Laura Blanche Clark

I was born the 30th of January, 1880, in Farmington, Davis County, Utah, the ninth child of ten children of my Mother, Susan Leggett Clark and my Father, Ezra Thompson Clark. There was one boy, Seymour Thompson Clark, three girls, Annie Vilate, Sarah Lovina, and Susan Alice Bell Clark, and then four boys, John Alexander, Eugene Henry, Nathan George and Marian Franklin Clark (who died as an infant).

They rejoiced because I was a little girl. I had brown hair and a little round face. My sister, Annie, was once president of the Primary. Eliza R. Snow was there at one time visiting the Primary and asked, “Oh, whose sweet little girl is this?” And Annie said, ”That is my little sister.” At this time I was about three years old and it seems that I can remember sitting there on the seat.

My Mother’s tenth child was born when I was two years old, Horace Wells Clark.

When I was four or five years old, I remember being taken across the street by my sister, Sarah, over to Aunt Mary’s home. She lived on the north side of the street and my Mother lived on the south side. As I got older I used to sit over at Aunt Mary’s and read books—they had a nice library and Mother did also. At meal time they always asked me to eat. Before leaving there in the evening, and also at our own home, Father would always have family prayers and often Father would ask me to pray.

Father lived at Aunt Mary’s home, she being the first wife, and whenever he would come over to our home to eat the noon meal, often Mother would call over to Aunt Mary to come over and eat too. Aunt Mary would admire a geranium on the windowsill and Mother would tell her to take it home with her. That is the kind of woman my Mother was.

Mother was an English lady—a real lady and everything in her home was very orderly and clean. Her hair was always crimped and her clothes were always tidy. Some will never forget the starched collars and very pretty starched housedresses she wore. My Mother was a lady in her household work and in her speech. Young college students or dramatic people who came to Farmington to put a show on, those who stayed at her home, spoke of what perfect English she used without any grammatical errors.

She was a beautiful seamstress. She made my clothes so pretty with ruffles and tucks. Before going out in the evening, my underclothing was as clean and wholesome as the outside with no tears or safety pins.

We were taught economy. Father had plenty of money, we weren’t aware of it. We had one new dress in the winter and perhaps two in the summer. We had to wear these things as long as we could. At one time, Father took me to the ZCMI. I would nearly always have the first new hat or coat in Farmington. In my early teen, I wanted more things. When Father was out fixing the fence or gate, I would hand him the nails and gently ask him for money. He was very thrifty and would want to know what I wanted it for before he would give it to me. He often said, “If I can teach you children the value of money, I will be doing you a great service.” I was taught the principle of paying tithing young and I paid it on the money given me for clothes.

When I was about 17 years old, I went down to Salt Lake City to the L.D.S. College. I lived on North Temple, renting with my brother Horace, and Timothy’s daughter, Clara, and his twins, Louise and Minerva. During this one year, I studied English under Levi Edgar Young, history and church history. The school was located where the 17th ward chapel now stands.

I was only twenty-two years old when my Mother suddenly died. Father had died a year before of cancer. Mother had gone to Salt Lake City and while she was there, a storm came up. She had only a suit on and she took cold. It may have turned to pneumonia. There was no doctor in the town for her. At the last few hours, they put my Mother on a bed in the living room. Just before she died, I was prompted to go for my brother, Eugene. Someone rushed out for Joseph and Edward, my brothers to come to administer to her. She looked up toward the ceiling at the last and called out to her Mother and her companion. She died around 1:30 or 2:00, the morning of Election Day, the 4th of November, 1902.

Before my Mother, died, Mark Cook went on a mission to England. I dated some fine young men; Will Parker and a lot of fellows. L.A. Stevenson, and Dr. R. T. Willey were among my friends also. I did a lot of sewing for myself and I loved to go out to dances and parties.

And then Mark wrote and asked me to wait for him. I wrote back that I would. This was about a year before he came home. I sent money to Mark in England for the material for my wedding dress. Mark came home just before Christmas. He came to Sadie’s and gave me a Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price as a gift.

We were married in the Salt Lake Temple by John R. Winder, of the church first presidency, on the morning of March 30, 1905. I received my endowments the same day. There was deep snow on the ground. We worked days ahead with the festive foods on the table for the reception in Farmington. Over 100 people came and a big dinner was served. Sadie was a good cook. My dress was beautiful silk one of Champagne or deep cream color. Sister Palmer in Farmington made it. Over the dress was a 12-inch wide collar of chiffon—and I carried fresh roses from California. All the flowers were from California. We sat in the big front parlor in the front of a window under a flower-bowery with fresh lilies and evergreen. It was all very beautiful. The weather was clear by that time. We spent the first night in my room in Eugene’s home. We didn’t go away on a honeymoon.

Maurine was born 27th November, 1909, and the very day before her birth at home, Mark was taken to the Layton hospital with typhoid fever which we thought he had contracted from the water from a surface well which he had dug near our home. Mark’s cousin, Brigham Holbrook, took my notes to him at the hospital and Mark wrote notes back to me. I thought I would go to the hospital when the baby was 10 days old. But Mark died when Maurine was only ten days, old, at the age of 29, December 7, 1909.