William was
born the 10th of June 1867 at Marske-by-the-Sea, North Riding,
Yorkshire, England. He was the oldest son of William Webster and
Caroline Burdett. The family soon moved to Loftus where their Father
worked in the Iron Stone Mines. Their home was close to the ocean so
the children spent many happy hours playing on the Sea Shore. They
also ran and played on the moors. Will attended School and would
tell many stories about the Terrible Mr. Dixon, the Principal. Mr.
Dixon was an old soldier and expected absolute silence when he blew
a whistle and he would rap them smartly across the hands with his
cane if they broke the rules. The School was divided; one side for
the boys and the other for the girls.
Will was an
exceptional student in Arithmetic and on occasion helped teach the
class. This ability stayed with him all his life. He could add up
four columns of figures in his head and give the total before you
could finish adding the first column. This came in handy when his
own children and the neighbors' needed help with their home work. As
soon as he was old enough, he and his brother Frank went with their
Father to work in the Mines. With most of the family working they
were able to live very comfortably.
Will's
Mother's brother, George Burden , lived with them, until he married.
He was a great whistler and won many contests. He taught Will to
whistle and Will could sound exactly like a Mocking Bird. When Will
had children of his own he would go out in the yard and entertain
all the kids around with his whistling and singing of his jolly
English songs. In the old country he learned to play the Cornet and
Trombone and he and his Brother-in-law, Tom Leybourne., played in
Queen Victoria's Jubilee Band.
When Will
was laid off from his job, on account of the strikes, he went to
Wales to work. While there he learned of his Mother's death. He was
21 years old at this time. He stayed on in Wales until he and his
family decided to come to America. Will's girl friend, Sally Lyons,
came to see him off and gave him a bible.
When Will,
his Father, his two brothers and his two sisters arrived in Cedar
City they went to work where-ever they could get jobs. While working
at the Sawmill, Will rode over to George Johnson's Ranch and when he
met Johnson's daughter, Annie Odessa, Sally Lyon was soon forgotten.
He courted Dessie for a year and a half before he could get her folks
to give their consent for her to marry. The wedding took place in
Glendale, Utah, on 16 Dec. 1897, five years after he had come to
America. Will and Frank had built a new home for their father's
family, so Will moved his bride in with the family, but Dessie wanted
a home of her own so Will moved a one room house from the farm onto
the back of his Father's lot for them to live in. First Will farmed
for Dave Bullock and then he Homesteaded a farm on the Bottoms, later
he sold it, to help get money to build a better house on a lot across
the creek in town. In order for him to get a homestead, he had to
become an American citizen. After studying hard he passed the
examination and was able to get his citizenship papers at Parowan.
Every Summer for 11 years he moved his family onto the mountain and
worked for Heber Jensen at the Sawmill. They would go up in early June
and stay until the snow drove them out in the fall. Sometimes the snow
would-be up to the wagon box, when they returned to town.
About 1910, Will started to work in the coal mine. He would stay
up to the mine all week but on Saturday nights he would come to
town, and on his way stop at Tom Roach's Store to get a bill of
goods. In the store their was a big pot bellied stove to get warm
by, and big barrels of Ginger Snaps and assorted candy to tempt the
purchaser. When he would get home his children would welcome him
with squeals of delight and he would let them go through his pockets
for candy. He would get down on the floor and give the little ones
wild bucking rides on his back. He always carried candy in his
pocket and usually had a piece in his mouth. He would dance a gay
jig step and sometimes he would put rib bones between his fingers
and click out a lively rhythm for the children.
He went to work at the Cedar Mercantile Store about 1916. He
worked as a clerk and delivery man. He worked under William Palmer,
Herbert Haight, Mr. Mock and Lehi Jones. He held this job for twenty
years. He did his work willingly and well. He put in many hours more
than was expected of him. Sundays usually found him opening up the
store to get supplies for some rancher or sheepman. At first he made
his deliveries in a one horse shay. Later he was given a big red
truck for this purpose. He was a welcome sight to all the housewives
in town. His music was not forgotten. He played in the town band and
the Fourth of July and other holidays always found him riding on the
hayrack with the rest of the band. They gave many concerts and took
part in many programs in Cedar City. He was one of the founders of
the Branch Agricultural College and was one of the men who went into
the mountains, in the dead of winter to get the lumber out, for the
school.
The things most remembered about him are his jovial personality,
his twinkling blue eyes, which he inherited from his Mother, his
gray mustache, his neat appearance and the bright shine of his
shoes. How he dropped his H's and then put H's where they didn't
belong, how he didn't sound his R's and took a lot of good natured
ribbing from his family.
He lived all his married life in Cedar City, and died the 11th of
April, 1935, following an operation. His friendliness and
willingness to help endeared him to all who knew him.
Annie Odessa was born 12 Oct. 1879 at East Fork, Kane County,
Utah. She was the daughter of George Johnson and Anne Syler. She had
one brother, Marcellus, and a sister Ada Jane. Her family lived in
Glendale most of the time but moved to the mountain Ranch every
Summer. Her Mother would dairy and her Father would herd sheep.
Dessie's happiest times were those spent on the mountain. She loved
to ride horses. Her Mother was an excellent rider and was not afraid
of anything. She was a practical nurse and rode miles to care for a
sick neighbor. Sometimes she would be gone as long as a week at a
time leaving the girls to take care of the milking and the other
chores.
One summer on the mountain she met her future husband William
Webster Jr. Dessie was in love with Will but promised her Father she
would wait until she was a little older to marry. She waited as she
promised and on 16th of Dec. 1897, she and Will were married and
started for Cedar City, by way of Toquerville, Utah. They stayed in
Toquerville for the parties and dances that were being held for the
holidays. Then on to Cedar to take up housekeeping. Will and Dessie
had 12 children. Seven boys and five girls. They were Emily,
Vernessa, George Burdett, William, Cassie, Mark, Marcellus, Carrie,
Elda, Udean, Harry and the baby Ray. Tragedy came into her life four
times. Once when her oldest daughter Emily died, at the age of 12
years old, again when her two year old baby Ray died in her arms of
Diphtheria, again when her son Udean was killed in a car wreck and
worst of all when she lost her husband.
There was no house cleaner than hers, and no better cared for
family. She made most of the clothing they wore, knit all of their
socks and cut their hair. She got up every morning, made the fires,
and made a big dripper of hot biscuits for breakfast. With all of
this she still found time to work in her church. She taught in the
Primary and was a visiting teacher for the Relief Society most of
her married life. She was on the quilt Committee many years and was
noted for her beautiful quilting. In spite of many operations and
serious illnesses she is now nearly 81 years young. She has been a
Widow 25 years. She is very independent and insists upon living
alone. She keeps her house and herself beautiful. On her 80th
Birthday her family held an Open House. Her Brother and Sister and
their families and over a hundred neighbors and life long friends
came to wish her many more years of health and happiness.
