Two Offers

One morning I received a letter from Elder Ernest Joseph of Beaver inviting me to come down and visit with them. My Aunt persuaded me to accept so I did. I took the bus the next morning and arrived in Beaver eight hours later. Ernest met me and when I arrived at their home I met his wife, Ellen, and we liked each other immediately. We have been good friends ever since. Their baby girl was named Mary.

One evening they invited a guest for supper and when he arrived and I was introduced to him, I learned that his name was Orville Harris, the same friend I had written to a few years before and he was still a bachelor. I wasn't too impressed with him at first but he was very kind and the remaining time I was in Beaver he did his best to entertain me, taking me to a school play, the picture show, and driving me around the country side. At the school play the Harris relatives showed a great deal of curiosity about me. They wondered who this strange person was who had captured the interest of their bachelor cousin and nephew.

Orville Harris was very attentive. He took me to his home to visit his parents. He told me later that his father said to him, "Where in the world did you find that girl. You had better grab her before someone else does".

After ten interesting days I returned to Salt Lake.

In the meantime I received many letters from Orville Harris in Beaver. Then one day he asked me how I would like to be a farmer's wife. When I answered it I said it all depended upon who the farmer was (I wanted to tease him a little).

About this time I had a very tempting offer to become manager of the Coalville Ice Cream plant. They would send me to Logan for some special training for a few weeks. It was very exciting and I didn't know which offer to accept. I wanted to accept the second offer. I wasn't in love with Orville, but I did like him very much. Then I thought I had better talk it over with my Bishop. After many questions put to me by Bishop Snelgrove, I was asked if I had received a Patriarchal blessing. I had a few months earlier from Patriarch Hyrum G. Smith. In it he told me I would be sealed to a choice companion and receive my blessings in the house of the Lord. Bishop Snelgrove pointed out that if these blessings were important to me I had to help the Lord bring them about. He told me to go home and pray about it.

I did pray about it and gave it much thought. I would soon be 32 and if I was to be a mother in Israel, as my Patricarchal blessing also promised, I didn't have much time left. It wasn't an easy decision to make. All my friends and relatives lived in the northern part of the state. But when Orville came up to visit me in July, he overruled all my objections and erased all my fears so we decided to be married in October after conference.

It had been a year of varying emotional experiences, full of fears, disappointments, and yet I had had many joyous moments visiting my many wonderful friends. The Lord had been so good to me.

I was married in the Salt Lake Temple on October 9, 1930. Aunt Edith Neal and Ellen Wheat came to the Temple with me. After the Temple ceremony we went to dinner in a restaurant and we stayed in Salt Lake that night. We went to Beaver the following day. Orville's mother was very ill and he was very worried about her. His father had died during the summer, so we delayed our honeymoon.

Finding Work in the Depression

I began to look for work as soon as possible for I had very little money left and I wanted to pay my way and not be a burden on anyone. But I found out that there were a lot of people out of work and jobs were hard to find. The depression of 1929 had begun. I often walked from 17th South into town to save what little money I had. After three weeks of tramping after illusive jobs I became quite disheartened.

I received a call from Heber City from an Elder Don Clyde who also had been a missionary. He wanted me to come there for a visit, so wanting to postpone the frustrations of job-hunting, I went to Heber City. Don and Catherine Clyde had two children. The youngest was born on my birthday, October 13, so it was little more than a month old. He was blessed the Sunday I was there and named Robert. I was in Heber for a week and from there I visited Coalville with Clara Copley. We had been pen pals a number of years. Her father had been a missionary in Bristol too.

By the time I got back to Salt Lake City the Christmas season had started and I was able to get temporary employment at Kress's Department Store but was laid off again at the end of the shopping season. At Christmastime, after a little persuasion from my Aunt, I consented to be housekeeper to my Cousin Rose Capel's family. Rose had passed away two years earlier and her husband, David Cherrington, was having a hard time with house­keepers. I had lots of relatives and friends in Salt Lake City and they were all so good to me. The Checketts whose son, Joe, was still in the mission field in Bristol, brought me gifts and invited me to their home quite often, the Karl Browns, the John E. Wahlquists in Murray, and many, many others. Ellen Forward Wheat, my dear Welsh friend of earlier days, was now married to Jimmy Wheat and living in East Mill Creek. I spent many hours with her.

