Agnes Sarepta Prince

I, Agnes Sarepta Heywood, nineth child of Joseph Leland and Mary Bell Heywood, was born November 29, 1875. I was the first of the Heywood children to be born outside of the Fort after the family moved to Panguitch, Utah. The family had just moved into the new Heywood home, which was on the lot where the S&C Merchantile Store now stands on main street in Panguitch. (1951) Grandmother Imlay was the only midwife, or nurse, in the community at that time, and she took care of mother and baby for nine days--for the total sum of $3.00.

Among the earliest recollections of my childhood is that I used to ride with my father to the pasture on a horse they called "Old Croppy". The horse acquired this name after a bear chewed off one of its ears.

During the early years of my life, I did the necessary things the children had to do in those days, such as picking up potatoes, picking peas, picking up rocks. I recall the Foy and heywood lots were nothing but rock beds, but later they brought the most money of any two lots in the county. As children we followed the binder with our brother, James B.. Brother W.P. Sargent owned the first binder. The children would pick out the longest stalks of the wheat and one or two of these were used to bind the bundles, before the era of using twine. I remember when they used the cradle and scythe to harvest grain. I also remember the first Burr Mill that ground wheat with rocvks. Brother Dickenson owned it and it was located on Dickenson hill, and right near there was a creek where most of the children were baptized.

I was about ten years old when I made my first trip to Salt Lake City. There were eleven in the party. Besides the children who were at home, my married sister Manie, and her first child (who is not District Judge "John L. Sevy, Jr.) went with us. My brother James B. drove the horses. We went in a wagon and it took about a week to go 250 miles. We had a very pleasant time, and spent a dime and brought home a cute little glass dish. During the trip I saw the first tomatoes I had ever seen, saw a star fish that Mrs. Sarah M. Kmmball (Frank's mother--Frank was Keeties husband), brought home from the Islands. We rode on a mule-drawn train out to Garfield to see the Great Salt Lake. It cost 25 cents each for the round trip. While in Salt Lake we stayed with Aunt Sarepta and were treated royally. I saw Nana, the nurse, who was one of father's wives. "Auntie" Sarepta had requested my mother, Mary Bell heywood, to bring the children up to Salt Lake so we could all get acquainted.

My early school days were spent in the frame school houses in both the north and south wards. Mrs. Sarah Price, Mrs. Maria L. Sargent, and Miss Kate DeLong were among my first teachers. Kate Delong later married my brother Dade (David L. Heywood). Mr. William Lewman was one of the first teachers after we moved into the upstairs rooms in the Page building "uptown". The last school I attended was the Panguitch academy held in the old Stake Tabernacle, with John Swenson and Samuel Crosby as teachers. The "romantic youth" of those days were: Gene Clayton, Arthur Clark, Obie Crosby, John Cameron, Jim Proctor, Jesse LeFever, and Joe Crosby. The one comfort of the primative school room in the North Ward was a box stove with a crack in it, and we children stood around it to keep warm. There was only one bench for all to crowd onto.

While in the Academy in the lower grades in Sam L. Crosby's room, I shared a seat with Annie Schow (Riggs). Among my other friends were Lyda Haycock, Dick (Duck) DeLong (Showalter), Louie Worthen (Henrie), Loretta Imlay Clayton, Sarah E. Prince (Aunt Sadie Hall), Nat Brown, LaVista Bell Miller.

On November 16, 1890, during my fifteenth year, my formal education was brought to a climax when I entered the employment of the Garfield Exchange Merc. as a salesclerk. My brother, James B. Heywood, was the superintendent of the store then. I remained in this position for five years.

Clerking in those days was very much different from what it is nowadays. The general store delt in merchandise ranging from lamp black to silks and laces. Wheat was also sold. Lots of freighting was done between Panguitch and Kanab, hauling wool to Marysvale and merchandise back. Instead of money, for years we used a "script". A great deal of money was brought in to buy the buckskin from the Indians. They received merchandise and money for it. I learned to talk a little with the Indians. After they got their money for their hides, they would turn around and pay for each individual item they would buy.

George Haycock and Tom Lambert and my brothers Ed and Dade clerked some when they were needed.

I packed eggs in oats to go to the sheep herds for 8 cents a dozen. Lots of business was done in those days when men came here from northern Utah for sheep business. (The Cahoons, etc) There was very little work in the winter, but lots in the spring when the sheep men came back with their flocks.

Dr. Garn Clark and I sometimes played "Guinea" out in the street while waiting for customers. Twice while I was clerking I was subpoened into court because of men stealing from the cash register, and once because people stole from the Post Office some marked coins which I had to identify.

I clerked in the store unrtil I was twenty-one years old when I married Joseph Oscar Prince. After I was married, my brother James B. gave me $10.00 in cash which I used to buy a canebottom rocking chair, three straight chairs, and a clock. My brother Dade gavc me two pretty china vases, John and Edna gave me six hens and a rooster. Mamie and her family gave me lots of household things, including dishes, and Mother gave me a rag carpet. When I began going with Oscar he owned the prettiest, fanciest pair of horses in the country and another man, George Crosby, owned the cutter we went riding in. His girl was a school teacher here (Laura Lyman). We double dated as you would say today. We had good times riding in the cutter over the snow in the winter and in the buggy in the summer time. Soon after we were married, Oscar bought his own buggy. When he went on his Mission we had a little one seated buggy.

