest friends to my parents. They lived in the same neighborhood for many years and every time mother or Aunt Cornelia had a baby, the children would all go to the home of the other and stay until the baby was born. I remember of eating dinner many times in the home of Aunt Cornelia. (Note by Pal: Dad (Pratt) said that when they were at the other home and they had bread and gravy and rice pudding, they knew that when they got home there would be a new baby.)
Mother (written by her daughter Sarah) was noted for her hospitality and kindness. Her actions showed that her thoughts were always for others. Many ladies who knew her have told me she was one of the most loved women in town. She had the name of never speaking evil of anyone. She was good company, being witty and humorous. She delighted in telling jokes, but they were generally on herself. She visited the sick and gave comfort to many. Her friends were numbered among both the rich and poor though she herself never had much of this world's goods.
She was a beautiful woman as I remember her with long black hair and deep blue eyes. Her height was medium. In her elder years she was very thin. I remember combing her long black hair many times and making long braids. In her early married life she had the misfortune of losing the sight of one eye.
A cataract grew over the pupil. She went to Salt Lake to see a specialist, but never did regain the sight of the eye. -- End of Aunt Sarah's account.
(I've heard she developed a cataract that couldn't be removed.) You can kind of see it in the photo below.)
She had 11 children, my father being the 9th child. She was known for never saying a bad word about anyone, but saying something good instead. There once was a group of women really gossiping about a mutual acquaintance, and during their conversation Grandma Pal spoke up and said, “I’ve never seen her with her shoe laces untied!" (Apparently that was the only good thing she could think of to say about the woman, but she did say it!
”Someone spoke up and said, “Pal, I bet you could say something good about the devil!” She said, “Well, you’ll have to admit he is mighty industrious!”
My own great grandmothers were born from 1824 to 1841. And now I know quite a few great grandchildren. My great grandparents passed away around 30 years before I was born! I'm sure those dates are because my parents were the 8th and 9th children born in their families, and my father was 43 and my mother 26 when I was born. When I was born my father's mother, and both grandfathers had passed away. What a blessing to have lived to know at least 13 of our own great grandchildren!
I want to tell just a bit about my own grandmother -- Paralee Amanda Church Miles. I was named after her, and she had the nickname of "Pal" all her life here in St. George. From the day I was born I was also known as "Pal". It is a great privilege to try and live up to her name. She is the reason I have named my blog "grandmapalspocket".
She married William Gustavus Miles in 1874. In my post #23 "How Did They Do It? -- Some pioneer histories " I tell of Paralee's father Haden Wells Church, who was an original pioneer in St. George in 1861.
My grandmother Paralee, with her parents, moved from Salt Lake City, to St. George, Utah in 1861, when she was 4 years old.
(The following was written by my Aunt Sarah, my dad's sister.) "This was a call from Brigham Young to go and help settle Dixie. Her girlhood days were real pioneer days with many hardships, and privations, but with it all she was a girl of cheerful nature and earned the name of being one of the most charitable of women,always looking for the good in others.
Being the only girl of a family of five, she early learned to be a good housekeeper. Many a day she was left alone to do all the housework as her mother acted as midwife and spent many years in the town of St. George as a practical nurse. Her father went on four other missions, so her mother had to earn part of the living while her father was away from home so much.
Paralee graduated from the 8th grade in St. George and was a bright and intelligent woman. At that time there were no high schools there. In May 24, 1874, she married William Gustavus Miles.
They took a trip to Salt Lake in a covered wagon to be married and sealed to each other in the Endowment House. The Temple in St. George was not then completed. They took a load of dried peaches along to help pay the expenses. Another couple went with them, George and Cornelia Brooks. It took three weeks to make the trip. Uncle George and Aunt Cornelia, as we always called them (although they were not relatives) were always the dearest friends to my parents. They lived in the same neighborhood for many years and every time mother or Aunt Cornelia had a baby, the children would all go to the home of the other and stay until the baby was born. I remember of eating dinner many times in the home of Aunt Cornelia. (Note by Pal: Dad (Pratt) said that when they were at the other home and they had bread and gravy and rice pudding, they knew that when they got home there would be a new baby.)
Mother (written by her daughter Sarah) was noted for her hospitality and kindness. Her actions showed that her thoughts were always for others. Many ladies who knew her have told me she was one of the most loved women in town. She had the name of never speaking evil of anyone. She was good company, being witty and humorous. She delighted in telling jokes, but they were generally on herself. She visited the sick and gave comfort to many. Her friends were numbered among both the rich and poor though she herself never had much of this world's goods.
She was a beautiful woman as I remember her with long black hair and deep blue eyes. Her height was medium. In her elder years she was very thin. I remember combing her long black hair many times and making long braids. In her early married life she had the misfortune of losing the sight of one eye.
A cataract grew over the pupil. She went to Salt Lake to see a specialist, but never did regain the sight of the eye. -- End of Aunt Sarah's account.
(I've heard she developed a cataract that couldn't be removed.) You can kind of see it in the photo below.)
She had 11 children, my father being the 9th child. She was known for never saying a bad word about anyone, but saying something good instead. There once was a group of women really gossiping about a mutual acquaintance, and during their conversation Grandma Pal spoke up and said, “I’ve never seen her with her shoe laces untied!" (Apparently that was the only good thing she could think of to say about the woman, but she did say it!
”Someone spoke up and said, “Pal, I bet you could say something good about the devil!” She said, “Well, you’ll have to admit he is mighty industrious!”
She died shortly after she turned 76, and here I am 79 years old myself! I believe life was so difficult then that people's bodies wore out, or had illnesses which today could be helped. We are so blessed to live in this day!
I'll tell more about her husband in a later blog. He was such a good man.
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