She took me to Provo one day to visit the Thatcher family. They immigrated to Utah in 1924. Mrs. Thatcher's brother was in the real estate business and he had purchased a home for them and then helped them with their fares. Sister Thatcher was telling me what a struggle they were having. Then after we had eaten with them she took us down in her basement and I was filled with astonishment. There must have been close to a thousand bottles of fruits, vegetables, jams and pickles. A deer carcass was hanging from the ceiling. There were sides of bacon, hams, a stack of 50 lb. sacks of flour and a hundred lbs. of sugar and dried beans. I just couldn't believe my eyes. I had never in my life seen anything like it. I couldn't understand how anyone could say they were hard up with all that food on hand. Now I understand what they were trying to tell me.

My friend, Jimmy Thatcher, died in 1927. We corresponded from the time of his leaving England until the time of his death. I learned from the family that Jimmy's heart’s desire was to work and save enough money to send for me in the hopes that I would become his wife. I had no idea he thought that way about me, for to me he was just a dear friend.

I stayed as housekeeper to David Cherrington for two months. There were five children. They were very well-behaved but David kept pressing me to marry him and was making quite a nuisance of himself so I left and went to live with Aunt Gertie. She was my father's half sister.

Uncle Steve and Aunt Gertie were wonderful people. They had five children, the oldest a girl named Lillian, was working for the telephone company. The next, Frances, had graduated from high school and was looking for work so we tramped the streets together.

One night after a tiring and disappointing day, the family had gone to the park nearby (I didn't want to go). I went to the bedroom I shared with Frances and Lillian. I knelt down and poured out my feelings to the Lord. I asked Him if he would open up the way for me to find work. Somewhere in the Scriptures (Doctrine & Covenants, I think) it says before you call, I will answer, and that is what really happened. The next morning a letter came from President Widtsoe. In it he said, "I haven't heard from you so I don't know what your circumstances are, but I am enclosing a letter of introduction to a friend of mine and if you need any help finding work, he is just the man you should see." I was almost overcome with astonishment and gratitude.

           That afternoon I walked from twenty first South to third Avenue where Brother Widtsoe's friend, Roy Bullen, lived. When I arrived at the address, which was a corner house, I was quite chagrined to find about 20 to 30 cars parked all around the house. I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to go up to the door and knock because it looked like a party was in progress and yet I didn't want to walk all the way back without seeing Mr. Bullen. I walked to the end of the block and back several times then stood on the corner and said a silent prayer. Then I felt a hand upon my shoulder. I turned to see who it was. He was a tall man and as I turned he said, "Can I help you?" I hesitated, thinking it was someone trying to be fresh, then he said, "My name is Roy Bullen. I live in this house and I have been watching you from my office window. I felt impressed to come out and speak to you." Well, I was so overcome I almost burst into tears. I just couldn't say a word for a moment. Noticing my emotion, he took me by the arm and led me to the back of the house to a small sitting room or den. He explained that his wife was entertaining her literary club. After I was seated he excused himself and was gone about five minutes. That gave me time to compose myself. When he returned he had a tray of light refreshments that he set before me. While I was eating he asked in what way he could help me. So I gave him Brother Widtsoe's letter. After reading the letter and chatting a little while, he called a Brother Evans, asking him if he had an opening at the plant for a friend of Brother Widtsoe's. The answer was "yes" and I could start the next morning at the Coalville Ice Cream Plant. Brother Evans was an older brother of Richard L. Evans. Brother Bullen then drove me home to Aunt Gertie's. You can imagine how happy I was.

I enjoyed my work at the plant. I learned to make ice cream pies which were in great demand for parties, also Eskimo pies and lots of other good things. Some of the girls were rough talkers but they were very kind to me and respected my way of life. When they found out I had never tasted watermelon, one day they bought one and we enjoyed it at lunch time. One day they took me to a Chinese Restaurant for dinner (my first). When the warm busy days started I was able to get Frances a job there and we were able to go to work together.

Coming to America

As we were about to arrive in Washington the Porter came to our compartment and said a gentleman would like to see us and would we follow him. Surprised, we did so and met an elderly gentleman who introduced himself as a friend of President Grant who was then President and Prophet of the Church. He said he learned that there were two LDS ladies aboard the train and thought we might like to see the Capitol building by night as we were leaving the City. It was a beautiful sight. It was flood-lit and seemed to rise from the ground as the view receded. We were in the observation car. Things like this make us realize how kind most people are. We learned from the Porter later that this gentleman was *President of the Union Pacific and other railways.

