DICKSON, MARTHA SLADE MARTHA S. DICKSON My mother, Martha Slade Dickson was born in England, January 31, 1856, and came with her mother to America when she was six years old. Her father came to America a few years earlier to earn money to bring the family to Utah. He worked in Philadelphia where he earned enough to pay his family's passage across the water. They lived in Philadelphia for a few years preparing ways and means to cross the plains with the Mormon immigrants. During this stay, grandfather was stricken with a disease and died, leaving grandmother with six small children. This was very hard for the family, but she worked and prayed that she might have a home in the west. The children were put in different families so that grandmother may work. At last she with her little children started over the long trail. It was a long hard trail and exposure and cold along with other hardships were too much for the baby, two and a half years old "Eddie" as all the camp knew him. They wrapped the child in a half of a shawl and buried him on the plains. Later one evening while grandmother was preparing the evening meal mother sat in the twilight with her little sick brother in her arms. She thought she had got him to sleep he lay so still in her arms, but when grandmother came to take him she found that he had died. The other half of the shawl was used to lay him away. This was almost too much for grandmother--first husband and now her two babes. She was very ill and her little children cried, thinking they were going to be left without father or mother. She rallied and prayed for strength which was given her and she arrived in Utah. She spent her first winter with her sister Mary Ann Criddle who was living in Milton, Morgan County. The two families lived in one log room with a wheat bin in the corner. Mother's two sisters went to live with families in Morgan, while mother and her little brother Will, stayed with their mother and slept in the wheat bin. 3 When spring came she moved out in the corral and hung quilts around to make a room. It was here they stayed until winter came. Mr. Thurston moved into a new house he had built and gave his old one to grandmother. Sometime later the family moved to Morgan, where Mr. Ager gave them a house with three windows and a good door which they were very proud to have. My mother never lived home after she was ten years old, but worked for her living in different homes. The first home she worked in was that of James Tucker where she had to work very hard. After working there for a while she went to Mr. Griffens where they treated her very kindly. When the family moved away they wished, to take mother with them but grandmother would not consent. Her next home was with Billa Dickson, where she was treated as one of the family. She had very few clothes and what she had was mended in many places. When she was a young lady she had two calico dresses. On Sunday she would put a clean one on and wear it until the next Sunday morning. One day when Billa Dickson went to Coalville for a load of coal, he brought back a brown alpaca dress for her. The first real nice dress she ever had. With the help of her mother the alpaca was modeled and she was very proud of it. In March the 22nd, 1872, she was married to William H. Dickson, son of the man who had given her a home. Their first home was one log room with a board roof, but no ceiling. When it rained it would leak and her nicely white-washed walls were streaked with dirty water marks. She was sixteen when she was married, arid only seventeen when her first child was born. Since then ten other children have been born to her, nine of whom are still living. Two children, a boy and a girl died as babies. She has also raised one other child, the son of her brother, who loves her and calls her mother. 4 All her sewing was done by hand until she had several children. She also did her washing on a wash board, until after her ninth child was born. Not only did she sew for herself, but made many dresses for the orphan children of William Cottom and others in need. Always she has been unselfish, and herself she always thought of last. Many times have I seen her carry little danties to the widows and orphans, and slip bread and butter to boys and girls she thought were hungry. When the Young Ladies Mutual was organized in Richville, she was the first president. She was also president of the Primary in that ward for several years and was very faithful in both positions. She served as counselor in the Relief Society for twenty-one years and as a stake board member for eleven years. Much of her time has been spen in the temple doing work for her kindred. Her life is a life of usefulness. Her children are all married and have families. She has forty-three grandchildren and fifteen great grandchildren. At this writing she is still living with her husband in their home in Richville, where they have lived happily together for fifty-nine years. Her daughter Mrs. Eliza D. Rich June 17, 1931.