106. Wayne's and Blaine's mother, Gladys Tregenna Dayton Eckman
GLADYS TREGENNA DAYTON ECKMAN
(Copied from her own Book of Remembrance in her own writing, written in 1961 -- and condensed somewhat.)
My parents were Joseph Henry Dayton, born in 1871 at Cedar Fort, Utah, and died in 1915 at Tooele, Utah, and Ann Elizabeth Henwood, born in 1872 at Tooele, Utah, and died in 1944. They had 7 children, two who passed away when they were two years old. ( More about them after Gladys' history.) Her middle name "Tregenna" was after the maiden surname of her mother Ann Elizabeth Henwood's paternal grandmother -- Jane Tregenna who lived her life in England.
This is Glady's parents, Ann Henwood, and Joseph Henry Dayton.
I was born at Ophir, Tooele County, Utah, the October 11, 1901. (It now is almost a "ghost town"). I started school when I was seven years old, at Ophir. There were three grades in one room, about eight pupils to each class. I enjoyed the years at Ophir. In the summer we went on hikes and picnics. Ophir is just a small mining camp, so there were very few activities. In the winter we enjoyed ice skating and sleigh riding. We could coast almost a mile, then we would hitch ore-wagons and ride back to the starting point.
Due to my father’s health we moved to Tooele, Utah. I attended the elementary school until I reached the eighth grade, then returned to Ophir to live with my Aunt Annie Clark, and graduated from the eight grade there.
This is a page from the Dayton Book. Top right is the home Gladys was born in, left a picture of Gladys, Roy, and Joyce Marie. Bottom right is the Ophir School where Gladys graduated from 8th grade, and left the local ballpark. The pictures above were taken almost 50 years ago. We don't know what it is like now! At that time we went into the school which was unlocked, and there saw an old copy of a painting of George Washington hanging on one wall. Wayne contacted the Tooele County School District, and they said we could have it, and we have had it hanging on our wall since. It is the one with a black coat, and was unfinished.
----------- Back to Gladys' writings: -----------
There are many outstanding occurrences in my life, but I will not relate all of them. This is one that I will write about. This was while I was still living with my family in Ophir, Utah. Every year on the 29th of May, my father would hire a team and surrey, and we would leave early in the morning and journey until noon. We would find a nice, shady spot and eat our lunch, which my mother had packed the night before. It took until late afternoon to reach Tooele, where my Grandparents lived. Grandmother always had a good supper prepared for us. After supper, we all kneeled down in a circle and had family prayer, then went upstairs to sleep on straw mattresses. I liked the crunchy sound of the straw.
Early next morning we started for the cemetery to place flowers on the graves. (The flowers consisted of wild flowers which we had gathered along the way, and a few flowers from Grandmother’s garden.) If any of the children were ready for baptism, it was done while we were there, as was the confirmation. The next day we started on the long journey back home. Decorating graves of family members who were gone was a strong tradition, done every year.
There were very few activities in this small mining town. In the winter we ice skated, and went sleigh riding. Then on birthdays there would be a surprise party each one bringing something good to eat. In the summertime the canyons were very beautiful for picnicking and camping.
We moved to Tooele, Utah in the year 1913 (Gladys would have been 12 at the time) because of my dear father’s ill health. We rented a home on a farm, where we all worked hard to make everything as pleasant and happy for my father as possible. He suffered greatly for two years. He had dust in his lungs from working in the mines. He passed away the 12th of May 1915, 2 months before he would have been 42 years old.
After my father passed away when I was thirteen years old. I had to stop school and go to work. There were five children in our family. After his death, my Grandfather Henwood (who died the next year) gave Mother an acre of land, and she had a house moved from Mercur, Utah to place on the property. There was no electricity, so we used coil oil lamps. Our washing was washed in a wooden washer, which we took turns, turning by hand. The water was heated in a large boiler on the old stove. We ironed with flat irons which were heated on a coal stove.
My mother made a living a custodian of our Ward, and did housework two or three days a week. She also sold berries and other fruit from our orchard. When I was thirteen, I started working for women who were confined, (after having a baby) and also tending children. When I was fifteen, my Aunt took me to Ogden, Utah, where I worked as second girl, (maid) for the Ralph E. Bristol family. I was there when the Armistice was signed, ending the First World War. While working there I developed diphtheria and after I got well I returned home.
(back to her autobiography) I returned to Tooele where I found work in the Wallin home when two of their children were born. We became very fond of each other. I met Jennie Wallin’s brother Roy there. When I was nineteen years old, I was married the 1st of December 1920 to Roy Waldamer Eckman.
Gladys, about age 19, before she was married.
Roy’s mother left her home in Tooele to him, so we lived there for almost a year. We moved to Lyndyl, Utah, where Roy worked on the railroad until 1923, due to a railroad strike. We lived at Ely, Nevada, until 1924. From there we moved to Murray, Utah. We lived at 6066 S. State for about twenty years.
