Although mother's life has been one of physical suffering she has been a devoted mother, patient, cheerful and always ready to help and encourage others. She has been a pillar of strength to her family and friends. She has 20 grandchildren and 48 great-grandchildren, all of whom are living. During her long and useful life she has lived through a development of American history and progress peculiar to her generation and to a nativity in the west. She has witnessed the transition from the tallow candle to the miracle of electricity, transportation from ox team to the automobile, airplane, streamlined trains; communication from stage coach and pony express to the telephone, telegraph and radio and TV. July 18, 1937 she celebrated her 84th birthday. This was the first time every member of the immediate family had been together since father's death. A lovely birthday dinner was prepared by her own hands. A huge birthday cake with 84 candles was made and presented to her by her youngest granddaughter Norine Ovard. She received a lovely bouquet of three dozen rose buds from the Mount Joy Camp of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers of North Morgan, besides other lovely birthday presents. Although her health is none too good, she does her own house work and cooks for five adults. She is the oldest living person in Morgan County. SKETCH OF MY GRANDFATHER George Simmons, son of William and Hannah Simmons was born April 14, 1822 at Hickled Sussex, England. He was baptised September or October 1852 at Brighton, England by Henry Hallis. Confirmed about 1852. Henry Hallis. Left Brighton, England for America April 1855 and came straight to Salt Lake City, September 1855. George worked seven years as an apprentice carpenter before he was married. He and his brothers were contractors and used to hire men for their work. Among these men was a -38— Mormon. George had never heard a Mormon before and was interested in what he had to say and when there was to be an LDS meeting he and his wife went to hear the Elders talk and knew it was true and what they had been looking for and joined the church through the man who had been hired to work for them. George's father was well to do and was both farmer and merchant, but when George joined the church his father cut him off with nothing. He came from a large family of six boys and five girls and had 13 children when married of his own. After they joined the church their parents disowned them and gave them no money, but in three years time they had saved enough money to bring them to America. They sailed on the ship Chamborazo as steerage passengers in the Ed Stevens Co. to Philadelphia, went by train over the Alleghany Mountains in cattle cars, then by boats on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers to St. Louis and then crossed the plains west. George was in charge of the repair work with his company crossing the plains to Salt Lake City. The year they came to Utah they met the grasshoppers going east. There was nothing to eat and too late to plant crops. They nearly starved. In the spring they ate segoes and what greens they could get. He raised a good garden and was a good fisherman and hunter. While he was one of the public hands Heber C. Kimball said in meeting one day that he had heard there were complaints from the public hands that they had nothing but bread to eat. He said, "I tell you there is no need of eating dry bread. Let them dip it in City Creek." That summer grandpa worked for the church as a carpenter. They had a large family, 13 in all. Grandma was born in Brighton, England, Nov. 25, 1827. She lived to be 93 years old. She had a brother that lived to be 98 years old and several children that reached the nineties. My mother was almost 95 when she died and Uncle John is now in his 99th year. He is the only one now living. All grandma's family paid tithing. All lived to be old. —39—