 1884 - 1966 (82 years) Submit Photo / Document
Has more than 100 ancestors and more than 100 descendants in this family tree.
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| Photos
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 | Elizabeth Eames
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 | Eames, David Cullen Family
t Nathaniel - Sarah - David - Rebecca - Aerial b Ilah - David Cullen - Joseph - Elizabeth (Lillie) - Elizabeth Greaves |
 | Benson, Carmen - Eames, Lillie (Elizabeth) - Benson, Harold 1913
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 | Eames Women
Elizabeth Cluley Greaves - Sarah - Rebecca - Elizabeth (Lillie) - Ilah (bottom) |
 | Greaves, Elizabeth Cluley - Eames, Elizabeth (Lillie) Mother & Daughter
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 | At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
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 | Benson, Frank Taft - Eames, Elizabeth (Lillie)
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 | Sister of Kember, Kember Mabey, Zenda Benson, Elizabeth G Eames
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 | Eames, Elizabeth G b1884 with Gr Kids, Kaye - Frankie - Lorraine Nelson
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 | 4 Generations
Frankie Nelson - Gladys Benson - Elizabeth Eames - Elizabeth Greaves
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 | Nellie Lou, Carmen, and Flora Benson with mother Elizabeth Eames - Mar 1959
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 | Back -Aerial G - David G - Joseph L Eames - Arthur Tippets Front -Sara G - Iiah - Elizabeth G - Rebecca M Eames
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 | Back-Zenda, Flora, Carmen, Nellie Louisa Benson Front-Gladys Benson, Kaye Nelson, Elizabeth G Eames
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 | Eames, Elizabeth G b1884 - Portrait
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 | Sara G - Iiah - Elizabeth G - Rebecca M Eames
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| Name |
Elizabeth Greaves Eames |
| Nickname |
Lillie |
| Birth |
6 Jun 1884 |
Logan, Cache, Utah, United States  |
| Gender |
Female |
| Initiatory (LDS) |
27 Jan 1909 |
LOGAN |
 Census |
1910 |
Preston, Franklin, Idaho, United States |
| Image | | Transcript |
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| Ln | Hhold | Given | Surname | Relation | Gender | Race | BirthDate | Age | Status | Years
Married | Children
Born/Living | BirthPlace | BirthPlace
of Father | BirthPlace
of Mother | Immigration
Year | Occupation |
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| 10 | 530 | Frank T | Benson | Head | Male | White | abt 1884 | 26 | Married | 0 | | | Utah | Iowa | Switzerland | | | | 11 | 530 | Elizebeth G | Benson | Wife | Female | White | abt 1885 | 25 | Married | 0 | | | Utah | Utah | Utah | | | | 12 | 530 | Gladys | Benson | Daughter | Female | White | abt 1910 | 0 | Single | 0 | | | Idaho | Utah | Utah | | |
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| Census |
1920 |
Preston, Franklin, Idaho, United States |
| Image | | Transcript | | Ln | Hhold | Given | Surname | Relation | Gender | Race | BirthDate | Age | Status | BirthPlace | BirthPlace
of Father | BirthPlace
of Mother | Immigration
Year | Occupation | Veteran | Street |
|---|
| 33 | 129 | Frank T | Benson | Head | Male | White | abt 1884 | 36 | Married | Utah | Iowa | Switzerland | | | | | | 34 | 129 | Elizebeth E | Benson | Wife | Female | White | abt 1885 | 35 | Married | Utah | Utah | Utah | | | | | | 35 | 129 | Gladas | Benson | Daughter | Female | White | abt 1910 | 10 | Single | Idaho | Utah | Utah | | | | | | 36 | 129 | Cunnen | Benson | Daughter | Female | White | abt 1912 | 8 | Single | Idaho | Utah | Utah | | | | | | 37 | 129 | Harold E | Benson | Son | Male | White | abt 1912 | 8 | Single | Idaho | Utah | Utah | | | | | | 38 | 129 | Flora | Benson | Daughter | Female | White | abt 1917 | 3 | Single | Idaho | Utah | Utah | | | | | | 39 | 129 | Zenda | Benson | Daughter | Female | White | abt 1919 | 1 | Single | Idaho | Utah | Utah | | | | |
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| FamilySearch ID |
KWZS-WCR |
| Death |
