Pioneer women: Eliza Ellen Parkinson Tanner

Typescript essay (4 pages) by Roberta Clayton of Snowflake, Arizona, about Eliza Ellen Parkinson Tanner, wife of Henry M. Tanner and mother of George S. Tanner. Also a two-page sketch of Eliza, possibly by George S. Tanner. Date of either text is unknown probably from the 1960s or early 1970s.

Hooortn Cl: :rtm1. Suo11 r,"ll: l;c.~e,/~i?.Olltl. boloneed should wr.1s a few d::i.yC!ahead.It to u compt:.ny th~t t~e the uhe"'cl to the horces th~~t d:~y,tho the wind v,c1s blo~ing nerc fCJ.llin{;; t.ll right 1n front u1·ound. Cxi.eflill r.1r ..:.no-c;edto control heu.dacheJ,.:.nd. suid the c;reu.test wt-~'l- days for ti'10 \"r-1ter the nni:i.1:.i.ls~:md fill \'in.tor until to find watcr~He trail served that the (SO the but sho 1::<.nd bacl~ into to bed n t once r,i th d'~Y ahe had over springs 11 ti sick to supply that ~hen found, to enouch wero carried the c_.uimlls wore 9}d1.;.trn"i.edfso Honry wus sent traveled on his the spent. proble~'!l on the route. lit'Glc and uo a roo.d, horses up tho lai~ge vmter b.?.n'els tor down from his 0.11dcontinued were uprooted 8Illiv:-c,nt• s rm.gon. A~ ::>t~etime they h:l.d been of every with.out encd.r..ett1ng gnlo.Ti·oos f'rightoned tha.t was the br...rdest it s1Det1mos tool-c outside the ucross ct.mp sho hzld to Scurci ty of \'Iuter on the a. perfect them o.nd J.rove out (.;.l'ound the tree roud. ::hen li>l!e r0uchod Hemry tha.t o,1ners, so F.iliz~ had to d.ri ve th0 te,mi to:.u:1'.1115.s ereo.tly of her uas iloc1dcd hours horse u.nd at lenct:1(;1trned he knelt b'.:'\cktdisho'.lrt- in prayer.He t.1-ien remounted way bG.ck to the compn.ny.Cn ne"Lring up flnd st1w seine O'Gon trees and fol t 1rnpressod trees ho found a. s:-Jv.1ll sprine 11llero is wa:tor. 11But thoy with did not believo ming 11.!ll nrnl thrm"J 1 t into him until tho uir.Eliz~ tho crn::1p ho looked to go there. of vmtor.Hc plenty out c~le('l On rc[1.ching the to the oanpo.ny he clippod hio he.t brim• tu h.L?\land toeether ran they praised God for hiu klndness. 'l1'1ey cruno to the Color~-:do River od thoir livestock. wagons t-,cross and EliZtl,much Finally> C~\llle o.fraid,rode 1 t rms bettor The sottlors us u protection built to feed here by .Pao.roe's in theirs. flo::.:.t- Ferry.They They sr:::un their to Fl[tgst:lff. on !\.-,yl,1877. th0 Tr.mners sottled (110,1 Jo:.;eph City) bolicvod t ey From there nnd. crossed at St.Joseph uc:..1.inst tho Indi::1..ns,~onovor the Indians ,·,ero l1vinB in the Old Fort rc.thci~ th:..n ficht in tho "Uni tad Ordor" thof people thorn. Mieh ffiet:,nj: ti-1;...t. El1z,.1 To.nnor---3 look arte1· c. ..ttle.;:.i.nd the and lonely.fund for was fJ.lJ&.ymuch of. the the first few weeks woro her bonnot seo tho t3:;u-s she could no 0.'1e \,ould !he C3.ttlc werG tclton time and the w01nen who could was a.-i expert houselcoepor of her fomily from the sheep,ct>-rd,spin When clothing could r, / /,,'·-1·!__,,~.. ' stripo/4h~ Turkish miss« rugs 'l":ere seped together who ever -to sGttle fr01.., th6 River and buttorm111t carefully lived w as a cook and sewine,und her less f;).Ve then no cloth 1-t into or knit woo.ring 1i.ppc\rol,1t time woven into stoclt1ncs. wns torn into fresh c:irpets.n::i.th cle:::.n t h o new r!l.e; c1...rpets r,ere si;rctche d \'IO!ll<-'\11 w0.s ever women of their on tho Little prouder O\,'ll of her strip)ei. or imported 11h1 t ::i.nd away in b~.n--cls,on were used to sottle ln.umtry Eliza al.-,Uv's lookod did her it.l?rob.'1-bly from the repeated. In spite for use.It low· sled.o.Plac"ter zix inches top of tho barrel, v;hito f'.iver kno·.·1s tho problem 11·.--at.er sufficiently the red,Br,ichish two miles be dipped Color:..do L... ' have to bo emptied o.nd tho process Eliz3.'c at these hOi.oemade rt..g C3.:rpots. they ho.d trying could 1'1.agst'.}.f"f.1n tho surnm0r tho D:lirJ .J;ot alone lcni tting, into be usad for tha.'t\ were the Pioneer Lvaryone ho.uled 1 )r'tn.nd weave it dom1 on the floors,o.nd time so that so fal~ c..u·ay.Shc would wash the \'/ooltshorn st ra~ tl 1 to mo....e 1 t ,•;:1r:ucr a.nd so. tor undernerJ. a.nd tacked the She was o.li1eys busy us it and friends no longer J. much time out sho was unsurpassed. all v:r,mt out there ,Bs' El1ze.. and cheese . but at spin.11ng,,7eaving to think inch nw.l~e butter homesick V./t'.Dverr.j checl(. not out to t1onnon Da1ry,nenr at botll she spent was she efficient, t1me.Zl1za then W!'