History of Elise Othilie Evensen Skoug Hansen

The following is a written history of my great grandmother. The picture is of Annie Margaret Hansen Miller, the person telling the story. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of Elise Othilie Evensen Skoug (pronounced "Scow") Hansen the person who the story is about. My Mom's side of the family wrote down a few a stories like this. My Dad's lore is all passed down verbally. Possibly, that is why Dad's side of the family has some wild stories.

"My mother was born in the capitol of Norway. She grew up on a farm her father rented. My grandmother used to do the cooking for rich people when they gave a big party. When my mother grew up, she used to go with her and serve dinners. As she got older, she went to work for a merchant as a helper in their home. Took care of the baby at night. Carried it from the cradle to its mother to nurse it, and then back to the cradle. The floor was hardwood, polished, and cold as ice. She suffered with a toothache, so she did not get much rest. Got up in the morning early to sweep and dust the store and then back to the house. Did the work in the dining room. It was dark and cold all winter in Norway. They could do no washing. The clothes were folded and put in trunks until spring, then washed by hand. Mother scrubbed them between her hands until she wore the skin off. It took a long time to wash many clothes that way. She said she carried them to the river to rinse them one day, and while she was rinsing a bedspread it was so heavy it almost pulled her into the river. Her brother had to haul water in a long tank up a steep, icy hill. He worried about it because it was so slick the horses could hardly make it. One night in his sleep, he went and got a load and did not wake up until the water splashed on him. While going uphill, he woke up and found himself in his night clothes, but he made it.

After all the clothes were dry, she (Annie Margaret’s mother) had to iron them. She had to iron thirty white shirts a day besides other work. It used to take six weeks to wash and iron. After she grew up, she married and had four children. Then, her husband died two months after the last baby was born. Now being a widow, she helped a dressmaker sew, living upstairs. Had to go to the river and get boards, bark, and slabs and carry them upstairs. She had to dry them for firewood to keep her and four children warm. Then the elders found her. And she listened to them and believed what they told her and came to this country along with four other widows that had four children a piece.

My father was there [Norway] on a mission. He was put in charge to take care of them on the ship while on their journey over here. When they got here, she settled in Sanpete County, Utah. Took in sewing for a tailor and made 21 pair of pants a week to earn a living for herself and four children. My father had a sweetheart in Salt Lake City waiting for him. They got married and lived close by Mother. He was her Ward teacher, so he kind of looked out for her welfare. After he had been married for 15 months, his wife died while having a baby, which also died, left him there alone. One day while they were cleaning the meeting house (Mother was helping) she was scrubbing the floor on the stand. She started to sing a hymn. Father stopped to listen and thought that must be a wonderful woman to sing while she worked.

She was a wonderful singer. She sang the alto while my sister, her oldest girl, sang lead. I loved to hear them sing in their language. I could not understand the words, but the tune was wonderful. I, like my father, thought what a wonderful mother I had. After my father’s wife and baby died, he married my mother and moved to Rush Valley where I was born. She had 10 children. She had four of her own and raised six to my father. She lived to be 73. She moved to Tooele, bought a home and died and was buried in the Tooele cemetery.

Father had been bedfast for about three years. It was hard to take care of him. He was so helpless. She could handle him. She lifted him until she broke a blood vessel in her head. Then she took a stroke and was quite helpless until she died. I wish I had been closer to help her. She always liked me to do things for her, and I liked to do it for her. She was so appreciative for a little help.