28 Dec 1966 |
Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States |
| Burial |
31 Dec 1966 |
Logan City Cemetery, Cache, Utah, United States |
| Headstones |
 Submit Headstone Photo |
| Person ID |
I94 |
mytree |
| Last Modified |
25 Feb 2024 |
| Father |
David Cullen Eames, b. 1 Sep 1851, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 9 Feb 1929, Preston, Franklin, Idaho, United States (Age 77 years) |
| Mother |
Elizabeth Cluley Greaves, b. 21 Oct 1856, Provo, Utah, Utah, United States d. 5 May 1942, Preston, Franklin, Idaho, United States (Age 85 years) |
| Marriage |
29 Dec 1877 |
Logan, Cache, Utah, United States |
| Family ID |
F97 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family |
Frank Taft Benson, b. 23 Apr 1883, Logan, Cache, Utah, United States d. 19 Feb 1923, Logan, Cache, Utah, United States (Age 39 years) |
| Marriage |
27 Jan 1909 |
Logan, Cache, Utah, United States |
| Notes |
- Marriage: Western States Marriage Index, 1809-2011, Utah, Select Marriag e s, 1887-1966
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| Children |
| + | 1. Gladys Benson, b. 12 Nov 1909, Preston, Franklin, Idaho, United States d. 27 Jan 1995, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 85 years) |
| + | 2. Carmen Benson, b. 4 Nov 1911, Preston, Franklin, Idaho, United States d. 17 Aug 2001, Preston, Franklin, Idaho, United States (Age 89 years) |
| + | 3. Harold Eames Benson, b. 4 Nov 1911, Preston, Franklin, Idaho, United States d. 20 Jul 1948, Park City, Summit, Utah, United States (Age 36 years) |
| + | 4. Flora Benson, b. 30 Jan 1916, Whitney, Franklin, Idaho, United States d. 14 Oct 1984, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 68 years) |
| + | 5. Zenda Benson, b. 25 Oct 1918, Preston, Franklin, Idaho, United States d. 27 Feb 2003, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 84 years) |
| | 6. Frank Eames Benson, b. 26 Sep 1920, Preston, Franklin, Idaho, United States d. 2 Jan 1923, Logan, Cache, Utah, United States (Age 2 years) |
| + | 7. Nellie Louisa Benson, b. 11 Sep 1923, Preston, Franklin, Idaho, United States d. 11 Oct 1975, Pocatello, Bannock, Idaho, United States (Age 52 years) |
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| Family ID |
F80 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified |
21 Apr 2024 |
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| Event Map |
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 | Birth - 6 Jun 1884 - Logan, Cache, Utah, United States |
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 | Initiatory (LDS) - 27 Jan 1909 - LOGAN |
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| Marriage - 27 Jan 1909 - Logan, Cache, Utah, United States |
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 | Census - 1910 - Preston, Franklin, Idaho, United States |
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| Census - 1920 - Preston, Franklin, Idaho, United States |
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 | Death - 28 Dec 1966 - Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States |
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 | Burial - 31 Dec 1966 - Logan City Cemetery, Cache, Utah, United States |
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| Notes |
- Death: Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
Frankie Nelson Whipple's Memories:
ELIZABETH EAMES BENSON (Lillie)
No one ever had a better Grandmother than mine was. She was a hug you , t alk to you, give you a cookie grandmother. She kept a drawer full o f odd s and ends of jewelry and other treasures to be played with and sh e alway s had a new set of kittens to be cuddled. She made each one of he r grandc hildren think that they were her favorite.
Grandmother was born Elizabeth Eames in Preston, Idaho in 1895. She w a s born to farm people and spent all of her growing up years on a farm . Sh e married a farmer and expected to live all of her life as a farmer' s wif e. But the world was not kind to grandmother and she lost first a s on, th en her husband to illnesses. After grandpa died, she moved with he r famil y into a drafty old house in the small town of Preston. There sh e raise d her five daughters and one remaining son.