...S of puris ?f cleo.r .--.-ater the rom,::.indcr \1ould of this 'terriolo ha:idic:clp, a11el.cl'o,,a .• p:-1rt to r;ot. c:::;tu.blishod In 1836 tho '.I'o.nnors moved to their u to.nn0ry,u crist mill horaoste1.1.dtubout a mile ehst .:.i sav, ::dll of the .J >}(' Fort. T'neir house Vle~ij only parUy home of her other all the li'rom the children/r:u1d left to return was hn.d throug..'1 c..nd tho wornon h~lpod qui to expert, at set tine; each limbs)· who was in neel3'a. ot his her m:-.ite innll .Henry lived Ilonry ;-:as the first she remained oevct'l.y beinc 3.r:ey .tn the Relief interforod at heme with her childr<.>,n to sing her how to manage the from ill unf'in- five small f'nimals on mGnfto help heal th and ho.d to be but olovon months. Soci.,?ty for l'y sickness.She in aund:;,.y Schoolo to be culled they hn.d moved to their was Just after euff0red 11 heme after sincins they the oldo>., boys to do the work of red o.J.wuys at her post unless Sho taught no Doctors expectetl • .She understood vm.s a Counselor the r.:mch hnppincsn alwE.\}rr; 11baok1ngit Groo:t Eritu.1.n,e.nd tor hia m1osion Eliza ancl led mission.It a. the farm and encom,ac;ed relet-,sed to have a too 'busy to hel.;> another 1dealr.,u.Tl.d Eliza u new arriwu fill \'7CI"C commun1 ty in which Church to go on Father Eliz:1 v1o.s glad t!1ey lived. little house.He There no one was ever their undert:akings-thuu ished babies. tootl1 0 ~.i:md to ancl tribulations 0.1.d dea:th. 'Iiio men became sickneno J..lno.ys holdin~ by his tri.:,ls o.ncl ni th hor durinG extracting but o·,m. Through the Church finished~ encl other 1,;,ndu.,r>preciate twent,y-five possessed Church the talent g::i.thcrinr;s eood munic.Dhe yec.1.rs und v1aa of music, in ce.rly days. re:1d to them from ,,/ the best _7.Ybooks. Honesty \T<l.S oue of hor cn~atoi;t to her ch1ldren,\'li comt:1unitieo. ti1 the children time 1·osul t tho.·~ they ThraGJ of thom have 'been school Hom-y t•nd tl!za At thin virtues all oho honor celebrated of their tlle1r ele,·en Md prniso n.nd by precept 1.1rc nll honored mer.1bors of thd.r unnivorsnrJ c11iltlrcm r:orc ulivc,o·o\·.n,m:i.rrfod her for her loving it cU.ffcrord, n..11 arc honest,induatrious te::chers,o.nd Golden t'oddir.c n..."1dMc:z1plo taught care,har faith,her on J:.tntv1ry 2.5,1927. :mcl h:r1.df0milfea. integrity and t.:H '-----... A short Eliza El Tanner ber 8th, 1857. yeta child. sketch was born Her parents it. of the Life San Barnardino of Eliza moved to Beaver City, E. Tnnner. California, SeptemUtah, when 5he was In her early life she had many happy times, but was a very eirl g.:iinin 0 a f::OOd education in her t ir:1e which studious ar.d active enabled her to teach school in Beaver City and later to be one of the first to teach in Arizon~. She ~arried Hanry~. Tanner in the St GeorGe Temrle at the tge of ninteen years and as they were called to Arizona as pioneers by Brigham Y~u.ng they accepted the call and left at once in Bishop ·-.:..,Joh!'l Hunt's comrany. One morning c1.fter traveling for some time hey saw horses of her husband sho'J.ld the ccr:-:pany cd-:ead ccmin.': bc'ick. It was decided drive the horses to tl:e o·:mers 2nd this 10ft Eliza to drive the four horses te.3.m,. l-i,e wind ':lE:s bloviinz terribly, bi[ trees wor·e falling all arour.d. One tree fell just in front of her tea~. She had to go out around and c,ack ir ..to the trail \\'.hen she reached camp she had to go to bed with a sick head ache, and said that was the hardest day she had evF,r spent., They had some very harr~ tiffies wi-.ile on the way. The other party was diviuej from theirs on a cc:iunt of the water supply• which often was little nore than a seep. Some times each company would have to stay t·wo days and n:5.e;hts at one waterin.c pl£ice before they could get enough wat.ter for their animals and fill their barrels. These watering .