Lucy Lavinia Bluth

From a history found on Lucy's memory page on familysearch.org:

Lucy is a daughter of Alexander Findlay Macdonald and Fannie Van Cott, the 4th wife of his polygamous marriages. When she was six months old, her mother, brother, Byron, and Lucy went to Mexico to join her father. Alexander met them in El Paso, Texas with wagons and provisions.

They were living in a tent in a narrow, rocky valley where the river ran underground - a dismal prospect for farmers needing irrigation water. One day the tent that Fannie and Lucy were in shook so badly that all of the dishes rattled in the cupboard. Fannie rushed outside to tell her son, Byron, to stop throwing his ball against the tent. However, she learned that it was an earthquake that caused the upheaval! A miracle occurred! Springs of water opened from the ground which caused the Piedras Verdes River to flow freely through the valley. The Saints knew that Heavenly Father had heard their prayers!

Lucy had volumes of raven black, curly hair and she grew to be six feet tall! Every day her mother combed out eleven long ringlets with several tied on top of her head with a ribbon. She was full of vigor and enthusiasm for life, extremely bright, talented in music with a beautiful singing voice and was an accomplished pianist. She was a “tom boy” and her father did not approve of her spunk, as he was Scottish with strong Victorian ideals, but Fannie delighted in Lucy’s spirit! During much of Lucy’s childhood her father lived in Colonia Garcia with another of his wives, and Lucy helped her mother by sorting mail, as Fannie ran a post office from their home. Lucy also ironed linen and baby clothes for Fannie Harper at the Harper Hotel down the street from their home to help earn money. Lucy attended the Academy at Colonia Juarez. She graduated from the Academy in 1906 and wanted to attend more schooling but had to go back to work helping her mother in the post office and working at the Harper Hotel.

On 12 November 1909, she married Oscar Emmanuel Bluth from Colonia Dublan in the Salt Lake Temple. Oscar was a hard-worker whose family had a difficult background, and he sacrificed and saved much to take Lucy to be married and eternally sealed in temple. The trip was long and difficult, but they were both determined “to do it right”! They made a handsome couple, both tall and very good looking! Lucy and Oscar had 9 children, and all were born at home with a midwife in attendance: Lothaire, Fannie “V”, LaPrele, Flossie, Mac, Lucy, Oscar E, Gayle and Lynden.

Lucy was a pillar of strength in both her home and in the community. She served on the school board, nursed the sick all over the 2 communities (often staying at their homes to tend them for several days). She was Relief Society President for many years and she took care of those who died by preparing burial clothing, dressing the deceased person, lining the coffins with white cotton outing-flannel, cooking mountains of food for the bereaved family, packing the remains of the food in bottles of ice until distant family members could arrive, then she rushed to the church to play the piano for the funeral.

As there were no hotels in town, Lucy’s home was where people from out of town came to stay. One guest, Mr. Mead, brought her rose bushes and raisins from California. George Houghton came to stay often, stating that he loved her homemade bread.

In 1949 Lucy was struggling with heart problems and went to stay with her married daughter, Flossie Bluth Robinson, to see a doctor in Phoenix, Arizona. The doctor gave her stern instructions to live a quiet life and to avoid excitement as there was a blood clot near her heart. However, Lucy went to see her grandson’s baseball game, as Jerry Van was an excellent baseball player. When Jerry hit a home run she cheered with all of her usual gusto! Shortly after the game she died of a massive heart hemorrhage. Oscar came and drove her body back to Mexico.

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Apr 7 2018, 16:26:43 UTC