Grandmother was a religious person. When we visited we were called t o p rayers on our knees before every meal, at bedtime, and in the morning . Sh e spoke of Jesus as if He were with us every moment. He seemed to b e he r personal friend. We really enjoyed going to church with her, becau se sh e sang the hymns with such enthusiasm that we could hardly keep fro m laug hing. Then after meetings she would tease us into retelling what w e had h eard, always with ice cream waiting as a reward for having listen ed.
Grandmother liked having her family around her. It was a great occasi o n when we all got together for Thanksgiving or Christmas. My cousins a n d I would explore closets and corners of the house, play on her old pu m p organ on the stair landing, or make nuisances of ourselves in the kit ch en while she prepared meals. We were allowed to eat before the grown-u p s so we would stay out of their way during dinner and after-dinner conv er sation. But we didn't mind. We could hide on the stairs and listen t o eve rything that was said in the kitchen. I'm sure grandmother knew w e were t here, but she never shooed us away.
I never had a birthday go by without a gift from grand-mother. Even wh e n I was grown she went me little books with a dollar tucked inside. I r em ember when she was very old her book of birthdays disappeared. I'm sur e o ne of her daughters took it to keep her from spending what little mon ey s he had on gifts for all of her large family, but she worried about i t an d fussed for months. It seemed to me a mean thing to have done to he r. Bu t I was not consulted.
My grandmother died at the age of 83. She had become so old that she sc a rcely recognized her family. But even then she talked to me and asked h o w I was doing. She laughed and sang and seemed like a fairy-godmothe r . I cried at her funeral, and cry still when I think how much I miss he r.
Grandma's Kitchen
"She could make a third of a pound of hamburger go further than anyo n e I know."
No family member ever went into Grandma's home without eating. Her kitc h en was large, a friendly place, with fresh oilcloth on the round oa k t a b le and home-canned fruits, jams, bread, vegetables bottled from t he sum mer harvest, and love sprinkled liberally around. She bustled whe n someon e came in. Cupboards would be opened, dishes set about, bottle s fetched f rom the pantry.
"'You mustn't get fleshy,' she said, but she fed us whenever we came in t o the house."
The kitchen was the center of everything good about coming to Grandma' s . Even before she had the modern conveniences of an electric range an d re frigerator, the coal burning stove spread its warmth into arms and l egs c hilled by the long trek from icy upstairs bedrooms. She was first u p in t he mornings and lighted a fire in its black belly, then set wate r to boi l for porridge. We often pulled a chair up close to the stove an d toaste d our fingers near its sides. By the time we were warmed enoug h to wash a nd dress the table would be set.
"And she used to make a pudding that was called Blue Mange Pudding. Th a t was the best stuff in the world. And she made a little sauce that was .. .wonderful."
We could not just eat in the mornings; prayer was an integral part of e v ery meal. Morning prayers were especially important as they prepa r e d u s for the coming day. We would kneel on the hard, cold floor, fo r t he stove seldom warmed anything below our knees, and bow our heads re vere ntly over the seats of the kitchen chairs, enduring a long, devout s uppli cation. Grandma was profuse in her gratitude to the Lord for her bl essing s, and she pleaded with Him earnestly that we might all be calle d to repe ntance. Mostly we children prayed for prayers to end that we mi ght get ba re knees off the chilly linoleum.
Grandma kept one drawer in the china cabinet that we girls loved to exp l ore. It held old lipsticks, pieces of ribbon, an assortment of earring s , most without partners, pencils, and other tiny treasures begging t o b e played with. If the kitchen was not being used we could pull the dr awe r out onto the floor and explore its contents, but mostly we had to s tan d at the cabinet and take things out one at a time. When the family w as g athered for a holiday, we were rudely shooed out of the kitchen an d had t o leave the drawer behind.
"I remember Thanksgiving with all the family gathered around the table."
Grandma's kitchen became everything good in the world at Thanksgiving . I t was crowded with aunts, all stirring, opening, basting, and scoldin g ch ildren for getting underfoot. Wonderful smells beckoned us even as w e wer e fussed at to leave. We would hang about in the doorways savorin g the od ors of roast turkey, hot parker house rolls, saged-dressing, an d pumpki n pie. If we could sneak in at the right moment we might snitc h a bit o f dressing or a finger of jelly, but we were soon discovered an d scoote d out. When one of the men wandered in, he was just as rudely di smissed . Sometimes we would give up and crawl on an uncle's lap, listeni ng to ma n-talk while the women laughed and chattered in the kitchen.
