History of Rhoda Elizabeth Hunt

I was born November 4, 1876 to Rhoda Mariah Truman and Amos Pratt Hunt at Hebron, Washington, Utah.  This was a small town located six miles west of Enterprise, Utah.  I was the oldest of eleven children, six girls and five boys. 

Life wasn’t always easy.  It was hard to make enough money to live on.  My parents worked hard and provided us with the material needs and abundance of love and security.

My father was in cattle business with grandfather, Amos Hunt.  Father had a ranch north of Hebron, and we lived there during the summer months.  My mother made cheese and butter and would work on food storage for the cold winter months.  She also quilted quilts and sewed our clothes.

I can remember my first primary teacher, Sister Hamblin, she held primary in her home.  She taught my sister Loretta and I to knit stockings and make quilt blocks.  This was a big help to my mother.

My first school teacher was Ollie Canfield.  I can vividly remember those cold snowy winters.  Often the snow was so deep we could walk over the fences.  We had to be carried to school many times.  I would like to list the names of some of our other school teachers:  Sadie Walker, St. George, Utah, Tessie Harmon, James Samuel and Page Bowler.  Brother Bowler was especially talented in music and taught us to sing and also dance. 

I remember being in a little play and singing, “Dollie, You Are a Naughty Doll, All Your Hair is Out of Curl and You Have Torn Your Shoe.”  That must have really impressed me to remember it all these years.

I like to sing and my sister Loretta and I sang dusts for special occasions.  My father played the violin and would play for the dances that were held in our little town.  Refreshments were always served and everyone had an extra enjoyable evening.

My grandfather, Amos Hunt made his own violin.  Music was such a part of his life as well as my fathers and some of his children.

My mother had a beautiful soprano voice, also my sister Myrtie.  She sang in an operatta during her teenage years.  My brother Joseph played the violin and managed bands and orchestras in and around Salt Lake City, Utah.

As Loretta and I grew older we sang with my brother Jacob and Frank Terry.  We sang for socials, funerals and in our ward choir.  This Frank Terry became a very important man in my life, as well as a singing companion and he became my husband.  I will write about this wonderful companion later.

As we were growing up father had to move several times with his cattle.  We moved to Rabbit Valley for winter pastures, then on to Escalante.  The winter there was so cold that father lost all his cattle.  We then moved back to Gunlock, Utah for a few years.  This was a fruit and gardening place.  The weather was warm and enjoyable.  From Gunlock we moved to Hebron again and then on to Enterprise.  I guess this is one of the reasons I disliked moving so much and was contented to remain in Enterprise.

Mother developed a bad heart condition and passed away July 21, 1907 at Enterprise, Utah at the age of 48.  Father moved to Sugar City, Idaho.  He lived there only one month when he met a fatal accident.  He was kicked in the head by one of his horses.  He lived twelve hours and then passed away October 27, 1907leaving nine of his children at home.  I was married and Jacob was on a mission for the church.  Loretta being the oldest did her best to raise mothers family.  I took the boys with me as much and as often as we could.  Because of debt and the boys not being old enough to manage the affairs they lost everything.

Now going back a few years to this special man – Frank Terry.  My courtship days with his was very exciting.  He was handsome and a lot of fun.  I have been told that he was “a ladies man.”  Anyway, he didn’t have a problem getting a girlfriend so I was extra, extra pleased that he chose me.  He helped play for the dances as well as dance.  He played the organ or piano and the harmonica and as I have written before, he was a good singer.

We were married December 20, 1893 in the St. George temple.  I was 17 and Frank was 21 years old.  How happy we were!  We started our marriage in the little town of Hebron, Utah while there and were blessed with four beautiful children: Franklin, Iola, and Orval.  Due to me having the red measles, he was born with them and only lived for one hour.  This was a very sad time for us, but we knew that he had gone back to live with our Heavenly Father and would be exalted.  What a great consolation that was.  I’m so thankful for the church and its teachings.  He was buried at Hebron, Utah.  We were then blessed with Alberta Elizabeth.  She was born on her fathers birthday.  She was named after a dear friend, Albert Whitelock.  This was very pleasing to him and she was the apple of his eye.

Frank worked hard to provide a living for us.  He farmed as well as run a freight wagon to Pioche and Delamore, Nevada.

After a severe earthquake in Hebron, which destroyed many of the homes, we were advised to move to Enterprise, Utah by the church authorities.  My parents had already settled there, Franks father, Thomas Sirls Terry, gave him some land which is now known as the Terry Ranch, twelve miles west of Enterprise.  The land was good.  We raised hay, wheat, pasture, garden crops and started a cattle herd.  The house wasn’t much, but I cleaned it and decorated what I could afford to make it a home for us.  Frank was ambitious and went right to work raising the crops and cattle.  By the “sweat of our brown,” we made a living.  Yes, I helped too, making cheese, butter canning, quilting, sewing for the children, washing on the wash board, carrying water from a well, cooking for threshers and hay crews and making soap.  It was hard but we worked together with a lot of love for each other and our children.