We didn;t do much as young people do today except to go to a few parties, ride and talk. There were no picture shows, and few dances. I just didn't care to dance and never learned.

All the money that the fellows earned, they saved to get married on. Father bought us a cook stove in Psrowan on our way home from getting married.

I went with Oscar about five years. Only we never went any place. We had fun though, and a few parties. Never any boxes of candy or jewelry, just fun and lovin".

I was Secretary in the M.I.A. five years before I was married.

We went in a buggy to Saint George to be married. Oscar's mother went along too, as did a load of cheese to be "peddled". It took us four and one half days to get there. We slept on the floor at his house on our return. I never did feel good about that. I thought the Prince girls could have slept on the floor and given us their beds.

Very soon after we were married we moved into our present home. The kitchen was finished first. Alice was born there with a sheet up in the South West corner to keep the draft out. I was in labor 56 hours and thought she would never get here. The midwife had tried everything she knew to help me.

Father soon built the rest of the house around us. Most all the work was done by him, or he traded work with others. It all made extra work for me having a house built all around, but we were glad to have it.

Aunt Ollie Norton brought all the children down to see Rulon. Dr. Garn Clark laughed when he was born and said that all it took was a Dr. to bring a boy as the midwife had brought 6 girls before Rulon came. There were 3 other girls born the night that Della came. We all had Aunt Ollie. We paid her $3 to $8 - Rulon cost $25, Howard $25 Florence $30.00. I clerked for two weeks after i got married which helped us out such a lot as money was scarce. I had the first store bought shirts in Panguitch for Alice as I was the clerk and could get them. I was proud too of the wicker buggy we got for her. Mildred, our second childas to enjoy these things as well, for we had quality then. When Cecil, our third child was about 6 monts old, Oscar was called to go on a mission for the L.D.S. Church to the Western States. He had two weeks training at the B.Y.U. and then left to be gone for two years. He did all he could to make it as comfortable for us. We owned some sheep, cattle, horses, etc. We trusted in the Lord to look after us and provide for Oscar while he did his work.

The greatest hardship, other than the lonliness of being alone to care and provide for three children was the drawing of water from the well, to be used to water the stock in the winter time. That well was always a nightmare. Once I looked out to see Cecil sitting in the little trough we poured the water into before in ran into the trough for the cattle. I knew I must remain calm and not excite her, for one quick move and she surely would end up in the well.

Many people were good to help me but still there was much to do and i often wondered how I did manage to get the wood hauled, cut and carried for 2 stoves, care for pigs, chickens, horses, and cows and look after my 3 children. But the time came when Oscar was to be released and I made a new dress for Cecil and one for myself and we went to Salt Lake to welcome him home. Cecil reached out her arms to her daddy as if he had never been away. This pleased him and he often told how she loved him.

Life run more smoothly for us after that. I was proud of my polished, well groomed, handsome husband and of all the advancement a mission had brought to him.

Naturally, we prospered. Oscar bought and sold cattle, usually making a fair profit. He was a farmer, a sheep and cattle man and every summer for about 25 years or more we ranched. We were able to provide for our ever increasing family for after Cecil came a girl, Della, another one, Grace, ditto Sarepta--then Rulon and after I was 40 years old I gave birth to two sets of twins, Howard and Helen, Helen died with pneumonia following a whooping cough spell, and at 43 I had Florence and Lawrence. The later being dead upon arrival. Eleven children in all came to bless our home--nine of whom are alive at this writing, 1956, and I am in bed waiting for the release of my spirit to return to my Heavenly Father's home. I am too tired and weary to even return my thinking to those hard long hours of work and life, but my children keep asking me to relate some of my life's experiences.

How many summers did i go to the ranch at Panguitch lake they ask? Oh, too many I used to think. First we took up a homestead at the mouth of Parowan Canyoon. Well I recall trying to prove up on it while my husband was in the Mission Field. With two teenage boys, Parley Ipson and Roy Lee--with my 3 little girls and a load of furniture we slowly, oh so slowly left town for the ranch. Mud and snow and ice were battled, but we got to the ranch, only to find Indians there. Yes, we were really frightened! We piled furniture at the door of the house and placed pitch forks and shovels nearby for weapons in case of trouble. Most ot the trouble was our fright. I had to appear brave, not only for my children's sake, but for the 2 young boys as well.

In the morning we loaded the furniture back on the wagon and went to town to stay until some of the other ranchers moved up to the Lake. That was only one of the scares of living away from town and people. We lost the homestead, because of false testimony, after years of hard work and hardships. Then we spent several years at the old Prince Ranch and had many meals to prepare for cattlemen, sheepmen, and herders. They always planned on getting a free meal if anyone was at the ranch and they were near. It was a custom of the times and a good one except for the one that had to worry about what to fix and the one who had to do the work.