The autobiography of Eliza Anna Hafen Gubler

The Autobiography of Eliza Anna Hafen Gubler pdf published in Gubler book by Allyson H Wood

By Eliza Anna Hafen Gubler

I will attempt to write a brief history of my life, or as much as I remember at the age of 63.
I was born 15 January 1897 at Bunkerville, Nevada, a daughter of John George Hafen and Anna Mary Elizabeth Huber Hafen. Our family consists of six boys and two girls. Three boys died in infancy and my only sister died at the age of three. My oldest living brother, Joseph, died 28 May 1927. At the present time there are three living children of my parents, Samuel Franklin, Walter, and myself.

We were moved to Washington, Utah when I was almost a year old. This was in the fall of 1897. My recollections of my early childhood are of the time we lived there. My father’s being a polygamist was the reason my mother was moved to different locations. She first lived at Santa Clara, Utah for four years, then at Littlefield, Arizona for one year. From there she moved to Bunkerville, Nevada for nine years, and then, in order to be nearer father, we moved to Washington Utah where we lived for nine years. As I remember, my mother was a very hard working woman and was the main support of the family.

Our home at Washington consisted of a two room rock house with an upstairs room and a small cellar. Our food supply wasn’t as much of a variety as we now enjoy. We always had a fine garden which provided us with vegetables when in season. We also had a cow so we had plenty of milk and butter most of the time. How well I remember when my mother hired out to sickle grain, especially at the old Bastian Farm. Of course, we young children accompanied her, and Sister Bastain prepared dinner for all. We always considered her pancakes (hot cakes) and molasses a real treat and looked forward to dinner time. My mother used to say we had bread and molasses so much that she never cared for molasses in her later years, but we children enjoyed it and never complained. My mother was always considered a really good cook.

I remember too, when most the lots and fields were planted in cotton. It was a busy time, especially at harvest. How well I remember when the silkworm industry came. We decided to try it as many others did. We turned our large front room into the business and moved our beds outside. Of course, when we had rain showers we moved upstairs. This was in early summer or late spring.

To give you an idea of what it was like, I will try to explain. We purchased the small silkworms and put paper on the long tables made of long planks. The worms were placed on this paper. Of course, the crawled all over the room. The main food they ate was mulberry leaves and it was the responsibility of us children to gather the leaves each morning and evening. We had four or five large trees in front of our house so we didn’t have far to go, but it seemed like they really ate a lot and it kept us busy. When the worms were about grown we placed large branches of trees about the room and they climbed on those to spin their cocoons. The cocoons were woven all around their bodies and were about the size of a large peanut. The silkworm weaves a cocoon around its body similar to the way a caterpillar does.

When the cocoons were finished we gathered them and placed them in the hot sun to kill the worm inside. If the worm was allowed to mature and emerge, it would eat a hole in the cocoon and ruin the silk threads. The cocoons were then shipped to factories where they were made into silk cloth. I think they had some process to unwind them as they were woven, and of course, the thread was silk.
Well, as I have tried to explain, we tried most everything to make a go of it. I remember too, when father would come to visit us for a day or so. He would bring us flour and some groceries and some material for me a dress or shirts for the boys, and always some candy or nuts. We always looked forward to his visits, but never knew when he might come.

We lived at Washington for about nine years. I have many friends and many fond memories of those years. My first few years of schooling were at Washington. We had many good neighbors that were good to us.

Father moved us to Santa Clara when I was ten years old so we could be closer to him. We lived in a small two room house with a cellar underneath. It was located between our present home and the Ensign Gubler home.

Life continued about the same. Mother worked real hard raising vegetables for us and to sell. We children were taught to work too. How well I remember going out for different persons to sickle grain. We also spent many hours gleaning grain after the farmers had harvested their grain. We always found good sale for our gleanings as it was the cleanest grain after we flailed it out, and the farmers like it for seed.

I finished my grade school here, (in Santa Clara). There was a crowd of eight girls and eight boys to which I belonged. We really had some real good times. We had to make our own entertainment and I’m sure we had more fun than the young people do now. I recall the Thanksgiving dinners we girls would cook and serve at some of our different homes. Of course, the boys helped furnish food, and even helped prep-are it, and did we have fun! We did this for several years.

Even with my father owned a store and helping him what I could, I still took every opportunity I could to earn a little extra money. I would wash for half a day for fifty cents, using the old wash board to scrub the clothes until they were clean.

Another interesting experience I recall was when Alice Gubler and I would spend most every Saturday cleaning and cooking for an old man named Conrad Nageli. He was well to do or considered so at the time and had lost his wife so we kept his place clean for him and he always paid us well. He would get us most anything we asked for to cook and bake for him. We had fun experimenting with different dishes. He always appreciated all we did for him.

