Clara Jemima Kerr Danielsen

by Ina Danielsen Burton, daughter

 

My mother, Clara Jemima Kerr Danielsen, was born in Richmond, Cache County, Utah, 6 June 1868, a daughter of Robert Marion and Nancy Jane Rawlins Kerr. She apparently was named after her father's mother, Jemima Elliot. Her mother, Nancy Jane was married at age 14 years to Robert Marion Kerr, who was then 30 years of age, in the old endowment house, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1 January 1860. In the spring of 1860 they moved to Richmond where they resided in the fort built as a protection from the Indians until they were able to move into a home of their own.

 

Their first home was a log cabin with a dirt floor and sod roof, which was typical of the homes at that time. During wet weather, my grandmother, Nancy Jane, was kept busy placing pans under the leaks in the roof to keep things dry. It was in this home that Marion Joseph, William Jasper, Mary Jane, Clara Jemima and Ella Annettie were born.

 

In about 1874 they moved to a small house they called "The Shanty" where they resided while a more suitable home was being built for them in South Richmond. This new home was a two-story, brick home plastered white inside and out. My mother's room was on the west side upstairs. There was a brick or rock cellar on the southeast side of the house through one end of which a large cold spring ran. Here milk, butter and other foods were kept cold. Rich cream was skimmed from the large flat pans of milk each morning and night from which butter was made.

 

There were also other springs in the area, one of which my grandfather boxed in and then piped into the house where grandfather had built very good sink with a drain. It is believed this was the first home in Richmond to have a sink and running water piped into it. This home was situated in the foothills surrounded by lush vegetation, trees and native shrubbery, and it was here that mother spent the years of her youth. She was baptized by C. H. Monson 22 July 1877 and confirmed the same day by W. K. Burnham.

 

As a child and young girl my mother was a great help to her mother; she also helped her father by milking cows and performing other chores. She was very familiar with Crow Mountain and surrounding areas, as there were no fences and many times she with the other children were required to walk or ride horses quite a distance to bring in the cows which had been let out to graze.

 

There were no schools in the vicinity of their home, so Clara and the other children walked about three miles to attend school in Smithfield. The winters were severe, and grandmother knit warm woolen stockings, mittens and other apparel to keep them warm during the cold weather.

 

When about twelve years of age, Mother was stricken with a serious illness, and her life was despaired of and her recovery was slow. She lost all of her hair, but though it was slow growing back she later had lovely thick black hair.

 

My grandparents were fortunate enough to own a melodian, and the young people came from far and near to gather in their living room to sing folk songs and hymns.  Frequently the carpet was taken up and old and young danced quadrilles, Schottisches, square dances, etc., to the tune of old Mr. Isaacson's violin. Mother and the other young people enjoyed this as well as other dances and social gatherings common to pioneer settlements.

 

At twentyone, mother was married to Herman Hans Danielsen 21 November 1889 in the Logan Temple. They moved to Lewiston, Cache County, Utah, where my father had purchased a home, and later became very active in church and civic affairs.  On one side of the street was their three- room house, back of which was a rock cellar which was whitewashed inside and equipped with shelves and storage for keeping fruits, vegetables, dairy products, canned fruits and other perishables cool. The temperature was so cool here it was uncomfortable to remain in there very long, summer or winter. On this lot there was ample space for garden, lawn flowers, fruit trees and berry bushes. Six children were born in this home: Herman Kerr (Kay), Clara Marea, Esther, Myrtle, Vivian, and Lena Jane. On a lot across the street was my father's blacksmith shop, a barn, buggy shed, grainery, and space for growing feed for cows, horses, pigs, and chickens.

 

In May 1905 my father was to called to serve a mission for the Mormon Church in Norway. To take care of his financial needs for the family, he rented his blacksmith shop to Will Blair who also cared for the two lots and willingly gave other assistance to the family when needed.

 

Mother’s brother, William Jasper Kerr, and others also assisted at this time by sending orders for groceries and treats for the children, and assisted in many other ways.  My older sisters recall an elderly gentleman, who was called "Old Man" Larsen, who kept mother supplied with chopped wood for the stoves. Mother also sold eggs, butter, berries to help support the family and keep my father on his mission. I'm sure this was a great responsibility for mother, and that she had many problems in supporting and caring for the six children, but to my knowledge the children were never made aware of this.

 

While on his mission my father was privileged to go to Denmark, his birthplace, where he spent some time with relatives and old friends which he enjoyed very much. There was great rejoicing in the family when they learned he bad been released from his mission on 16 June 1905, and had sailed for home from Liverpool, England 24 July 1905.

