I was born at Cedar City April 11, 1883
of pioneer parents. Amelia Reece (Williams) Webster and Francis Webster. I spent
the years of my childhood and youth in Cedar. I attended district school until I
reached what was known then as the fourth reader. Schools were not graded at
that time. From then on I attended the Branch of the Brigham Young Academy as
long as it was operated here. Then into the Branch Normal School which I
attended 3 years.
I spent six years before I was 21 as a
Sunday School teacher. Two years of that time as a training teacher under Mr.
and Mrs. Howard R. Driggs. The last six years before I was married, I was
secretary of the Y. L. M. I. A. with Aunt Allie Knell as President. Those years
of association and activity form the most pleasant and happy years of my early
life, for it was there I learned the joy of working in the service of the
Master. And the valuable lessons I learned and happiness I received out of
working with such noble women as Aunt Allie Knell, Lottie Esplin and Sister Mame
Parry Thorley who were the presidency of the Y. L. M. I. A.
I loved to dance and was quite popular
at dances. But my husband never learned to dance, which I always regretted.
I was married November 29, 1904 in the
St. George Temple to Owen Matheson. We made the trip down by wagon with his
brother Lorenzo, my brother Dave Webster, and my friend Julea Richards. We took
along our own food and camped at Andersons ranch the first night. We went on to
Washington the next day and had lunch with my Aunt Martha Alexander who lived
there. We then got rooms at a brother Kings' that night and went through the
temple the next day.
We lived in Parowan for a while and had
our first son Francis while we lived there. He was blessed by my father and
named for him. Then we moved to Cedar where Owen operated the light plant in
Cedar Canyon with the steam engine he had used to plow during the summer. The
winter weather kept taking out the water ditch which was supposed to power the
plant, so the engine was used for power.
In the summer of 1910 we moved to the
Cedar valley farm with our three children we had at that time: Francis, Olive
and Evan. For several years the going was really hard, but we finally got the
farm under cultivation and got a bigger house and a few more conveniences. I
made most of the clothes for the children, made butter and cheese [her cheese
was superior as she learned the art of making it from grandmother Amelia
Webster], and did the many things necessary to care for my big family. We had
ten living children and two babies who died very young.
We managed to educate our children and
Ivan and La Mar went as soldiers to serve their country during the war. Ivan was
sent to Japan and La Mar to Germany where he was taken prisoner during the
battle of the Bulge. He was missing for nine months before he was released by
the Russian army. During this time we didn't hear a word from or about him, and
these were dark days for all of us. But we prayed constantly and the Lord spared
him to come home to us.
Owen and I had been forced to leave the
farm as he had a heart attack and couldn't take the hard work any more, so we
went to Caliente [Nevada] where he was a tunnel guard for the government. From
there we went to Grand Canyon where Owen ran the power plant from July of 1944
till September of 1944 when he was moved to Bryce Canyon as power plant operator
in summer and caretaker in winter. We stayed there about seven years. The
winters were long, and I pieced many quilts and made hand woven rugs and foot
stools for my grandchildren.
One summer I made pies for the
Cafeteria. We had many friends at Bryce Canon who often came to our cabin for
home cooked meals. I made a little extra money ironing white shirts for the boys
who worked there [my mother was a wonderful pie maker and superior ironer].
I was having trouble with my feet, and
it was getting harder to get around, so I came home to stay with Olive & Amelia.
Owen Matheson was born the 24th of
September 1882. He was the eighth son of Alexander and Lydia Evans Matheson. he
attended grade school in Parowan and then one year at the Branch Normal School
at Cedar City. He, with two other boys, carried the mortar to build the old Ward
Hall, and they also helped in building the "Old Main Building" for the Branch
Normal School.
When he was 16 years old, Owen drove
freight wagons. Later he operated the first steam plow in Cedar Valley and then
ran the light plant in Cedar Canyon with the same steam engine. He was always
interested in machinery.
He was a farmer and well driller. He
drilled most of the wells in Cedar Valley, and he has been interested and
instrumental in developing water for the valley.
For many years, Owen was a Bishop's
counselor, and he was always on hand to help people in sickness or trouble.
Generations of Websters, Amy L. Van Cott and Allen W.
Leigh, Thomas Webster Family Organization, Cedar City, Utah, 1960, pp. 120-122.
Minor changes made.
