Amanda Brewer (Rogers)

Life of Amanda Rogers Brewer By Laurena Brewer:

Back in the year of 1884, there stood a log cabin in the little town of Snowflake; which was then an early pioneer settlement. This log cabin stood on an unfenced dry lot, spoken of as the hill; which is now where the grade school stands. This little cabin was the home of a very humble father and mother (Smith Doolittle Rogers and his wife Eliza). Four babies had previously blessed their home and on February 14, 1884 a brand new baby girl came to join them. When she was eight days old her grandfather came to see her and her father said, “What is a good name for the baby, father?” Walking over to the bed and taking the infant in his hands looking her over closely, he said, “Amanda is the sweetest name I know”, then they blessed her.

When she was three years old a Brother Smart ran a tannery in the community, and he taught Amanda to say; “I’m Brother Smart’s little lady”. Since that time, she has been known and loved by everyone as, “A Little Lady.”

For the first tests of sorrow also started at the young age of three. This was when her baby brother, Starling, strangled on a marble that he swallowed and lost his life. Even though she was only three, she remembered it very distinctly. Then shortly after this her cherished Grandfather Rogers, who had named and blessed her, passed as she also remembered very distinctly.

The Golden Keys poem her sharp memory implanted and memorized was also in this third year of her life. This poem became a part of her daily life and she practiced it each day - - - A bunch of golden keys is mine, To make each day with gladness shine. “Good morning,” that’s the golden key, That unlocks every day for me. When friends give anything to me, I use the little “Thank you”, key. When at the table, “If you please”, I take from off my bunch of keys. When evening comes, “Good night”, I say And close the door of each glad day. On a golden ring these keys I’ll bind This is the motto, “Be Ye Kind." I’ll often use each golden key And then a child beloved I’ll be. She spoke this poem in Sunday School and had to be stood on the table to be seen. She did it so well that Brother Farley, who was the clerk at the store, picked out a piece of blue cloth just the color of her eyes for her mother to make her a dress.

Her preschool days were spent running over the hills which were covered with wild flower and grass. The little knolls that are now heavy-dotted with houses, which constitute the city of Snowflake. Her main companion was her brother Hollister, whom she idolized. He taught her how to shoot marbles, arrows, and cross guns; spin a tip, etc. as they hunted wild flowers on those hills. She often recalled one night, when her father was on his mission, and this dear brother had not returned home at the hour of 10:00 pm. So she went the long distance, as the coyotes howled all around her, to the field to see what had happened and found him faithfully irrigating. She said after telling this story, “I couldn't have done it for anyone else.”

Her first school teacher was Miss Nettie Hunt and the school was very simple, one long benches to sit on. On her ninth birthday, she received this little poem from her teacher. To Amanda small and smart, From the bottom of her teacher’s heart. Nine long years have swiftly flown, Since a little girl we call our own With eyes so mild and very blue With heart so light and very true. Came down from heaven so pure and sweet To make her parents joy complete. Miss Nattie Hunt her teacher was She tried to teach her nature’s laws. And how to read, write, and spell, And how to do her duties well. She is nine years old this very day Four years in my school have passed away. May your life forever from sorrow be free, Is the wish that I how have for thee. Accept these lines from your teacher’s heart, For to her you are very dear. Thus, she started her studying and life long career as a teacher.

Her mother taught her how to sew and at the young age of nine years, she completed her first quilt top. This grew with her right on down through the years, and each child and grandchild will cherish one of her pieced quilt tops. Her sewing was a part of her enjoyment of life. She graduated at the age of fourteen from the eighth grade, then attended the Snowflake Academy graduating in 1902. In June, she took the County Teacher’s Examination and this is her own statement from this experience, “I learned a much needed lesson, that one must attend strictly to business at hand and not sport.” In September, she passed the examination with a high percentage, and in November of that same year (1902); She went to Pinedale to commence her teaching career which from that day on never really ended. It was here in her first class of pupils that she first met her future husband and life long companion (Jacob Edward Brewer). Her comment on this was always, “He was the largest student there and the most attractive”.