"It seemed like we got everyone there, around the table, all the aunt s a nd uncles and cousins."
Every corner of the house seemed to be full of children at these time s . Those of us who were older tried to find a moment of privacy for girl -s ecrets, while the little ones followed us and cried when we shoved the m a way. We would often stand on the stair landing, playing the old pum p orga n that rested there. We managed to make delicious noise until some one yel led at us in exasperation to stop.
"She'd get new oilcloth to put on the table and it was a special occasi o n."
Finally the table would be Ready. The children were allowed to eat firs t , self-preservation for the adults. We gathered at the table and sampl e d each of the dishes so carefully prepared for us, while trying to kee p t rack of all the goings on around us. Aunts and conversations moved in to t he living room leaving just Grandma to fuss over us. Somehow eatin g the m eal was not as much fun as snitching bits before it was done. Bu t we di d our best to eat to popping stage, then we were bustled out of t he kitch en to allow the grown-ups to have their meal. We seldom left the m in peac e; their laughter was like a magnet, and there was always roo m for one mo re piece of turkey from Mama's plate. True joy was the yea r that we girl s were considered old enough to join the grown-ups. We fin ally became pri vy to all the gossip that a scattered family brings to su ch a gathering.
"It was a special occasion whenever she got anything new. She never h a d much, but she'd save."
On early visits I watched Grandma lifting first one and then the othe r h eavy flat iron from the stove where it had been heating to iron her w hit e blouse. It seemed quaint and clever to press clothing without usin g ele ctricity. Like watching the coal flame and burn as she fed the stov e on c old mornings, I felt a kind of magic about the heavy flat irons . I doub t that Grandma appreciated the magic. I remember the celebratio n when th e coal stove was replaced with gleaming white electric range. T he famil y oooh'ed and aah'd, but I was wistful. There was an intimacy i n the shiv ering anticipation as I watched Grandma start the morning fire .
One of my all-time favorite people was my Grandma Benson. She was born E l izabeth Greaves Eames on June 6, 1884 in Logan, Utah, to David Cullen E am es and Elizabeth Cluley Greaves. Grandma was a tiny person growing t o a h eight of 4’11” and weighing only 99 pounds for most of her life. Sh e wa s very pretty. We have a photo of her on the day she reigned as Quee n o f the Harvest Ball. She was wearing a homemade silver crown and carry in g a homemade staff. By today’s standards, the staff and crown look qui t e funny, but she was beautiful.
Grandma moved with her family to Preston, Idaho when she was a small chi l d. While she was in elementary school, she met her future husband, Fra n k Taft Benson. From her diary, it is clear that she was smitten by hi m fr om the time they met in elementary school. In many ways, they were o pposi tes. While both of them were strikingly good-looking, Grandpa Benso n wa s very tall (over 6 feet), muscular, with a dark complexion, and ver y out going. In contrast, Grandma Benson was tiny, with a light complexio n, qui et, and very refined. My mother said that they were deeply in lov e with e ach other and had a great love affair all the years of their mar riage.
My mother was particularly proud of her father. He served in the bishopr i c of their large ward most of the years of their marriage. Mother sai d h e was very good-looking and everyone loved him. It was Grandpa Benso n wh o used to sing “Have I Done Any Good in the World Today” every eveni ng wi th his family in his home.
Grandpa Benson was a farmer and cattle trader so the family lived on a f a rm in the country nearly all of Grandpa and Grandma’s married life. Th e y had a large family. My mother, Carmen, and her twin brother, Harold , we re Grandma’s second pregnancy. Grandma Benson, being such a tiny per son , had a difficult time carrying the twins. She became so large durin g he r pregnancy that she couldn’t sit down. The only two possible positi ons f or her were standing and lying down. She went into labor with the t wins d uring a blizzard on November 4, 1911. Grandpa brought a neighborin g woma n to the house to watch Grandma while he traveled through the heav y sno w to get a doctor. The storm was so bad that Grandpa didn’t retur n for ho urs. In the meantime, Grandma delivered her twin babies, Carme n and Harol d, with the help of the neighbor. The babies weighed 8 poun d s and 9 poun ds, respectively. My tiny 99 pound grandmother had carrie d 17 pounds of b abies and delivered them at home without the help of a d octor. When the d octor finally arrived, he and my grandfather found Gran dma Benson and th e twins well and safe.
