OCR Text |
Show There were two factions in their vicinitythose who attended church regularly, known as "Mormons", and those who had been members of the same faith, but had become inactive, and were referred to as "Gentiles." After the school house was built, church services of the Slaterville Ward convened in it. However, the non-members objected to the plan, and the people were without a place to meet. When Sylvester offered his home as a meeting place, the Bishop happily accepted the offer. Sylvester set about making benches for people to sit on, and during favorable weather all ward meetings were held under the trees just east of the house. Nancy Ann furnished the sacrament. This method of holding meetings continued until after November elections were held, at which time the members were able to purchase the other half-interest in the school building, which they had not owned before. For years, however, the young folks continued to spend Sunday evenings in this pioneer home. Sylvester played the accordian and the flute; his oldest son, Henry Sylvester, played the concertina, and his son, William Heber, "fiddled" the violin. When dancing and fun were planned by the church folk, the cook stove was set back, and the bed taken out of the largest room, to make room for one square dance set. Young and old took turns dancing to "swing your partner on the corner and all promenade" to the tune of "Turkey in the Straw" and other lively numbers, and to waltz to the strains of "Home, Sweet Home." Opening and closing prayers were considered a sacred part of their entertainment. Their family was the first in Slaterville to have a kerosene lamp. Pennies were carefully saved from sale of produce until there was sufficient to pay for the treasure. Sylvester went into Ogden alone to make the purchase, driving his faithful horses, "Puss" (bay) and "Nellie" (sorrel) harnessed to a small four-wheeled pickup light-weight wagon. (Two other favorite horses of this Perry family were "Kit" (bay) and "Polly" (brown). On the return trip of five miles, he carried the precious lamp uncovered in one hand, not daring to trust it away from a firm position, and guided the team with his free hand. People who saw him painstakingly traveling along with something in his hand called to him, and came to the roadway to see it and ask questions. All admired it; however, a few viewed it with a feeling of mistrust, and advised him not to use it, as it was likely to explode and burn down his house. Candles were not entirely discarded at first, and it was some time before two lamps could be had in their home, but a second one did come. The girls took pride in trimming the wicks and shining the chimneys each morning so they would be in readiness for the evening. In 1883 D. H. Peery and James Mack of Smithfield built a flour mill on the Ogden River (now Eighteenth Street and Washington Boulevard) known as Phoenix Mills. After Sylvester had harvested his farm crops that year, with a lunch basket in his hand, we walked each morning to the mill, where he worked all day, then walked home in the evening. That winter he earned enough to pay 233 |