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 if MARKHAM, Effie Document Entry Number: 1
Transcription: Effie Markham was born January 11, 1889. She was the sixth child and the fourth daughter born to William Don Carlos Markham and Sarah Ann Warner, and the first child born after her father's return from his mission. If her personality in later life is a result of her childhood, she must have been a really bright and loving spirit to come into the family. Her favorite expression all of her life was, "Oh Joy", and though it was an expression of frustration to Effie, it seemed to echo, not only how she felt about life, but also how everyone who knew her, felt about her. All of her brothers and sisters had a special closeness to her. Each felt a need to help and serve her. Over the years, she was the one to commit her life to the service of others. She often stated her great love for her family. She loved her dad, and as a small child, she loved to sit in his lap and feel his soothing touch. She often had earaches, and she said if her Dad would just cover her ear with his hand, she could rest peacefully. She was 19 when he died, and for the next few years after that, she committed the largest part of her life to caring for a Mother she loved very much. Over the years, she demonstrated her capacity to give of herself, by the many acts of kindness and service she extended to family and friends. Before her father died, he bought an organ for her to learn to play, and she delighted him and many with that and many other creative talents. She directed the music at Sunday School. Anna Stark recalls, "She made us love to sing, and she never let less than our best do. If we made a mistake, she would make us do it again and get it right." She was the person in the ward who put on programs so the children had lots of opportunities to build high self esteem. To Effie, everybody was special. Because of health problems, and care of the family, Effie's education was interrupted, and she never got to finish her high school education while she was in her teens. She always stayed busy and happy, helping with the births and illnesses which occurred in the large family. Her friends, Anna and Elinor Stark, remember her also for her great talent as a fine seamstress. In a household where that talent didn't exist, they feel sure that they would have been poorly attired had it not been for Effie. Even after all these years, they still remember those favorite garments in great detail and with great feelings of love. Others for whom she sewed, Emily Patterson, Joe's daughters, and Tell's daughters, all describe the dresses she made for them, as having reflected a lot of time, talent, effort, and love. By 1925 all of her brothers and sisters, except Nean, were married. Effie and Nean were living at home with their Mother, and Nean was teaching school nearby. Nean was planning to marry France Beck. In January 1925, their mother died. Nean went to stay with Joe, so she could continue her teaching and Effie went to stay with her sister Ora in Wyoming. It was while she was at Ora's that Ora convinced her she should go back to high school and get her diploma. I t seemed a hard thing to do, but Effie was so sweet and young at heart that she soon won over the younger students and graduated from Lyman, Wyoming High School. When school was out in 1925, Nean joined Effie at Ora's for a month, and then Effie and Nean went back to their home. They cleaned it up, and lived there together until Nean married later that same year. Eff returned to stay with Ora. Effie became interested in Marcelling hair. This was before permanents came in, in the early 30's. Effie's brothers, hoping to help her settle into a work she liked, went together and paid for her training and set her up in a shop in Payson. The process of Marcelling was done with an iron much like the curling irons we have, but they were used to make a series of pretty waves in the hair. Effie became quite accomplished. After permanents came in, Effie attended Ship School of Nursing. She had many occasions to use her nursing skills. In 1932, she went to Vernal to be with her sister, Tell, and to help with the birth of Lucille. In 1933, she went to Oregon to help in the birth of George's daughter, Beth. It was February, and a bad snow storm kept George and the doctor away. Effie said the hardest part was trying to keep the fire going and deliver the baby at the same time. She managed to have things well in hand before any help came. That same year, she hurried on to Joe's to be with Iva after Lee's birth. In 1935, Effie had some surgery, and went to Nean's to rest and regain her health. Tell's daughter, Margaret, was there also, and she remembers she and her friends thinking of Effie as very sophisticated, because the doctor prescribed