He was only one year younger than his attractive little teacher, but had not had the same opportunity for an education; so this proved to be the beginning of a great career for him too. Four years later, October 3, 1906 they made the long trip to the Salt Lake Temple where they were married for time and all eternity and today they are happily enjoying that eternal reunion of their spirits; because of their faithfulness to the end of their mission here on earth.

Their first home together was the old Walker house at Taylor, then the following January, they moved to Snowflake where she had accepted a job teaching school. The next spring 1907, Grandma Brewer gave them their choice of two places, and they took the one in Pinedale where they lived until 1909.

Then they took out their homestead here in Clay Springs, however they still lived in Pinedale during the winter months until 1916 when the ward was organized in Clay Springs; and this became their permanent home from that time on.

Her life has not been all sunshine as she had learned what sorrow was at a young age, when she lost her brother Starling, then her sister Roxie and another sister Mary. But it has been a beautiful life and she enjoyed every minute of it to the very end. One of her most heart-breaking experiences was two days before Thanksgiving in the fall of 1915, when a kerosene lamp exploded and left their new dream house, on the new homestead, that was almost completed and furnished with several new pieces of furniture a heap of ashes. All they had left was the clothes that they had on and a laundry she had drying on the clothesline. This she never did quite get over, but there was one great comfort with it. They and all their children were safe and uninjured, so they started all over again.

The comfort of Dad and mom to each other was possibly as great then as it is now (deeper than words can express). Mom’s life has been rich and full, and she has lived by a sentence her Aunt Sarah Driggs wrote in her autograph album, “Let not the stream of your life be a murmuring stream.” She was a good example for her family and associates. For life was full of service, she has been a teacher in some organization in the LDS church since she was 13 years old. She was the first Ward Clerk in Clay Springs ward under Bishop William A Hunt; and she was President of the Relief Society for 25 years, President of the MIA for five years and many other church duties. Along with all this, she has had other responsibilities, the following sentence is her own, “I’ve held the Civil Positions of Trustee, Postmistress and 17 years of school teaching, positions that all call for the kicks of the public, and I guess I’ve had all that was coming to me.”

She was a pioneer nurse, you might say, always called on in the times of need and always rendering all the service possible. But she herself never was attended by a doctor until she was 71 years old, when she fell on the step of Nick’s Grocery in Show Low and broke her arm. As children of this happy union, we’ll always have fond memories of those nights Mom read to us and how we plead for just one more chapter, not realizing how tired she possibly was. Those stories that Mom and Dad could tell so interesting to all of us and the songs they sang. The thing that will live most vividly will be those many domino games that never grew old and will live many a generation.

She lived 81 full years, leaving nothing out or nothing undone. She attended Ward Conference meetings on May 23, 1965, taught her primary class on May 24th, attended Relief Society on May 25th at 10:00 am and MIA the same evening. Turning in her last genealogy sheet the evening of May 25, 1965 at MIA and examining sheets as one of the Ward examiners, she was given a ride home by her granddaughter Elma who delivered her home about 9:30 pm in the usual good health she enjoyed. At approximately 10 to 10:30 as she prepared to retire she was suddenly called to join her good husband who has been patiently waiting for her to come.

May we as children and children’s children pay tribute to our dear mother, not only this day, but each day of our lives by living the kind of life that will make her and dad proud to say, “These are our children.” As of this date May 30, 1965 the posterity of Jacob Edward and Amanda R Brewer union consists of 8 children, 49 grandchildren, and 67 great grandchildren. This little poem expresses the qualities they want and desire in their posterity. Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory. Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will know know Thee, and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge. Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here, let him learn compassion for those who fail. Build me a son whose heart will be close, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past. May we all their posterity have the needed faith and strength to become added stars to their crown.