*Note: Hester doesn't mention his name, but it was probably Carl Raymond Gray who was the President of the Union Pacific at the time. The following links will provide more information about him. There is also an article with a picture of Mr. Gray with President Grant.

http://www.kcsg.com/view/full_story/19893370/article-Founders-Day-Celebration-at-Pipe-Spring


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Raymond_Gray

We were met in Salt Lake City by Aunt Edith Neal and Muriel's sister. I stayed with Aunt Edith for a couple of months. Aunt Edith was the second wife of my father's brother, Albert. He had passed away several years earlier. They had one son named Fred by that marriage.

            

Before we had arrived in Salt Lake City we had heard people talking about the stock market breaking. I had no earthly idea what the stock market was nor why or how it could break. But after we arrived in Salt Lake we soon found out what it meant. . . . to be continued. . . . .

Experiences in the Tobacco Factory

There is one experience which I hardly ever talk about but I think I should tell it here. About a week before I gave in my notice to leave work, the firm I worked for had closed down their Swindon Factory so the people who worked there were being absorbed into the other branches of the firm. Consequently, about a half-dozen new men were working in our room. I was then working in what is known as the "wetting down" room where the tobacco was sorted and steamed and taken to the stripping room where I had previously worked. I had liked it there much better. The first morning these men came to work a very peculiar thing happened. My friend, Paul, who was working with me said, "Don't look now, but there's a man over on the last machine who seems very interested in you. He has hardly taken his eyes off you since we came in this morning". I laughed a little and forgot the matter. About an hour later after our morning breakfast break, the little sweeper girl came up to me and said, "That man over there wants to speak to you". Thinking that this was just a joke I went over to the man to see what he wanted but as soon as I got near him for some reason I started to lose control of myself. I asked him what he wanted. He gave me a peculiar look and said, "Whatever you are about to do--don't do it or you will be sorry". I knew this man couldn't possibly know of my plans to go to America so I asked him what he meant.

He said, "You are planning on changing your life, aren't you?" I said, "Yes". "Well," he said, "don't do it". I asked him how he knew. He said an angel had appeared to him the night before and told him to give me the message. I asked him how he knew it was for me then he said the angel told him there would be a light in my forehead and he would know to whom the message was to be given. Well, I have felt the power of Satan on many occasions but the feeling that came over me then was beyond my power to describe. I could hardly walk back to my seat. When I got there Paul said, "What on earth is the matter? You look ghastly". I told her what had taken place. Immediately she said, "It is the devil". I knew it was for I had already received the go-ahead from an Apostle of the Lord and I knew then it was Satan and not really my mother who was fighting against me.

Before I leave this part of my life, perhaps I should record another incident that occurred while working in this room. Paul was working with me on the same machine. She was now a member of the church, having been baptized by my father. One night I had a very vivid dream. In my dream I was standing at my machine working as usual. Over my head was a large driving belt that controlled all the machines in the room. This belt with its wheels was oiled every day and renewed every three months so it was well taken care of. But in my dream as I was working, the belt broke and whipped around my head so suddenly that it caused me to cry out and I awoke from my dream and couldn't go back to sleep.

The next day as I was working in that same spot, I thought of my dream. I started to tell Paul about it but she couldn't hear me above the din. So I left my work and went around to her side of the machine and related to her all that had occurred in my dream. I had just finished when suddenly there was a loud slashing noise and a sudden silence. The men came running, expecting to find me seriously hurt or perhaps dead. Had I not gone around to the other side of the machine [to tell Paul my dream] I wouldn't be here writing this history.

They afterwards put a safety cage underneath the belt to prevent such a thing from happening again. I know that the Lord was watching over me. I could relate so many things that have occurred in my life that makes me wonder if I had been chosen out of my lineage to do the work for my kindred dead and they have been privileged to watch over me until this work is accomplished.

This is a picture of the inside of a tobacco factory at a little later time than Hester would have been working there. The machine she was working may or may not have been like one of these, but you can see that these machines could have been dangerous to be around and how fatal accidents could happen in this kind of environment. 

Although Father wasn't pleased about me working in a tobacco factory, and I wasn't either, when I talked to Apostle James E. Talmage about it he said, "Don't worry about it. There is probably someone there you will be directed to who will receive the Gospel", and there was. Paul became a member, also her sister, Emma, and a girl named Mabel Howe and her fiancée, Fred Underdown, and I told countless numbers about the Church who perhaps someday may hear it again and accept it.