Childhood 1908-1913

While we were living on Monroe, I had typhoid fever and I recall Dr. Edward Rich making a blood test to determine if I had the disease. He took a sample of blood from the lobe of my ear and it still bears the scar. I was sick for a long time and I recall that I dug a hole in the wall next to my bed and ate some of the plaster. When the doctor found I had done this, he really frightened me and I did not eat any more of the plaster.

While still living at the Monroe address, we used to occasionally take a trip to Logan where my maternal Grandparents lived. We would go on the train up through Bear River canyon and it used to take most of the day to make the trip. I distinctly remember making several of these trips and recall the thrill I would get when the train went over the trestles and through the tunnels. At night the conductor would come around with a long stick with a flame burning on one end of it and light the gas burning lights in the coaches.

When we would arrive at Logan we would take a cab to Grandmothers place. I vividly recall these cab trips because the windows of the cab rattled so loud that you could not hear another person talk even if they shouted. I was always glad when the cab ride was over. I imagine Dad and Mother were too.

I remember going to my Grandmother Smith?s for Christmas and recall the good times we used to have with all my cousins who were usually present. I also recall my grandfather Smith. He was a rather gruff sort of person although very kind hearted. I remember when he would visit us at Ogden. Mother would always go out and buy some cheese because he liked it so well.


YEAR (FILE ) PICTURE AND SUBJECT
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1912 (4807) Portrait - John Griffin

In September of 1913 we went to Logan for a visit and while we were there my sister Ruth took sick and died. I recall very clearly her death and events leading up to it. I remember when she was first sick she sat out in the sunshine on the porch up at my Uncle Don's house (John P. Smith Jr.) It was not until several days after-she came down sick that the Doctor discovered that she had diphtheria. I have frequently heard my mother say that if he had given her the required dose of anti-toxin at that time, he could have saved her life, but that he only gave her half of the required dosage. She got steadily worse and finally after about two weeks illness, passed away on October 6, 1913. It was a terrible shock to my mother; one that took her years and years to get over. I recall very clearly at the time everyone was crying and my Uncle Don took me and my brother Ben, one in each arm, and carried us out into the kitchen away from the other people.

I recall seeing my sister in her casket. They would not let us in the same room and so we would look through the windows on the porch. I also recall the funeral procession when we returned to Ogden and the terrible feeling I had when they lowered her casket into the grave at the cemetery.

It was not long after that my Grandfather Smith passed away and Mother took me to Logan with her for the funeral. I recall my grandfather in the casket and the room filled with flowers. I was acquainted first hand with death at an early age and I used to wonder about it frequently when I was young.

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