Biography of Bertha Maretta Markham Document Number: 113
Author Group: Various Children of William Don Carlos Markham and Sarah Ann Markham, as compiled by Beth Ann Markham Richmond, fourth child of George Reynolds Markham (ID#98) and Anna I. Anderson (ID#97). Classification: COMPILED: FamilyHistory Location: USA, Utah, Utah, Spanish Fork Biography of MARKHAM, Bertha Maretta Document Entry Number: 1
Transcription: Bertha Maretta Markham was born on April 15, 1883, she was the fourth child and third daughter. She must have been especially welcome since she was born about a year after the death of their beloved son William Don Carlos. Life in the Markham home was filled with work and responsibility, but it was also filled with great amounts of love and care. When she was only two years old, she followed the older children to gather flowers. They were too far ahead and she took the wrong road and ended up in the Palmyra country. She managed to wander two miles before she was spotted by Owen Morgan who was cleaning ditch. He went and got her and gave her a sandwich from his lunch and made a bed for her from his coat. She was soon asleep. He continued working, he figured someone would soon come looking for her. In about two hours a group of men including her father came and took her home. Uncle Owen had no children of his own, and after that he always called her 'his little girl'. Like her older sisters, Mary and Ann, she soon learned the responsibility of caring for younger children in a large family. The care of Stephen and Effie was a part of her responsibility when her Father was called on a mission to the Southern States Mission in 1898. Those were "Grover, Cleveland" times and the economy was in a deep depression. The farm was expected to support the family and the mission, but they never made more than $8 from it. Her mother was able to care for their needs by barter, by making soap for sale and by taking in washing. The older girls were much relied upon to help, so the care, of the younger children fell to Bertha. She began her first year of school in Spanish Fork the year before the free school law was passed, and she went there for eight grades. After graduating, she attended the Brigham Young Academy for two and one-half years. Her education not only enriched her life and gave her a thirst to continue learning, but it instilled in her a desire to see that her children got all the education they would accept. After, she returned home, she was called to be the Young Womens president in the M.I.A., a position she held for four years. It was a very enriching time for Bertha and the girls whose lives she touched. It was to be a source of pride and pleasure to see some of those girls go on to fill prominent positions in the Church. Up to this point, her life had been very tranquil, but her patriarchal blessing stated,"Thou wilt meet the trials of life with a strong hand, with energy and great determination. You will be unflinching in the truth. The light of the spirit will burn in thee like a lamp. Thy sacrifices shall raise thee to a throne and great shall be your blessings on the earth and in heaven." She was 18 and at home one evening when her father, who was the Bishop, had invited a young Thomas Patterson to dinner, before he left for his mission to South Western States, where he served in the State of Texas. Tom told his Bishop that his big concern was that his girl friend would not be true to him. Bertha said, "Never mind Tom, if she isn't true to you, I'll marry you when you get back." His girl friend did not wait, so in 1904 when he returned home, he very publicly told her, he was holding her to her promise. She was as good as her word and they were married that year and settled in the Leland Ward. Tom's parents were Joseph Patterson and Agnes Measome. Joseph was a hard working man and a faithful husband, who was inclined to alcohol and to gambling. Agnes moved the family to town so she could control the problem and left Tom and his brother, Hyrum, at the ranch to care for the animals. As a result, they were not as well groomed as some of the children. The teacher held Tom up to ridicule one day when he was in third grade and he would never go back to school. But he always continued to study and read on his own. He had a great love for science and mechanics and he often used these to help earn a living. He considered the scriptures to be his best text books. They built a home and Tom took up black smithing as his occupation. They called their home 'Lizzard Hill' after- Tom said, "It is so hot that the lizards run from sage brush to sage brush and then flip over on their backs to wave their feet in the cool air." Tom was fond of pet names, and when their first child Myrl Ann was born on July 1,1905 he called her 'Thodley'. On April 9, 1907 Mark Thomas was born and called 'Ezra' by his dad. On January 15, 1909 Don Randall was born and since he was hard to keep track of, his dad called him 'Paddy's Flea'. While in Utah, Tom was counselor to Bishop Markham. Times were hard, and at this time, Tom's father moved to Idaho and decided to start a Mormon colony, there at Carey. He prevailed upon his sons to join him there with their families. On coming to Carey, Bertha suffered a deep melancholy, because she greatly missed her family. Money was tight, but Tom greatly loved his wife, so he sold a heifer and sent her for a visit home to Utah. Upon arriving there, she soon realized that though she loved her family, her place was in Carey, with her husband. She never again wavered in her constant support of her family. And though her blessing proved to be true, and she had to endure many trials, her dreams were always with her family, and she was willing to make any sacrifice they required. That first undertaking proved unsuccessful because of the general depression, lack of enough water, and land to support their large family. During the time on the ranch, Vera Agnes was born September 12, 1910, Bertha Maretta, August 7,1912, and Emily February 7,1914. Vera came when there was only a quilt for a door. Bertha was called 'doll' because she was so pretty. The most traumatic birth was Emily. She arrived at a time when the midwife who was to attend her was herself having a baby, and Tom had to do the honors. On top of this, the baby was having trouble breathing. They rode 20 miles through deep snow to get Mrs. Carey to come and help. She fed the baby butter and honey, and kept it in the oven all night, in the fashion we used to save runt animals. When it became obvious that they were going to loose the farm, they pulled the house off onto the road. In the next few days it made its way slowly into town onto a lot there. Tom bought a blacksmith shop and went to work. In two years they were able to buy a new house on main street along with a second hand store, but he continued to do black smithing. On March 10, 1916 Wilford Measome was born at the house on