Mary Edith Albiston

The James Olsen Family Book

History of Mary Edith Olsen Albiston

    Mother was born August 29, 1890 in Logan at Grandpa Hansen's home, the third child of James Olsen and Alice Helena Hansen.  She moved to the church farm in West Millville (College Ward) with her family when she was three weeks old, and was christened Mary Edith Olsen.  Her father and mother lived in the home where grandpa and grandma Olsen had lived.  Mother remembered the home "That old log house stood right behind the new home there.  There were two rooms.  There was a front door to the east and the back door was to the west, and they were straight across from each other and the stove stood in between."  She lived all her life there except for the one year she and dad lived in Canada.  She got her schooling in John Green's house, and the old red school house in College Ward.

One incident in her childhood that she remembered was when the hay stack burned. "I can tell you something else that happened when I was a kid. Mother went down to Grandma Olsen's to quilt and they wanted a thimble and the scissors. So they sent Jim and Lanie up and I bawled to go with and so they finally let me go with. We went up home and Jim and Lanie filled the holes on the stove where you put the lifter on the coal stove with tapioca and tried to build a fire in the stove and it wouldn't go. And there was a carpet on the kitchen floor and it had a hole in it, and so they tried to build a fire in that hole to cook the tapioca, and they couldn't get it to go. Pa had gone to the canyon for a load of wood. He'd got all his farm work done and he said I think I'll go up and get a load of wood before snow starts. Well, then these kids Lanie and Jim went out between the hay stack and straw stack. A big hay stack and straw stack stood behind the old log chicken coop. It was the alley way between, and they got in there and they got a good fire. And I can remember, and they said I sat on the spring seat behind the coup and watched! And Pa got home from the canyon there wasn't enough hay on the place to feed his critters. All his hay and all of his straw was gone. And he hadn't been home too long until Chris Bindrup pulled in with a big load of hay and said, 'Here Jim, feed this until you can do better.' So he gave them that load of hay to feed and Dad had to buy hay for that winter."
Always active in church she walked to the meeting house three times each Sunday to attend her meetings. As a girl of 14 she was put in as Secretary of the MIA which position she held for 7 years. She was twice 2nd Counselor, twice 1st Counselor, twice President, and three times Beehive teacher, all in MIA. She and Marion Nelson were the first Beehive teachers in College Ward. They always met in her home or the other girls once a week. She was also in the Primary three different times. She walked Relief Society Visiting Teaching with Martha Nelson 34 years. For 4 years she rode with Carrie Saunders. She was the Relief Society Magazine representative for 9 years visiting every home in College Ward on foot. She was the work and business director giving the lesson as well and taking care of the work activities. As Sunday teacher she is remembered for the faith promoting continued stories she told each week that were taken from the Juvenile Instructor.
Mother loved sports and was active in all of them. So active that she was so hard on shoes that her father had to buy her a new pair of the heaviest made, District 76, every month. They called her Ricky until Uncle Veen nicknamed her Tricks. No girls would play marbles with her so she played with the boys. She excelled in the boad jump. Bill Dunn never did beat her, and the school teacher watched for 15 minuted once to see if he could. She was also a good ball player, she and Kate Nelson made cute white suits with sailor collars and pleated bloomers so they could go play ball in Wellsville on the 4th of July. When her father saw the suits, he said, "not in those clothes!" That ended the game in Wellsville. Simm Dunn was heard to say she excelled in everything she did. That was because her wise father always told her, "No matter what you do, or what task you undertake, do your best!"
All her life mother was a hard worker. She papered a lot of the houses in College Ward. Many washed she did by hand, sometimes 4 times a week for 25¢ each, carrying all the water from the wells too. As a young girl she was known to have topped 10 tons of beets per day. She worked as a seamstress in Logan at the Union Knitting Mills. It was later known as Cache Knitting Mills.
She had about all the diseases known while growing up. When she had typhoid fever about all she had to eat for two weeks was lime water and skim milk. She had erysipelas six times too. When her family had the measles the doctor told her father to gather sheep droppings and make some tea from them for her and Ted to drink, or he could give them a prescription for some expensive pills that he could get from the drug store. Mother drank hers but Ted really put up a fuss. She told him "For Heaven sakes, Drink it!" He finally did and the measles broke out.
When she started working for Mrs. Eccles in Logan, she would be dusting and find money laying around. She moved the money, dusted, and placed it right back. Mrs. Eccles was testing her honesty. She was the only hired girl to come and go by the front door. The man who took care of the cows asked her why. She simply told him that when she came to work for Mrs. Eccles she told her to feel at tome. So she did! Mrs. Eccles really thought a lot of mother, she offered to take her around the world as her traveling companion, but mother had already met dad and fallen in love with him. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple, January 11, 1918.
They moved to Canada where Dad was the foreman on the Jensen Ranch and Mother was the cook. While they were in Canada, Thelma their first child was born. The Cardston Temple was being built at this time, but before it was completed they decided to return to Cache Valley. Mother hated it up in Canada. It was terribly cold. In January 1919 they moved into the front room of her father's home. In March of 1920 they moved into her brother Jim's house, now Kendricks, for two weeks. Dad came home one day and told her he'd bought them a house. That home is the same one Dad is living in now, with some remodeling and additions. It was here that the next 7 children were born. Spencer, Kathryn, Marva, James, Doris, Alice, and LuDene. Steven was born in Logan at Grandma Olsen's house. Grandma Olsen was a midwife and was with mother at all the births but Thelma's. Mother and Dad carried all the water from Jim's house until one year later when they had their well dug.
Mother read once in a book that a mother should give herself one hour of reading a day. So while she was raising her family she read the Bible, the Book of Mormon twice, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, 100 Years of Mormonism, and two Volumes of Church History. Mother had learned to sew very well when she was a young girl and used this talent when her family was small. They never had a boughten dress or coat until they were old enough to earn their own money to buy them. She could sew anything, from sheep-lined vests to a rifle cover which Steve still has. The many quilts she's made, the beautiful handwork on pillow cases, dish towels, and the crocheted hot pads, are treasured gifts to her family and friends. She also made aprons as a hobby. They were beautiful pearl cotton thread sewn into different patterns on checked gingham. They are in homes all over the world.
During World War II mother received the Distinguished Service Award for the State of Utah, for her part in collecting paper, cans, old clothes, even peach stones which were used for medicine. Her Award was a beautiful Gold Medal.
While she was raising her family she ironed baskets of clothes, baked 11 loaves of bread every other day, bread her father said was "next best to her Grandma's." Her large garden was replaced with a beautiful lawn and flowers which were a credit to her "green thumb."
Mother was always active in the ward choir in College Ward. She and Dad were honored at a party given by the choir when they retired May 18, 1972. At that time mother was the only living member of the original College Ward choir.
Mother enjoyed fairly good health until she got cancer in the last five years. She still worked outside and enjoyed her yard, and garden. She was an excellent housekeeper, there was never a speck of dust in her home. She died March 9, 1978 in the Logan Hospital from complications of gall-bladder surgery. She was 87 years old. The day before she went to the hospital she told me, "I'm ready to go if I can take little Shane with me." I answered her, "I'm sure you are Grandma, but I don't think the Lord will let you. I'd be glad to let you if He would." I know the Lord did allow her to come and get him, but it was not unil October 10, 1978. We miss her very much but we will always remember her sweet spirit and wonderful attitude toward life. She set the true example for us to follow as her daughters and grand-daughters.
History written by Karma S. Albiston

January 3, 1982

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