 

By 1907 the town of Lewiston had sufficient increase in population to organize another ward, and on 2 August 1907,  Father was set apart as Bishop of the Second Ward by  President Heber J. Grant. This necessitated their selling their home in town and moving their family and the blacksmith business to the southeast area of Lewiston. Here father purchased a 10 acre farm on which he had a six room frame. house built. It was in this home that their youngest child, Ina, was born.

 

While in the First Ward, Father had been active in civic as well as church organizations and had been instrumental in helping to secure water, electric and telephone service for the townspeople. He was always interested in the welfare of the people, education and improvement in the community in which he lived. When we moved to the Second Ward, he continued his interest in these things. He immediately started promoting the extension of electric, water and telephone service to the area. He met with much opposition at first but finally was successful in securing the support of most of the citizens who bad these utilities installed in their homes.

 

Not much is known of mother's church and community activities prior to moving to the Second Ward. However after that she was very active in the Church and served several years in the Relief Society as first counselor to the president, Hannah Olson. Upon her release from this position she served as a relief society visiting teacher.  She fulfilled her duties of compassion and service to the sick and needy of the ward faithfully.

 

During World War I, she served on the Red Cross Committee helping in many ways including knitting sweaters, socks and other items for the servicemen.

 

Although mother's health was not the best most of  the time, from childhood she was very industrious and performed her duties well as a wife and mother. When well she was very cheerful and went about her tasks singing familiar songs, which she taught to us as young children. Fruits and vegetables from the family garden were taken care of in the summer to provide food for winter. At times money was not too plentiful, but she and father took care of the needs of their family in various ways.

 

Father was always concerned about mother's health. When the children were young, he saw to it that she always had extra help whenever possible. The older girls in the family recalled the times when a neighbor, Mandy Stocks, and other neighbors were hired when necessary or possible to come in and do the laundry and ironing and help mother in other ways.  They had some rather amusing experiences at meal times (i.e. the children) with those they called the “hired girls." Mother and father were both anxious to see that the children were always appropriately dressed. Each fall and spring, until Marie, the eldest daughter was trained to the task of sewing, a seamstress was hired to take care of making dresses and other apparel for mother and the children for their summer and winter needs. It is recalled how impatient the girls were when called in from play for fittings. Mother was always very conscientious in seeing that the family clothing was mended and kept in good repair, but sewing for herself and six children was just a little too much.

 

In March 1919 a great sorrow came to mother and the family in the death of her eldest child and only son Herman Kerr (Kay). He had been called to serve an LDS Mission to Great Britain in December 1916. The family, especially mother, were looking forward to his return home as his mission was nearly completed and he was due to be released. But they were not to see him alive again as he was stricken with pneumonia and passed away in Ireland March 9, 1919. According to a report from the mission field, he was one of the best liked of the elders and had served in the Liverpool and Newcastle conferences. At the time of his death he was president of the Irish conference.

 

Father was released as bishop of the Second Ward in 1921 due to ill health. However, in the next 10 years when his health permitted, he continued to serve and carried on his duties as stake president of the Benson Stake High Priests, chairman of the Stake Old Folks Committee, performed other church and civic duties, and worked in his shop. In 1929 his health failed, and on 10 November 1931, he passed away at his home. He was buried near his son Kay in the family burial plot in Lewiston. Mother  had lost another loved one. For many years prior to his death, he served as a stake high councilman

 

The winter of 193132 was very severe. There was much deep snow, and times when the temperature was as low as 40 degrees below zero. All of mother’s daughters were either married or working away from home, except Ina, the youngest. After this severe winter, the family decided it would be best to sell the property in Lewiston and have mother and Ina move to Ogden. After much searching for a suitable home, an apartment house which seemed to meet their needs was purchased.

 

In June 1932, they moved to Ogden. The farewell party given for them in Lewiston prior to their moving was a memorable event, and always remembered by them with much pleasure. There were some times when running an apartment wasn’t exactly easy, but they managed well. There were some real experiences with a few of the tenants, but the place still holds happy memories for the family.

 

Mother was a member of the Ogden Eighteenth Ward and made many friends in the five and onehalf years she lived there. For most of the time she was a Relief Society Visiting Teacher, and in spite of ill health strived to do what was required of her. She passed away 20 January 1938 at her home in Ogden and was buried near her husband in the family burial plot in Lewiston,  Utah.