Mother spoke often of the happy, almost idyllic life they led on the fa r m for the next several years. The children had a pony named Topsy tha t th ey rode to school, often with as many as three or four children on t he ba ck of the small horse. Topsy used to love to run and Mother said i t was n ot uncommon for all three or four children to slide from the hors es bac k as he thundered around the corner and down the lane to their hom e.
There was a recession in the farming industry in the early 1920s. By t h e fall of 1922, things had become so difficult that Grandpa Benson cou l d not keep up with the debt on his farm, and the property was foreclose d . Grandpa and Grandma Benson moved their family of four girls and two b oy s to Logan, Utah where the family of eight lived with Grandpa Benson’ s br other, Surge. Grandpa Benson, who had been a farmer all of his life , work ed for Uncle Surge in his butcher shop in order to support his fam ily.
In December, 1922, just two months after arriving in Logan, Grandma Bens o n’s youngest Child, Frank, became ill and died of the flu. She was so h ea rtsick at the loss of her Child that there were no Christmas decoratio n s in the house that Christmas. Two months later, in February, 1923, Gra nd pa Benson suffered a cerebral hemorrhage while dressing for work one m orn ing. He died later that day. My mother was 11 years old at the time . Sh e remembers Grandma sitting next to the coffin holding my grandfathe r’s b ody late at night after the children were in bed, caressing his bod y an d weeping. She had not told Grandpa Benson, but she was two months p regna nt with my Aunt Nellie Lou. In the space of four months, Grandma Be nson h ad lost her home, her two-year-old baby boy, and her husband.
After burying Grandpa Benson, Grandma moved to a small home in Preston w h ere she found work as a clerk in a store. Seven months later, Grandma g av e birth to little Nellie Lou. Mother remembers Grandma Benson callin g ou t her husband’s name as she struggled through the delivery of thei r bab y girl.
Upon returning to work, her employer allowed Grandma Benson to bring t h e baby with her in a buggy to the store so she could watch the baby whi l e she worked. My Aunt Nellie Lou told me that she always believed my mo th er was the most beautiful woman in the world because she would stand i n h er baby carriage and watch through the window for my mother’s face. S eein g mom come to pick her up, was the grand highlight of Aunt Nellie Lo u’s d ay as a toddler.
Grandma Benson worked incredibly hard to support her family of six child r en. She was very independent and determined to care for her family with ou t taking charity from anyone. Mother told me the story of one Christma s w hen there was not enough money for presents for the children. The Bis ho p in the ward had a large basket of fruit and food delivered to Grandm a’ s home, and left on the front porch. When the children discovered th e bas ket, they were thrilled. Grandma, however, would not allow the chil dren t o bring the basket into the house. Instead, she called the Bisho p and ask ed that he come and pick it up and deliver it to someone who re ally neede d it. While her strength and determination were exemplary an d remarkable , that determination probably went beyond the mark on this p articular occ asion.
I was born when Grandma was already 62 years old. She continued to wor k w ell into her 70s, never accepting charity from anyone as she raised h er s ix children.
The last great tragedy in Grandma Benson’s life came in the summer of 19 4 8. Her son, Harold, the only remaining male member in her family, die d i n an airplane crash while he was piloting a plane on a search and res cu e mission. Mother said that Grandma Benson was never the same after th at . My little brother was born a month after Uncle Harold’s death. Mom n ame d my brother Harold Benson after her twin.
Grandma Benson told her daughters that the greatest pain a mother can su f fer is the loss of a Child. She told them that she prayed daily that no n e of her children would ever have a Child precede them in death. My mot he r and all of her sisters have now passed from this life. Among them, t he y had 28 children. None of those children died before their mother.