nude sun baths. In order to do this, Effie had to make herself a blind in the back yard each day. Effie was a small slender woman who was always neat and trim. One beauty secret, which many of the nieces still recall, was to rub Raleigh's medicated ointment on her eyelids each night before retiring. Margaret also reports that it was Effie who taught 'the facts of life' to the nieces. Her nearest claim to wickedness would have to be in reference to her frequent use of the expression, 'Oh helly', when she was put out with something. Effie was looking for some more meaningful work to fill her time. She asked her friend Anna Stark if she knew of anything. Anna's sister Elinor had been working in Ogden for the socially prominent Eccles family. Elinor decided to return to school, and when the family asked her to recommend someone, she got Effie to come and take her place. She worked in Ogden for a while, but the Eccles had a daughter Vivian, who had lost her husband and Effie became her good friend. Vivian was interested in little theater and in this capacity she visited the Pasadena Playhouse. While there, she met Addison Richards, who was a prominent bit player in the movies. By 1935, Effie was in California with the Richards and was responsible for the care of their daughter, Ann. Joe's daughter, Beth, went there also, to act as cook after she left high school. Beth did not stay long, because she returned to school, but Effie's association with the Richards was a long and happy one. To Ann, Eff was like a mother, and to Effie, Ann was the daughter she never had. She was treated in every way as a valued friend. She had a large, bright and sunny room in the upstairs front of the house with a veranda. Much of her spare time Eff spent writing letters. She kept in touch by mail with all of her brothers and sisters, and sent birthday cards to everyone. Beth Marsden remembers that a few years later on her mission, Effie sent her $10 every month. Eff wrote more often, usually including a stick of gum with three dimes under the wrapper. Effie loved to tat and did very fine work. Many nieces have the prized possession of a tatted hanky. Effie was active in church all of her life, and she held many callings over the years. She had an opportunity to marry while she was in California, but she never felt right about it, because he seemed too old to her. Her life at the Richards had many privileges. After Tell and her family moved there in the 1940's, they often went there after church to spend the day. She seemed free to spend time away to be with family if they needed her. In 1940, Gladys went for a visit. Eff showed her all over the area, and they took a trip to San Francisco, where they stayed and visited with Ann's children, Christy and John Jr. and went to the Exposition Fair. Effie loved the years when Tell lived in California. It gave her closer contact than she had had with her family for a while. She became close to Margaret and Lucille, and helped to sew for them in their teen age years. Each remembers her for a lot of special services rendered. The Carrolls learned to love, admire, and to appreciate her gentle and talented ways. Tell's Margaret paid a special tribute to her: "She conducted herself as an independent, successful, single woman, who today would be regarded as a superior example of how to live as a single, spiritual, working woman." In the late 40's, Vivian passed away, when Ann was in her teens. Effie stayed on for a while, but the new lifestyle in the household made her uncomfortable, so she left that job, and took another. She did not stay long there. It may have been because of her health. She had surgery of some sort about then, and went to Tell's home to recuperate. As she continued to improve, she spent six weeks helping Margaret with a new baby. Effie retired and returned to Utah to live, in the early fifties. She stayed with Nean some of the time. Just before Ora passed away, she was living in Salt Lake in one of Ora's apartments. In 1954, France and Nean brought Effie and Ora to Idaho Falls to attend the wedding of George's daughter Beth, in the Temple. Eff continued to help at births and illnesses, and to enjoy the weddings of her nieces and nephews. She felt the sadness of the deaths of her brothers, George and Stephen, and her sisters, Ora, Mary, and Berth. On April 10th of 1962, Joe dropped by her basement apartment, located a few blocks from Nean. Joe returned home and told Iva that Eff didn't feel very well, so Iva went to prepare some breakfast for her. She prepared eggs and toast, and Effie ate them, commenting how good they tasted. Effie lay down to rest, and within thirty minutes, she had passed away quietly, in her sleep. Effie leaves behind her a legacy of love and appreciation, from anyone who ever knew her tender loving kindness.