In my teenage I recall many of the good times we had. On Sundays after church the crowd would go to the fields and enjoy melons, grapes, and fruit. We always had plenty of different kinds of activities such as hayrack rides, parties, dancing and candy pulls. We had dates, but not with the same boy every time. Of course, we always had our favorites, but we seldom went steady, nor did we dance every dance with our dates. I went steady with several boys, but not for too long a period.

After I finished grade school up to and including the eighth grade, I spent the next two years attending high school in St. George. I lived and boarded at the George Brook’s home on Mt. Hope. Sister Brooks took in boarders to help sustain their family which consisted of twelve children and the parents. I became very much attached to this family and really felt like one of them. They all treated me almost as a sister, and whenever I meet any of them we usually visit and recall old times. One daughter, Laura, was my age, and we were real close friends.

While attending school at St. George, I met and dated some real nice boys, but I didn’t find the right one until Edmund came along. He gave me my diamond in September and we were married 21 October 1914 in the St. George Temple by President David H. Cannon. Two days later Edmund went to the ranch to help his father gather the crops. He spent most of the first month of our married life there, so you see, we really didn’t know what a honeymoon was. We have enjoyed many wonderful trips since which I will relate later.

Our first home was in part of the house where Selina Hafen now lives. Part of it has been torn down since it was owned by my father. My father lived there with his first wife. This wife died in July before we were married so father let us live in the part they lived in. In consisted of a bedroom, living room, and kitchen. Father owned the only store in Santa Clara and it joined onto this house. I spent most of my spare time helping him in the store, and in this way earned part of our groceries and also material to sew and make some of our clothing. Father also hired Edmund to do most the freighting for the store, hauling the goods from Modena by team and wagon. In this way he earned enough money to buy his first wagon and harness.

About a year after our marriage, my father bought a new sewing machine for mother. She never did much sewing so they gave it to me......es I made. I have also done a great deal of sewing for our grandchildren. I have remade almost as many articles from good used clothing as from new material. I also have made many quilts for all our children. I even became the barber for the family, and I guess I still am. In the year 1959 Edmund bought me my first electric sewing machine and I do enjoy it.
In the year 1919 we bought the ranch property, a ranch owned by Edmund’s parents and located at the foot of Pine Valley Mountain on the south side. It is better known as the Blake and Gubler Ranch. We had Vanola and Darwin by this time. Our ranch life began from early spring when we went up to plant crops until the harvest in the fall. We worked hard and kept our payments up on the ranch besides supporting our small family. I sold enough from my garden to buy a dresser for $20, which we still own.

Edmund cleared more land and we made a real nice farm. I remember when we bought our first sulky plow. We thought it great to be able to ride and plow. I used to drive the horses and plow while Edmund planted the potatoes. More than once I was thrown from the plow when it hit a large rock or stump in the ground. One time I had Darwin on my lap and was going along smoothly when the plow hit a rock and threw us both at the horses feet.

Sometimes when we went up in the spring to plant grain we would get snowed in. I well remember one spring morning we awoke and the snow was up past the windows. The house had a dirt floor and we chopped wood in the middle of the room to burn to keep warm. Of course, we had to clear paths and get out and come home for a few weeks.

We were always planning for the future and Edmund realized we had to expand to live and support our family. So, about 1921 he decided we were to take up a homestead so he would have a place to put his small cattle herd for the winter months. This homestead was located northwest from the town of Ivins up near the red mountain.

It wasn’t easy, nor very pleasant to spend our winters on the homestead, and summers at the ranch. We had a two room lumber house built on the homestead and we spent our first winter quite isolated. We always looked forward to Sundays when we came to Santa Clara to spend the day. The next year Edmund’s brother, Harmon, took up a homestead joining ours and life wasn’t so lonesome.
Our little Wilma was born 28 September 1920 so we had the three children. It was while living at the homestead about February of 1923 that I had my first heart attack. I had a very bad case of flu and the attack followed. I didn’t think I would get well again, but the Lord preserved my life. I remember how Uncle Harmon met the doctor down on the highway with a horse for im to ride on up to see me. As soon as I was able they moved me down to my parent’s home.

By this time we had purchased the small two room home formerly owned by my parents. When my brother Joseph was married father gave this house to him, but later he decided to move to Enterprise to live, so he sold the house to us for $350.00. It was the house located between our present home and the Ensign Gubler home. So, when I was well enough after my heart attack, I didn’t go back to the homestead that spring, but went into our home and lived.