__.places were so far apart at times that they were compelled to make occasional "dry carnpstt at night. It took them six weeks to m.ake the trip. v:hen they reached Allen's Camp (now Joseph City) John Hunt went on anci Eliza and her husr:;c.nd remained at St. Joseph r:ow changed to Joseph City. fi 'l'he trails were great. Leaving her loved ones and a comfortable ·" lhome with so many hard ships to endt~re made her so homesick she lived with her be,nnet on for weeks to keep people from seeing the tears. Her husbandbad the cattle to take c.2.re of and ,-1as gone so much it made life the IT.ore lonely o The people lived in the United Orddr" and built a fort to be protThey found it cheaper to feed the Indians than ected from the Indians. to fight the. They did not have money to pay doctors nor nurses in fact there were r:o doctors at this early ti:::e. The women helped each other when Handy ma 11 and women could set a broken limb, a new child was born. pull teeth or otherHise wait on the sick .. He -- hus1:nmd being ::-ut in charge of the St,ock, Eliza with him took their turn livinr.; at the "Mormon Dairy 0 making butter and cheese. homestead about a mile east of the In 1886 they moved to their fir.ished. fort. The house was only partly She made use of the spinning wheel, washed the wool shorn from the sheep, carded th". same and spun the yarn on the wr:eel and, for the makin~ of clothing, wove this on a loom and uas ever busy knitting socks and other clothing. All the old rags were ,."Oven on the loom and made into carpets for the. floors, where straw was used next to the her industry knm1 no end. ..,he would -boards to r.iake it warm and soft. help with the milking, tal-:e care of the milk and cream from which she butter. She prided herself in the care o:!.' several dozen rr.ade excellent ~lymo'.ith ilock hens. \;at-er for the home \:3.s a proble1•·• So often muddy, the Little 601..:. orado fu ni~_;hed aJ.l they h.J.d for years. They hauled it in barrels two paris or butter milk in it to get a clear miles or rnore and put plaster layer ,,. A short sketch Part 2 of the Life of Eliza E. Tanner. of six inches or so on the top a.s the mud thus settled to the bottom and was emptied again so that more clear water Ct)Uld be e_:ained once more. This r.ecessi tat,ed another trip wi tl1 horse, sleu and barrel off to the ri var for another supply. She did her part to encourage all and a tannery, a saw mill, grist mill, a black 3mith shop, s.;rghum mill and a d.:i.iry all came into use oS a result of such united effort..,. She landried her clothea very white indeed, in s:pite of difficulties in obtaning clear water. Her co-::>king and her home were very cle&n. ~he helped ~:)ck at the big table in the fort when all worked together and took ci .full turn at ¢t~,c;tt[J:ig cooking when the men were at the <lamtihich was built new each time the treacherous river tore the last one out:. Un the food she co,::ked men could do the work. to From the ward in which they lived her huscJc:md w as the first be called on a :nission~ It was just after they had : 1oved into their u~fi~ished home. He left for Great Britain. She remained on the new homestead \:i th the five S!nall children and a new baby to be born so,')n after his der:arturs. She und-:::rstood how to manage the animals on the 1 farm and en,~ouraged her older boys to do the work of real men although they were tender in years. She -.,;as a Relief Society leader for 25-years being a counseler to both Lois Bushman and Nina M. Porter. She possessed the talent of music and led ~~he 3inging in Sunday School and often in the Church meetings in early days. Honesty was her leading quality • .She taught by example and her children have followed her lead. Three ha;e been school teachers. iour of her sons have Gne of these is an L. D, S. Seminary teacher. been missionaries. One of these has been out twice. All who knew her honored her. Of 62 grand children 55 are living and there were 11 graat gr.and children before her death. She lived t~ enjoy their Golden Wedding, which was celebrated in happiness to all on January 25,1927 with tLeir loving family and many friends in attendance. Eliza is the ,-r.other of seven healthy boays and four girls all 0£ whom were alive at her death which came as a result of high blood pressure,. occurring on August 17th 1930. Many people were in attendance to do her ho or at her be~utiful funeral.