Gladys Tregenna Dayton and Roy Waldamer Eckman, when they were married. Dec. 1, 1920.
The entry tomorrow will be the latter part of their lives together, Roy and Gladys Eckman.
(Copied from her own Book of Remembrance in her own writing, written in 1961 -- and condensed somewhat.)
My parents were Joseph Henry Dayton, born in 1871 at Cedar Fort, Utah, and died in 1915 at Tooele, Utah, and Ann Elizabeth Henwood, born in 1872 at Tooele, Utah, and died in 1944. They had 7 children, two who passed away when they were two years old. ( More about them after Gladys' history.) Her middle name "Tregenna" was after the maiden surname of her mother Ann Elizabeth Henwood's paternal grandmother -- Jane Tregenna who lived her life in England.
I was born at Ophir, Tooele County, Utah, the October 11, 1901. (It now is almost a "ghost town"). I started school when I was seven years old, at Ophir. There were three grades in one room, about eight pupils to each class. I enjoyed the years at Ophir. In the summer we went on hikes and picnics. Ophir is just a small mining camp, so there were very few activities. In the winter we enjoyed ice skating and sleigh riding. We could coast almost a mile, then we would hitch ore-wagons and ride back to the starting point.
Due to my father’s health we moved to Tooele, Utah. I attended the elementary school until I reached the eighth grade, then returned to Ophir to live with my Aunt Annie Clark, and graduated from the eight grade there.
----------- Back to Gladys' writings: -----------
There are many outstanding occurrences in my life, but I will not relate all of them. This is one that I will write about. This was while I was still living with my family in Ophir, Utah. Every year on the 29th of May, my father would hire a team and surrey, and we would leave early in the morning and journey until noon. We would find a nice, shady spot and eat our lunch, which my mother had packed the night before. It took until late afternoon to reach Tooele, where my Grandparents lived. Grandmother always had a good supper prepared for us. After supper, we all kneeled down in a circle and had family prayer, then went upstairs to sleep on straw mattresses. I liked the crunchy sound of the straw.
Early next morning we started for the cemetery to place flowers on the graves. (The flowers consisted of wild flowers which we had gathered along the way, and a few flowers from Grandmother’s garden.) If any of the children were ready for baptism, it was done while we were there, as was the confirmation. The next day we started on the long journey back home. Decorating graves of family members who were gone was a strong tradition, done every year.
There were very few activities in this small mining town. In the winter we ice skated, and went sleigh riding. Then on birthdays there would be a surprise party each one bringing something good to eat. In the summertime the canyons were very beautiful for picnicking and camping.
We moved to Tooele, Utah in the year 1913 (Gladys would have been 12 at the time) because of my dear father’s ill health. We rented a home on a farm, where we all worked hard to make everything as pleasant and happy for my father as possible. He suffered greatly for two years. He had dust in his lungs from working in the mines. He passed away the 12th of May 1915, 2 months before he would have been 42 years old.
After my father passed away when I was thirteen years old. I had to stop school and go to work. There were five children in our family. After his death, my Grandfather Henwood (who died the next year) gave Mother an acre of land, and she had a house moved from Mercur, Utah to place on the property. There was no electricity, so we used coil oil lamps. Our washing was washed in a wooden washer, which we took turns, turning by hand. The water was heated in a large boiler on the old stove. We ironed with flat irons which were heated on a coal stove.
My mother made a living a custodian of our Ward, and did housework two or three days a week. She also sold berries and other fruit from our orchard. When I was thirteen, I started working for women who were confined, (after having a baby) and also tending children. When I was fifteen, my Aunt took me to Ogden, Utah, where I worked as second girl, (maid) for the Ralph E. Bristol family. I was there when the Armistice was signed, ending the First World War. While working there I developed diphtheria and after I got well I returned home.
Note by Pal -- I looked up Ralph E. Bristol on Google, and found that his house, built in 1912, about 3 years before Gladys went to work there, is on the Ogden City landmarks register, called the "Bristol Mansion", and is located at 2480 Van Buren Ave. in Ogden, Utah. In May 1922 he was nominated for International Governor of Rotary --
Roy’s mother left her home in Tooele to him, so we lived there for almost a year. We moved to Lyndyl, Utah, where Roy worked on the railroad until 1923, due to a railroad strike. We lived at Ely, Nevada, until 1924. From there we moved to Murray, Utah. We lived at 6066 S. State for about twenty years.
(It was when they lived there that Blaine and Wayne, the twins were born at home. She didn't know she was expecting twins, and they were born a month early -- and each weighed around 4 pounds. They put them in a shoe box, and set them in front of an open oven of a coal stove, which kept them warm. That was the type of "incubator" that was used in those days for premature babies! Their older sister May was 9 years old, and helped a lot with the babies.)
The entry tomorrow will be the latter part of their lives together, Roy and Gladys Eckman.
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