Etta Alice Rollins

Etta Alice Corbridge was born on February 23, 1894, at Minersville, Beaver County, Utah, to William and Hannah Alice Cornford Corbridge, one winter morning. I had heard Mother say how cold the north wind was and the snow so deep. I lived in Minersville all my life until the last few years since my husband, Vernon Rollins, died in 1955. My education was gotten in the Minersville schools. We had a big family and father was getting along in years and could not afford to send us to High School. So we went out to help keep ourselves. Father had two families, his first wife died and left him with six children, three boys and three girls, Lily, John, Jerome, Nellie, Lizzie and Joseph. His first wife's name was Eliza Jane Zabriskie.

In eight years he sent to England through the Mormon Missionaries, he and his half brother, Uncle Hiram Walker, to see if there were two girls who would like to come out here. If they did not like them they were not obligated in any way to stay. They were out here three months and they took the girls to the Manti temple, with a team and wagon, and were married.The Missionaries were William Wood Jr. and a half brother of Father and Uncle Hyrum Walker, his name Ephraim Marshall. Mother had nine children by father. He was the father of 17, having some die in the first family before he married mother.

I took music lessons on the organ and I got so I could play for Church, Primary, Mutual, Sunday School, Relief Society. I worked in the Primary when Laura Rollins was President. I used to love to dance. We had our dances in Uncle Billie Woods Hall which belongs to the Eyer boys now. We sure used to have some good dances and theatres, in there also was a skating rink. I went over to the Shaunty Hills to work for Sister Nellie. Vern worked at the Moscow Mine. He and my brother Joseph came over the hill to Shaunty. They were having a big dance at home in a few days, this was the first of June, 1910. So we all came over to the dance. That night Vern took me home and we went together till May 17, 1911, and then we came to Salt Lake and were married in the Temple by Anthony W. Lund. We stayed in Salt Lake for a few days on a honeymoon.

We went back home and gave a reception in Mother's home. Sure had a lovely dinner and gave a dance at night. We lived in Uncle Walter Roberts' place for over a year. Vern went sheep shearing and then Frank was born Feb. 17, 1912. We moved to Mrs. Bohn's place where Howard Pryor lives. Vernetta was born there in the spring. Then we moved to the Reservoir to live, that was when they tore the old reservoir down and built our new one. When we moved back to town we lived in Sarah Bohn's home. Vernetta was born Dec. 22, 1913. Vern, his brother, Maine, and Owen Davis, farmed together that summer, then we moved down to where Marcine Davis lives. It was just a two room house then. While we lived there, Arnold Wallace was born Dec. 14, 1915. He weighed 11 ½ pounds.

While he was a baby we moved up to the old school house. They had built a new one then. We lived in the one room on the west. It was quite a large room and a school teacher named Wm. Morris lived in one of the other rooms. While living there Leland Doyle was born Oct. 30, 1917, weighing 12 pounds. The next spring Vern bought a two room house. He was shearing sheep at the time. We lived in a boarded tent till he got the house fixed. Then the next summer he built two more rooms one. We bought the lot from Herb Eyre's brother. We always had our own cows and pigs and Vern raised a lovely garden. The best around here. He was a wonderful provider. We never had too much, but we never wanted. I always tended to my church duties and took my family. Always tried to teach them the right way. They were all blessed and baptized at eight years of age.

I joined the Relief Society right after I was married. Was put in as Relief Society Teacher for 25 years until Vern died and my health was bad. I went to Saint George and worked in the temple. I stayed there for my health. When my 5th child Rose Hannah was born on November 4, 1919, Arnold and Doyle took typhoid. We just got them up and around and I took it. I was down for three months, also the baby, Rose Hannah, took it. My dear mother came and stayed with me nearly all winter. My sister took Hannah, Frank and Vernetta, until we got straightened around. In the fall Frank took the typhoid and on January 2, 1922, we had Belva.

On May 21, 1925, we had our twins Fossie and Floyd. On the 5th of July, 1927, we had another girl, Raynola. When I got where I could work in the temple again, I was Secretary of the Genealogical for four years and also on the research committee.

SOURCE: Family Search.org