Grandma Benson kept a diary. In it she recorded both the major events a n d the day-to-day activities of her life. It was inspiring to read the d ia ry and note the number of entries in which she characterized the littl e d aily events in her life as being “grand”, a word she used repeatedly . I t was clear from her diary that she had great faith in the Lord, an d sh e loved the church. After the death of her son, Harold, she fell int o a g reat sadness. She never told us about the event that we found recor ded i n her diary. We only learned about it after her death. But, in th e diar y she records going to bed one evening feeling overwhelming sadnes s at th e loss of her husband and her two sons. The pain was almost mor e than sh e could bear. And then she recorded that a light came into th e room. Th e Savior appeared to her, comforted her, and assured her tha t things woul d be well for her and her family.
My recollections of Grandma Benson are of a tiny, kind, perfectly gracio u s and proper person. In all the years I knew her, I can never remembe r he r saying an unkind word about or to anyone or using even a remotel y inapp ropriate word. She was as good and as pure and as kind as any per son I ha ve ever known. And, for a 4’11”, 99 pound person she was the str ongest wo man I have ever met.
I REMEMBER LILLIE
by Ilah Eames Carpenter
I am the youngest of four brothers and three sisters. Memories of my bro t hers and sisters are very precious. David the eldest, Sadie, was 20 yea r s older than me and Lillie, was 18 years older. Lillie’s birthday was v er y close to mine. She was 18 on June 6 and I was born two days later o n Ju ne 8th. She told me many times that she had to stay home from churc h tha t day because mother had a little sister and I don’t think it mad e her to o happy. My next sister May, was 16 years older than me and the n three br others Ariel, Nathaniel and Leland were born and seven years l ater I cam e along. My memories of family are as the little sister and o f my brothe rs and sisters and how they played with me and made over me a nd they wer e very precious memories. Because this is to be about Lillie , I will jus t talk about the girls this morning. My three sisters were v ery close . I can remember my three sisters when they got together year s later sitt ing on the couch and reminiscing about life on the farm. The y had so muc h fun that I wondered why I came along after, my sisters wer e born, growi ng up with those three boys I became such a tomboy.
Our home was two and a half miles north of Preston. We nearly came to li v e in Rexburg. I had an Aunt Kate Greaves and she and her husband decid e d to make her home in Preston. When mother and daddy got to Preston, th e y liked it and built their home right across the street the street fro m A unt Kate’s home This was tow and a half miles outside of Preston. Thi s i s where we all grew up and thank goodness the home is still in the fa mily , operated by one of Ariel’s sons.
I have no memories of Sadie being at home at all. She married Arthur Tib b ets but they had a home in town and I have wonderful memories of spendi n g time, not only at their home in Preston but at their home in Driggs w he re they moved later on and at their home in Pocatello, Idaho. May marr ie d Ray Gledhill. He was a doctor and they moved to Richfield, Utah. I h av e wonderful memories of spending time in Richfield with my sister May.
Well, the first memories I have of Lillie, I suppose I was about three y e ars old. You know out on the farm, the roads were not too good and in t h e winter it was muddy and cold and we had to ride in the buggy or in t h e sleigh. Dad was always anxious for us to have a good education and th e y felt sorry that they had to live so far out of town. So Lillie was wo rk ing at the Marrom store in Preston. The Marrom store was one of the re all y fine stores in Preston. May was going to school so instead of trave lin g back and forth, she and Lillie rented a little apartment in town. N ow t his was about two blocks north of town, it used to be Henderson’s ho me. U pstairs the girls rented a couple of rooms and there was a balcony . My fi rst memories of Lillie and May would be when daddy and mother wou ld com e in the buggy or in the sleigh and we would come down to bring th e gir l s goodies from the farm. They were usually waiting out on the bal cony a nd I thought that balcony was about the most wonderful thing you c ould im agine. I remember scrambling up the stairs and we were so glad t o see eac h other and then Lillie would take me down to Marrom’ s store . I though t that was the most wonderful place, I was fascinated watchin g her measur e off material for the customers at the store.