During the winter months we moved to Enterprise, Utah so our children could go to school and attend their church meetings.

We were richly blessed with more beautiful children that I will mention now:  Blanch born November 10, 1904, Greace Eliza born March 22, 1907, Gilva Arvetta born June 20, 1909 Verona Sarah born June 17, 1911.  Then we were blessed with 3 sons: Athna Hunt Terry born October 18, 1913, a pair of twins  Orvin Dee and Ervin Truman born November 3,1915, and last but not least another little girl, Violet Ford, born December 7, 1919.

We loved our children and tried to teach them the gospel in our home and by taking them to church.  We were active in our church functions.  Frank worked in the M.I. A. and Sunday School.  Being talented in music he devoted much of his service in this area.  He was the Ward Choriste for 25 years.  He was faithful in this calling.  He would take his lantern and walk through snow to take care of choir practices.  

My church callings were for most part in Primary and Relief Society.  I taught the Trail Builder boys for many years and love them very much.  I was Primary President for a long time and enjoyed my work in that calling.  In Relief Society I gave the Theology lesson and Visiting Teachers Topic.  I grew in these callings as I studied the gospel.  I’m sure I received more than I taught.

We had some choice friends and experiences and were always willing and happy to help each other.  We enjoyed our quilting bees and rug bees.  We tore up many rags into strips and sewed them so we could make our own carpets and rugs.

Perhaps I should write a few experiences I had, some of them a little “hair raising” that might be interesting for my children and grandchildren to read.  Living on the Terry Ranch wasn’t all work.  We had many choice experiences and some that weren’t so choice.  Frank was away quite often with the cattle leaving children and I alone.  The Indians, weren’t always friendly and sometimes could really frighten us.  How well I remember this old Indian coming into our kitchen demanding food I gave him what I could but he insisted for more.  We had a dog named Midget.  I opened the screen door and he jumped in chasing Indian up on a chair doing a real Indian dance.  He screamed, “Take him off, me go.”  I did and never saw that Indian again.

My oldest son Franklin was full of pranks and along with my two brothers who live with me frequently really frightened us.  It got time to do the evening chores and no boys, they weren’t small boys either, I thought they were grown up.  Anyway, the cows had to be milked so I took the children and milked the cows.  (We had tramps come by very often and I was frightened by them.)  After finishing the chores we started for the house.  I was carrying two buckets of milk, all of a sudden I heard this shouting and three men dressed like tramps coming towards us.  I got my children and the milk and started running for the house.  To make the story short, I stubbed my toe, fell and spilled both buckets of milk all over me.  By the time I recovered, my dressed up tramps were standing in front of me laughing and trying to redeem themselves.  I tried hard to impress them, but they were still full of the dickens.

Another experience I had and I one I realized the blessings of the Lord in greatly was very frightening to me.  Athna was lying on the floor in the ranch house kitchen.  The screen door was left ajar a little.  He was a small boy.  I turned around just in time to see a rattlesnake crawling across his legs.  I was terrified, but I know the Lord blessed me.  I didn’t scream.  If I had I’m sure Athna would have jumped and the snake would have bitten him.  I stood there until the rattles hit the floor thein I pulled Athna away, and all was well.

Yes, Frank and I have had many experiences in raising our children.  We have been so thankful for the Priesthood and the great blessings of the Lord that has given to us.  We have been thrilled and proud of our children.  They have been obedient and have tried to please us.  We have been happy with the musical talent that they have displayed.  Franklin and Gilva played the violin, Grace, Verona and Violet played the piano, Franklin and Gilva both sang real well, and we have enjoyed this talent in our home.  Frank has added his part also and the children and grandchildren have enjoyed listening to him play and sing the songs of his day such as:  “I am a twin you see,”  Empty is the kitchen biddies gone,” and especially the “Farmer song.”  Our home was always open to our children and their friends. We enjoyed having them.

Orvin thrilled us very much when he accepted a mission call.  He served two years in Tennessee and Kentucky.  He grew up during those years and learned to love the gospel and his Father in Heaven.  This testimony remained with him and he was strong in the church.  After filling his mission he was called to serve his country during World War II.  He was in the Medical Corp.  He was training in Tennessee and while there he found his sweetheart.  He also developed Asthma and it was so severe that he was given a medical discharge. 

Our children have all married well.  I love my sons in-law and daughters in-law.  They have been very good to us.  We have many beautiful grandchildren.  I pray that they will all remain strong in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I want them to know that church is true asn as long as they will keep the commandments of the Lord they will find much peace, joy and happiness in life.  

We are alone again; Frank and I back where we started many years ago.  Frank is good and kind to me and our love is wonderful.  Our prayers now are for our children to remember what we tried hard to teach them.  That they will be prayerful, pay their tithing, keep the Sabbath Day holy, yes keep all the commandments of our Father in Heaven, and to also teach their children to walk up rightly before the lord, so that when our life here is over we can all be together in Eternity.