Edmund still spent most the winter up at the homestead. About this time our three children contacted whooping cough and they had it in a very hard form. When they were well again, we moved to the ranch. In June our little Wilma became very sick with croup. I was so very worried about her that we rushed her to St. George. All that could be done for her was done by very efficient doctors, Dr. D. A. McGregor and Dr. Clair Woodbury, but her mission on earth was short and she died June 27, 1923. This was almost more than we could bear, but we still had to carry on.

We went back to the ranch, but life was dull and I wasn’t too strong. We did have good neighbors, the Royal Blake family. Our first few years at the ranch Brother Blake and his good wife Aunt Rosina and family were our neighbors. The two Blake families were good neighbors and we enjoyed their association and friendship.

In the fall of 1923 we went back to the homestead where we lived until after the first of the year then Edmund moved me and the children down to Santa Clara. Our daughter Jewell was born 19 March 1924 and I didn’t go back to the homestead to live anymore. Dad proved up on it and we were happy to be in civilization again.....was always quite a sport and athlete and one evening the MIA boys were practicing boxing. Dad went down to the recreation hall to watch. Lazelle Stucki was a very good left-hand boxer and it seemed no one wanted to try boxing with him, so Dad said he wasn’t afraid. Well, after a little boxing, he got Dad with one of his left hand hits and knocked him on the hard floor. It cracked his skull and for weeks we didn’t know whether or not his life would be spared. He finally came out of it, but he was in a weak condition. He was left with a very weak back after he recovered, so we rented the ranch farm to my brother, Walter for that summer. Of course, we made our regular trips up there to help whatever we could. We had quite a responsibility with our four small children and Dad’s sickness. We had to sell part of our small herd of cattle to meet the doctor bills and other expenses.

It was May 28, 1927 that my brother Joseph died, his wife, Emma having died on 11 January of the same year. They had four small children: Andrew, Dorothy, Anna and Donald, ranging in ages from eight to two years. This was a great sorrow in my life, and with Dad’s condition, I sometimes wondered how I ever stood the ordeal and added responsibilities that I had.

In the fall of 1927, my parents’ health being very poor, they needed someone to care for them, so it was decided that we would give Walter our two lots at Ivins and our homestead house which he moved onto the lots and that we would move in their home and help care for them.

Father gave us the house he and mother owned on condition that we would care for him and mother as long as they lived. Father needed a great deal of care that winter, and with our help mother cared for him. He passed away 4 May 1928. We did a great deal of repair work on the house, putting in new floors, cabinet work, new ceilings and made a bathroom.

Mother had her own bedroom and ate with us for some time. Then she decided she would be happier doing her own work so we fixed her a room with a small cook stove and cabinet and she kept house for herself as long as she was able. Of course, we furnished her with what she needed. We cared for her until her death May 15, 1944. She was very fond of Edmund and he really was good to her. She required a great deal of care, and I don’t know how I could have cared for her without Edmund’s help as she had to be moved from her bed to her chair several times each day and she was quite heavy. She wouldn’t let anyone move her except him, not even her own sons.

November 15, 1928 our Linna was born. Also, in September of 1928 Vanola was operated on for appendicitis. We were very fortunate in raising our family. We didn’t have many doctor bills. Of course, there were always some. We had faith and the Lord certainly helped us in raising our family.
With our family growing and the care of mother, we decided we would sell the ranch and buy property nearby. We sold it to Sherman Lamb.

June 13, 1931 Edna was born. We were happy for another sweet baby. By this time Darwin had almost given up hopes of ever getting a brother. March 18, 1936 Fawn was born, and August 20, 1938 our last child, Reta Gayle was born.

I was never at a hospital at the time of the birth of our nine children, but I had good doctors who delivered our babies. I went to the hospital for three days once with a miscarriage. In 1940 I went to Provo for ten days and took treatments from the Clark Clinic. I was hemorrhaging so badly and was advised to go. These treatments took me through the change of life.

In August of 1952 I entered the McGregor Hospital with a very bad Coronary Thrombosis attack. I was only there a few days when I was moved to the new Pioneer Memorial Hospital. I was the first patient at the new hospital. I had another attack and Dr. Reichman said all that human souls could do for me was done and that it was only through the Grace of God that my life was preserved.

In June of 1955 I had a bad attack of appendicitis and was rushed to the hospital for surgery. About a year later I entered the hospital again with another heart attack. I only remained about three days. My heart condition isn’t too good. I make quite regular trips to the doctors.....