Each fourth of July, we used to have a big celebration in Preston. The r e was red white and blue bunting on all the buggies and stores. They h a d a big program in the Opera House and each store would have a float a n d they would elect a goddess of liberty. One year my sister Lillie wa s el ected to be the Goddess of Liberty representing Marrom’s store. Thi s wa s about the most important thing that happened in my life as a littl e gir l. I remember there was a hayrack and it was all decorated with bun ting a nd pulled by horses and Lillie and her two attendants sitting on t his ha y rack and she was all dressed up with a crown on her head and a s taff i n her hand and a beautiful dress and they paraded down main stree t and th e n they went to the opera house and had the program. I was th e proudes t little sister that you could ever imagine and I dreamed of so meday bein g a goddess of liberty, but that never happened to me.
The next memory I have of Lillie was when she got married. Mother ha d a r eception out on the farm for friends and for the Benson family. I l oved F rank, he made a lot out of his little sister. The Bensons were jus t extr a special. Mother Benson was such a pretty woman and the Benson gi rls wer e just out of this world, Jenny and Kinney especially. I remembe r the tab le in the dining room and of course it was loaded with goodie s and in th e parlor where all these little tables with all these beautif ul gifts o n and the gifts that appealed to me most were the beautiful di shes. Old f ashioned dishes were really beautiful and Lillie had many o f them. I hop e her daughters have kept them because they were beautiful . I remember wa ndering around and getting acquainted with the Bensons an d seeing al l th e beautiful things that were brought to Lillie and Fran k that night.
As I remember, Frank and Lillie lived in Whitney after they were marrie d . I can’t remember exactly where but I went to visit them quite often a n d we always went to grandfather and grandmother’s farm. I loved that o l d home. It was just intriguing and the flowers were beautiful. I cam e t o love grandmother Benson, she was a darling. Then I think they move d som ewhere in Whitney, I can’t just remember where, but they were livin g ther e when Gladys was born at our home and of course if there was a ba by bor n on our street, mother and Aunt Kate always came. That night I ha d to sl eep upstairs with Leland while Gladys was coming to town and he w ould mak e me run down the stairs every-once-in-a-while and look throug h the trans om to see if the baby had arrived. I wasn’t too excited abou t this baby , she was really making my sister sick and I wasn’t very happ y about that .
I remember when they lived up the street about two blocks on the old fa r m and that’s where the twins were born. That was about the biggest eve n t that ever happened. I never knew of anyone in our family having twin s b efore. When Lillie had twins, Carmen and Harold, that was just someth in g else again. As time went on and I became a little older, I started t o b e a babysitter. Lillie and Frank moved down to what they called the S an d Crest farm. That was just a great little farm. I have wonderful memo rie s of being there. The wonderful things the raised especially Frank’ s wate rmelons. They were the biggest and the best anywhere. They were gr own i n a sandy area that had plenty of sunshine. The railroad tracks ra n not f ar from them and I remember the silo’s Frank built to store the c attle in . I used to go down and help with the children so I would have c hildren t o grow up with. Mother always seemed to be sorry that I did no t have chil dren to grow up with. Lillie had me help her which gave m e a feeling of b eing their Child. I got to go to the Sand Crest farm rea l often and I lov ed it. I remember Gladys telling that I used to get fri ghtened sometime s because the farm was close to the railroad tracks an d I was afraid of t ramps. I would wake her up and tell her stories to ke ep he r awake so I w ouldn’t be frightened. Every Sunday at our home on t he farm used to be fa mily day. After church everyone would bring somethi ng out to the farm, Fr ank always brought his great big watermelons. It w as just such fun havin g everyone come home on Sunday. I always looked fo rward to Sunday.
I remember Lillie being on the board of the Mutual and I was so prou d o f her, that sounded just something important to be on that board wit h tho se lovely women. Many, many times I had the privilege of going to c hurc h with her. She had to take Gladys and I came along to babysit. I ca n se e these women sitting around the table in their white blouses with t he hi gh collars and the long sleeves and lace and their pretty skirts . I thoug ht they were just about the prettiest woman I had ever seen. Li llie alway s took her responsibilities very seriously. Whatever she did , she alway s did it with her whole heart.