Main street. Two more stillborn babies were born in the years following, but she was only allowed to raise the seven here on earth. While raising this good-sized family, Bertha was involved in many Church callings including Primary President, Relief Society Counselor, and Sunday School teacher. Taking a great interest in her children's education, she served as President of the P.T.A. plus many years as a board member. She always felt her main pursuit was to support her husband and family in all their pursuits, since Tom served as Bishop for seven and a half years, and spent nine years traveling in Stake callings. In the early days in Carey, there was no electricity. They were afraid the children might have a fire accident while they were away at work or doing church work, so Tom bought a Delco plant to furnish their lighting needs. It was a little gasoline engine that had to be cranked up each morning to charge the large glass batteries that supplied the power for the lights at night. They also figured out a way to run the hand washer with a Delco plant. Eventually, a small stream was harnessed to bring electricity into Carey and later they were taken over by Idaho Power Company. The automobile brought an end to need for black smithing, but Tom taught himself about the engine, and replaced the shop with a garage. He often rebuilt batteries, because they were hard to get. One day he got some of the acid on his hands, and accidently into his eyes. They called the doctor and he diluted it with soda, but the doctor didn't think he would ever see again. Bertha would not accept this so she called the Elders in to give him a blessing. They blessed him and a prayer circle was held. It was quite a while before the bandages could be removed, and he had to be led around by the children, but when the bandages were removed he could see perfectly. It was many years before he had to wear glasses. With the garage, they also sold gasoline. It was brought in in 50 gallon barrels. Later on, they got a pump like you see in the old movies. It held five gallons in a glass bottle on top, but it had to be pumped there by hand. Bertha took care of the office and the gas pump. Bertha was a very progressive thinker, and it was at this time that she realized there was a great potential for other income in the valley. The farm ladies would bring in pats of butter and bowls of cottage cheese to sell to her, but they used only a small part of the milk the cows produced. Most was just used to feed the pigs. It seemed like a real waste to her and she thought she might also be able to add to family income, so she wrote to the Nelso-Ricks creamery in Salt Lake City telling them of the potential here in the development of dairy products. They sent her cream testing station equipment and she found herself with a job. She had to use our front room for her station at first, but soon was able to build a little building on the corner of the lot. It had a vat that held cold water to keep the cream sweet. At first the cream was shipped by train, but it was so slow that the cream soured and fermented and blew the lids off the cans, covering the boxcars with sour cream. About this time, Don was showing a deep disinterest in school so Tom bought a truck and put him to work hauling the cream to market. They sold it to Swift and Company in Twin Falls. Don delivered the cream, and brought back supplies for the store they had started in the station. The boys were experienced in truck driving because the family had owned several which they used to haul cement, yet another income enterprise. It can truly be said that Bertha started the dairy industry in the valley. Kraft now has a plant there that makes 365,000 pounds of milk into cheese almost every day. It is the financial basis of the welfare of that valley. She was an industrious and creative lady of the highest order, for every effort was for the benefit of others. Her life had been riddled with hard work and some hardships, and she wanted to see her children have the chance through hard work and education to enjoy perhaps just a few less perils. Above all, she wanted to be able to send her boys on missions. At the time when Tom was so ill, Bertha took charge and kept the businesses going. The family felt that their Dad was the bread winner, but it was Mom who put the butter and jam on it. Bertha was not well much of her life. She suffered from the same lung disease which bothered her mother. To treat this they built a screened porch and slept outside nearly all year. Even during December and January they slept with the door open. During the 1929 depression, they lost nearly everything. Tom would not file for bankruptcy, because he considered it dishonest. Bertha rented rooms, took in boarders, and Tom had the state liquor store. They were finally able to pay off all the creditors, but because of the liquor store Tom was released from his church job. It hurt him a little but he made the best of it and remained strong in the faith. After the depression they moved the store into a more central part of town, and with Emily as the cook they even started a small cafe. The New Deal helped that part of the country get back on it's feet. When the war began at Pearl Harbor, Don joined the Navy and Bill joined the SeaBees. When Don returned home, he bought out Tom's business so he could retire. It lasted about a month, and then Tom started an appliance store. It was at this point that Tom also built a motel. He called it,'This is the Place', and Bertha was right there supporting him as she had all her life. They were both in poor health but they just did not know how to slow down and be people of leisure. It was hard on Bertha because these activities kept moving them from one house to another. The children tried to help, but at this point the parents thought they could take care of themselves. It is felt that perhaps Tom's life was shortened because they did not always eat properly, and his diabetes went out of control. Not long after his death, Bertha had a stroke which paralyzed her lower body. She had to go to a convalescent home in Shoshone where they could give her heat treatments for pain. Every day for ten months the children took turns visiting her until she passed away. Bertha was not a mother who hugged and kissed her children a lot, but her love and devotion shone through every act of her unselfish life, and her family felt loved and cherished by their parents always. Her life may have been filled with problems and hard work, but through it all, most of her dreams did come true. Her children were well educated. Those who desired, were able to go past high school and to learn skills which made life easier for them than it had been for her. Don and Bill both filled missions for the Church. All have been married in the Temple, and have sustained strong testimonies. Of her, the Lord will surely say 'Well done, my good and faithful servant."
