Gertrude Obray
Leishman
Gertrude
was born on April 3rd 1911 in Paradise, Cache Valley, Utah. She is
daughter of Joseph Brenchley Obray and Margart Tams. Her father blessed her on
June 4th 1911 and she was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus
Christ in the Logan Temple on June 11 1919. In her journal she explains how
happy she was when she went into the fount, but the unexplainable joy she had
when she came out again. She also talks about how they rode in a buggy drown by
brown horse to the temple.
Year of Youth
Gertrude
memories of her childhood are very happy
and full of fun. In her journal from her older years she looks back and
says, “I had a very happy childhood with kind and loving parents.” She worked with her father on family farm.
They would drive the cow on horse. When driving the cows she was afraid of the
horses getting spooked by snakes, which happened a lot. On their farm they also had sugar beets and
hay that they harvested.
Gertrude went to
public school. She wore a percale dress to school with long tan stockings. She
remembers her mother washing the stockings every other day because they only
had one pair. In May 1930 Gertrude
graduated from South Cache School in Hyrum, Utah.
Gertrude loved to socialize and dance. There
was a dance every week in Paradise her friends and her would go and dance for
hours. They had a friend who would drive around all of the neighborhood to pick
up people and take them to the dance. Riding in the wagon was one of her
favorite parts she recalls. While in High School she met a young man named Reed
Leishman. They went on their first date to the Junior Prom. They were married
the same year they graduated from High School
Marriage
Gertrude
married Reed Bradshaw Leishman on October 30th, 1930 in Wellsville,
Utah by Bishop Evan H. Bankhead and were sealed in the Logan Temple on November
18th, 1931. Their first home was a large red brick home, with one
bedroom downstairs and on room upstairs. They paid $8.00 in rent per month. One
of the wedding gifts given to Reed and Gertrude was a Jersey cow from her
father. They rented some land and grew hay and sugar beets.
Family
Gertrude
and Reed were pleases with eight wonderful children: Arlene, Nedra, Reed,
Dixie, Joseph, Roland, Annette, and Seldon. Gertrude writes, “We are proud of
our family, they are all living good lives and working in the church.” When the
children were younger they would go over the mountain and work in Brigham City
picking beans and cherries. They often went to Yellowstone Park to go fishing.
They also enjoyed their yearly camping and hunting trip. They looked forward to
it all year. All of her children served
in the church faithfully and had many chances to serve.
Later Years
Gertrude
and Reed were married for 65 years. One thing that I found interesting in her
journal was this: “In 1973 we stated to do sealing’s for the dead in the Logan
Temple. We were sealed with Aaron and Harriet Leishman and our sealer was Brother
Larson. We sealed 9219 couples and 14034 children…” This amazed me. Family
history had ticked through the family.
Her
journals ended with, “I have a strong testimony of this work and the gospel of
Jesus Christ. I know it is true and I am so thankful for a kind and loving
husband and all our wonderful children. I love them all very much. I am
thankful for our thirty-five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren that
we have now. The Lord has blessed us very much.”
Eliza Jane
Humphreys Jessop
Eliza Jane
Humphreys immigrated to the Untied States in approximately 1858. She sailed
form Port Elizabeth with Elder Walker and Elder haven, the two missionaries who
converted her family to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She
traveled by train to the Nebraska Territory and then traveled server hundred
miles to Utah by handcart. Eliza Jane shared her handcart with the two Elder
Walker and Haven. They pulled as she pushed. In October of 1858 they reached the
Utah Territory.
Eliza Jane was
employed by Captain and Mrs. Hooper to be a governess to their three small
children. She was well educated in the three schools she attended in South
Africa. Captain Hooper was the delegate in Washington D.C. for the Utah Territory.
She was a governess for the Hooper’s for four years, while they were in Utah
and Washington D.C.
In the fall of
1862 Eliza Jane became engaged to Thomas Jessop. They were married the next
fall, but were not married in the temple because Captain Hooper convinced her
not to. They were civilly married in Salt Lake City, but were later sealed on
December 1st, 1865. Tom and Eliza moved to the Cache Valley and
began their life there. In 1869 “Mormon Crickets” invested the Cache Valley,
eating and killing all their crops. A miracle occurred with the arrival of
massive flocks of seagulls, which ate the crickets. Also this year the Golden
Spike was driven down in Promontory Point to signify the connecting of the
Central Pacific and the Union Pacific railroads. The end of this ear was very
hard for Tom and Eliza, especially for Eliza. Tom married his second wife
Margaret Eve in November of 1869.
Tom married two
more times and Eliza Jane learned to love each of these women. They all became
good friends and helped in the raising of each other’s children. Eventually
Eliza and Tom had eleven children. When Tom died Eliza was heart broken and
struggled for the following few years.
She lived to be 61 years old. Her last few years were spent serving
other and helping children. She was called the Grandmother of Cache Valley. Her
example of faith has affected all of her posterity.
No comments:
Post a Comment