She was on the board for many, many years. When June conference came ar o und, I was a lucky gal because I came with her so that I could babysit . M y memories of coming to June conference with Lillie were just out o f thi s world. Sometimes we stayed at a hotel, the little hotel just sout h of t he Tribune Building. Of course we always brought food from home. W e cam e on the train at Preston when the train stopped at Brigham, ther e were a lways people out selling food there. Strawberries at strawberr y time an d peaches. Once or twice we stayed at one of Frank’s sisters . I think he r name was Elise Alder if I remember right. I remember playi ng out on th e front lawn and the perfume of those June roses I will neve r forget.
Aunt Elise had a cafeteria downtown and that was a fun place. We didn’ t g et to go there for every meal but once Lillie took me to Aunt Elise’ s caf eteria. I had this big bowl of grape-nuts with sugar and cream on i t. I s tarted eating them and the more I ate, the fuller I got. Our famil y was a lways taught to clean up their plates and Lillie kept saying, wel l we can ’t go, we can’t go until you finish your grape-nuts and I can re m embe r I ate and ate grape-nuts until I could hardly stand it. I don’ t thin k I had any for many, many years after that.
We used to sometimes go down to Richfield. May was living there then . W e would get on the train and go down to Richfield and have a visit wi th M ay. Lillie and Frank spent most of their vacations at Bear Lake. The y wou ld get in their big white top buggy and pitch a tent and we would s tay th ere for several days and I remember times they took me with them a nd tha t was real fun. One night I remember a terrible thunder storm, Fra nk an d Lillie got us all in one tent with their arms around us. When th e thund er storm was all over we all went to sleep.
In 1918 when the war was on and my brother Nathaniel was called into t h e army, the whole family decided they would go up to Yellowstone and ha v e a reunion before Nathaniel had to leave for the service. Lillie was p re gnant, I think with Zenda. There were five of sisters-in-law who wer e pre gnant and were all going on this trip, Ariel and Edna and family, E dna wa s expecting Vita and May and Ray came from Richfield and then an a unt an d uncle, Uncle Will Greaves, went with us and then of course Natha niel, M other and Dad and Me. When we got to Driggs, we stayed there unti l Sadi e and Arthur met us and then we went on to Yellowstone. Anyway, th e thin g I remember about this trip was that Lillie was such fun, even th ough sh e was pregnant, she was the life of the party. We‘d camp, we pu t the car s around in a circle and put the beds inside and built a big bo nfire to k eep the bears away which didn’t always work, two or three time s the bear s came in hunting food. Lillie was the one in my memory that s eemed to ha ve the most fun and did the most fun things. When we came bac k to Drigg s going over that big mountain between Driggs and Yellowstone , the cars s talled and we had to have each one pulled up over the mounta in. It was re ally just a great trip.
Frank had this little Ford that didn’t have any sides on it and they us e d to put diapers to dry on the side of the car as they drove along. Fra n k kept laughing about his tires that had baloney in them. Our tires ha d t o be pumped up but Frank had one up on us, he had these tires with ba lone y in them so they never had to be blown up. They were just hard rubb er o f course. That was really a delightful trip for everybody and I thi n k th ere were several snap shots of that trip.
Time went on and Lillie had her troubles -- real, real tragedies, losi n g her husband and her sons, but you know Lillie was always straight an d h eld her head high and she always had her sense of humor. I was close r t o Lillie for many, many years because Sadie and May lived so far away . I f I had problems, I went and talked them over with Lillie. We spen t many , many hour’s way into the night talking and she always helped m e with th e little problems I needed help with. She used to love to dres s up. She l oved pretty clothes. We would go shopping for hats together , we loved shi pping for hats. She always had such a good outlook regardl ess of the prob lems that she had. She had great faith, she had great pri de in her family . She was so proud of her girls and loved them dearly . I don’t think I ha ve known anyone who had such a capacity or love as L illie did. Lillie lov ed everyone and let us know it. She didn’t keep i t a secret, she told u s that she loved us.
Lillie had a green thumb too. I can never remember being in her home wh e n there were not plants everywhere. Lillie had financial problems so s h e sewed for her children. When used clothes were given to her, she dye d a nd remodeled them. She did everything she could think of to see he r chil dren were given an education and brought up in the church the wa y that sh e knew how to do it. So these are my memories of Lillie a sweet , proud, s traight, lovely person that would be with friends, family an d neighbors a ny time that they needed help.
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