At the present time I have eight living children, thirty-six grandchildren and one great-grand child. I sincerely hope and pray they will always be united with love and devotion to each other and that their faith will always carry on and they will remain true to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for which our parents and grandparents sacrificed and suffered so much the only true church on earth.
I enjoy very much going to the temple and hope to be able to do much work there as long as I am able. My testimony strengthens more as I do this wonderful work. I have been through the Logan, Salt Lake, Idaho Falls, Los Angeles, and St. George Temple and my hopes are to go to more if I can.
I have held different positions in the church. Before my marriage I was primary secretary when Freda Stucki and Rosella Wittwer were presidents. I did some teaching in the primary organization also.

After my marriage I acted as secretary in the Relief Society Organization. I was made secretary September 13, 1927 and was released February 18, 1936. I worked as secretary with the following presidents: Freda Stucki, Otyilla Tobler, Selina Hafen, Cecelia Tobler and Lila Reber. On September 17, 1937 I was made Relief Society magazine agent and held this position until I was released and made secretary again on January 12, 1943. I held this position until January 23, 1945.

I have been a Relief Society block teacher for twenty-one years, and I still hold this position. I have also taught in the MIA Organization. During the year of 1959 Edmund and I taught the class Course 9 in Sunday School. I have enjoyed very much the experiences I have had in trying to hold when asked to work in our Church Organizations.

While raising our family we didn’t travel far or see much. We visited Salt Lake City, Logan for Darwin’s gradation from college, California to Oregon; Springfield, Missouri; Las Vegas and Boulder Dam; Kingman, Arizona; Amarillo, Texas; and Colorado. We also visited old Mexico, and up through Yellowstone. We got out of Yellowstone the morning of the big earthquake.

On September 17, 1960, I entered the Dixie Pioneer Hospital in St. George with another heart attack. I spent several days there, then returned home and was confined to my bed for several weeks.

The latter part of February, 1963, Pres. Harold Snow asked Edmund and me to come into his office at the St. George Temple where he interviewed us and ask if we would be ordinance workers in the temple. On finding my health condition, he asked me to consult my Doctor before considering the call. I contacted Dr. Reichman and he felt I should go to Salt Lake to a specialist before giving my answer.

On March 12, 1963, Lester, Vanola, Dad and I went to Salt Lake and on March 13, at 4 pm I entered the Intermountain Clinic. Dr. Reichman had referred me to Dr. McFarlane at the Clinic. After a complete check up at the clinic he told me to go home and rest and in two weeks time I should be able to consider the job. On March 20, we again entered Pres. Snows office and after some more questioning our names were sent to the first Presidency of the Church for approval. In the meantime, Pres. Rodger Atkin was made President of the Temple. On April 16, we were told by President Atkin, that we had been accepted by the Presidency of the Church to act as temple ordinance workers. President Atkin offered the prayer in which the presidency of the temple laid their hands on Edmund’s head and President Archibald Boyack offered the prayer which set me apart for this work. The prayers were wonderful and I’m sure they were inspired in what they said. I do hope and pray we can live up to the promises they gave us if we are faithful and prayerful in our work.
1976: Eliza’s history finished by her husband, Edmund Gubler.

After having worked as temple officiators in the temple for eight years, where we did enjoy our work very much and made a lot of friends, we were released because mama took sick. In the year of 1971 mom got real sick and we took her to Salt Lake to some specialists. They told us that her brain had deteriorated because of the blood not reaching it. They called it hardening of the arteries. The gave her not longer than eighteen months to live. Mom spent many days in the hospital and she was real sick. We brought her home from Salt Lake. It seemed she wasn’t home long and she had a terrific pain in her stomach. One might it was so bad that we called the ambulance to come and get her to take her to the hospital. They found out that she had gallstones and they had to operate right away.

The family wondered if she could stand the operation because of her heart but it was either an operation or gangrene would set in and take her life. They operated that day and it was successful.
It wasn’t long and we brought her home from the hospital. She never did improve. I took care of mom and the girls were real good to help. It was in 1974 that Vanola, Jewell, Edna, Fawn and Cleopha took turns coming and staying at the house. They would each stay one day and one night and then another one would take their turn. In Nov. 1976, Mom had a stroke and we thought we were going to lose her. She lost her speech and sense of balance. She kind of pulled out of it again and then about two weeks before she passed on she had little strokes off and on.

The last week she couldn’t swallow anything or eat anything. The girls tried to give her a little orange juice to wet her lips and throat. About 12:45 pm on March 3, 1976, Vanola, DeeAnn and I were in the bedroom with mom and she opened her eyes so wide and looked all around. You could tell by her expression that she could see all her loved ones who had come to welcome her back home with her Heavenly Father. She even smiled a little as she looked around and then her heart stopped.

We know that mom is happy and hope that all of us can live as good as she did so we can ll be together again as a family.

Mom was buried in the Santa Clara Cemetery on March 6, 1976.

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