Morgan Pioneer History Binds Us Together married and was away working on the railroad. William continued to farm with his father and got a few sheep, three cows and other animals. Josephine proved very capable of taking care of household duties, and her frugal ways, and spirit, provided a peaceful atmosphere to the home. (Most of their furniture was given by relatives.) They had an old stove and a few chairs. Their bedding was a straw tick and a few quilts. They had to draw water from Deep Creek, and most of their food came from the farm. One year later Joseph built a new home and gave the log cabin to them. HERITAGE— Josephine's ancestors were all from New England stock, some coming to America as early as 1630. William, with his parents, Joseph and Harriet, and sister, Mary Ann, were baptized in England and sailed to America when he was ten. They crossed the plains in 1864 with the Captain Joseph S. Rollins company. Both William and Josephine were firm in their faith. On August 5, 1877, their first baby was born. Josephine's aunt, Cordelia (Smith), acted as midwife. In the years to come, eleven more children were born to them. (The young couple lived happily and enjoyed being near to the children's grandparents.) Under a few fruit trees in the garden just below the old ditch, Josephine would take her children during the hot summer days and tell them stories. These pleasant hours were few as lots of work took most of their time. THE FARM—Some years on the farm the harvest was good, but there were years that the grasshoppers ate most of the crops and times were poor. The winters were cold in the Morgan Valley with frost every month of the year, and their grain almost invariably frosted so much it was hard to get a good yield. William would go to work in the fall of the year with his Uncle Jim, while his father took care of the chores. It was not easy leaving his wife all alone, "but," he said, "she was in good hands with Mother and Father close by and who could be better to watch out for her?" SORROWS—1881 was a very hard year for the Spendloves as William's mother suffered an extended illness that took her life at the age of forty- eight years in May of that year. William took over all of the farm work for a time and his fourteen year old sister, Harriet, took over the household and the care of four year old Joseph Franklin. Tragedy struck again just five days before Christmas 1881 when William and Josephine, now parents of three children, were called upon to part with their oldest child, four and one half year old Mary Josephine who died of the dreaded diphtheria. The baby, Clara Rosalia, died just seventeen days later on January 7,1882. Joseph writes of this tragic event as follows. "William and Josephine were heartbroken. Their children were sick about twelve days. He sent for me and we administered to them before they died. They were pretty girls. In this sickness of these children no one came to help. All seemed afraid of the disease. William got the coffins made and he and his wife's mother had to wash and dress them and put them in the coffins themselves. We dug the graves and buried them ourselves. There was no funeral. William and his wife are full of sorrow about their dear little girls, but I tell them they are saved and of such is the Kingdom of Heaven." THEIR OWN PLACE—In October they were happy to welcome another little girl named Julia Rosetta. Two months later they bought the Henry Giles place, twenty-five acres of good farm land, including a nice brick home, barn and stables for $950.00, As a gift, Joseph gave them $500.00 for a down payment and the rest they paid later. In January of 1883 William moved his family into the new house. William and Josephine were always faithful and willing to help others and build up the kingdom. When William attended conference he would stay over in Bountiful with his father-in-law while Josephine visited with them. She was a lovely singer. In 1889 Joseph bought a new buggy; he gave William his old one. Nothing could have pleased him more, he had often wished for a buggy to take Josephine on rides to meetings and other places. William and Josephine, welcomed four more baby girls; Eliza, in 1884; Harriet, in 1886; Elizabeth, in 1888; and Nellie Louise in July, 1890. On December 7,1890, the baby died of whooping cough and pneumonia. Josephine seemed to lose some of the pep and vim that had been a part of her makeup for so many years. Life was not all work and hard times, there were fun get-togethers in the ward and community, as well as the Fourth and Twenty-Fourth celebrations. There were games and contests and a good ball game. There was plenty of popcorn, candy and soda water. William and his father bought a share in the threshing machine in the spring of 1873. Joseph writes in his diary of harvest being a time of much hurrying around and hard work, yet they always looked forward to meeting at each home and the meals that the women folks would set before the workers. It seemed as though the ladies tried to outdo each other in the good food they prepared.