Bertha and Tom leave a large posterity:
1-Myrl Ann d., m. Leonard Carlson d. A-Emily Valene B-Leonard Don d. C-Mary m. James Peterson Sr. a-James W. m. Deborah 1-Kourtney 2-Koby 3-Nicholas Bud 4-Alexander 5-Carol Marie m. Gregory Gandiago a-Kyle b-Kris b-Karl Francis d. D-Joseph d. E-Belva m. Robert H. Knight a-Cindy m. Martin Florence 1-Robert Micheal b-Joseph div. 1-Tara Ann 2-Karl F-William G. m. Nancy Peterson a-Susan b-Patrick c-Greg m. Malinda 1-Garrett m. Andrea
2-Mark Thomas m. Elizabeth Painter d. A-Mark T. Jr. m. Paulene Hartman a-Mark III m.Elizabeth Ann 1-Rachel Jane b-Kathy B-Douglas m. Gerda a-Tom b-Rose Marie m. Duane Prather c- Christina C-Margaret m. Milton R.Walth a-Richard b-Pamela D-David m. Kathy a-Stephanie m. Micheal E. Ippen 1-Thomas b-Kelly m. Allen Davidson 1-Lena Rae 2-Eli Jacob c-Leslie m. Ronald Morwick 1-Ryan Stewart 2-Laurel Amanda E-Elizabeth Ann m. Nelson Miles a-Jeffery m.Kelly 1-Jeffery F-Stephen R. m. Dianne Wells a-Danny Stephen b-Elizabeth Sarah c-Joshua David
3-Don Randall m. Fern Davis A-Larell m. Denise Hess a-Lacie Dean b-Timothy Read B-Don Randall
4-Vera Agnes d. m. Robert Adamson d. A-Robert Eldon m. Erma Bonita Peck a-Robert Kay m. Deanna Lynn Sompsen 1-Robert Jeramy 2-James Michael 3-Kay Dee Lynn 4-Marcy Lynn b-Craig m. Mary Hyatt 1-Tanarah Beth 2-Michael Seth 3-Kiri Lee 4-Bryan Jake c-Jed m. Neta Tree 1-Aaron 2-Nancy 3-Dawn d-Jill m. Harry Shock 1-Harrison 2-Jan e-Jan f-Brent m. Annett Linda Schmitz 1-Stephany 2-Crystal B-John Thomas m.Twilla Schaffer a-Rosemary m. Richard Peterson 1-Jarad M. 2-Becky Ann 3-Brandy 4-Lacie 5-Megan 6-Laren b-Laura m. Phillip Cooper 1-Tonya 2-John 3-Brian c-Susan m. Tim O'Crowley 1-Zack 2-Seth d-Micheal V. m. Denise Aline Tedder
5-Bertha Maretta d. m. Phil Schwieder A-Boyd P. m. Jean Ricks a-Douglas Boyd b-Derrald Brent c-Jill m. Ken Stewart 1-Elijah 2-Krina 3-Sean d-Toni m. Ross Ellis 1-Stefannie 2-Mistee 3-Kacey e-Janna m. Steve Young f-Jon Phillip g-Christine B-Jack T. m. Myrna Spendlove a-Mindy b-Sonia c-Jay Thomas d-Kirt William e-Daniel Jack f-Samuel Scott g-Darren John
6-Emily m. Vincent Olsen d. A-Paul m. Lavon Prophet a-Richard m. Jody Jolene 1-Dustin b-David m. Kathy Sweat 1-Michael 2-Deanx 3-Joel c-Michael B-Karen m. Ross Peterson d. M. Steven Stannard a-Tamara b-Scott c-Pamela
7-Wilford Meason m. E. Baird div, m. Margaret Miller Remde A-Emily m. Dennis Taylor a-Vaughn b-Vincent c-Jennifer Elizabeth B-James Wilford m. Donna a-Thomas James b-Samuel C-Heide Remde m. Ron a-Rebecca b-Spencer D-Rosemarie m. Gerald Molloy a-Corey b-Celeste c-Sarah d-Hyrum e-Stephen f-Teressa g-Beth h-Heidimine