On this weekend in history, I have very fond memories of going with Martha Paulsen (my Dearest Farmor) to the cemetery early in the week to prepare the headstone of her sweetheart Paul I Paulsen for the visitors who would be coming. Every year she went up a week in advance to scrub any bird droppings off, trim the grass, clean and tidy the beautiful headstone standing in memory of our loved Farfar!
Today I live some 300 miles away, and I so wish I could race right up there now to carry on this work of love. I love you Farmor and Farfar! I have such rich heritage! Farmor and Farfar and several of their children are buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery (with many Prophets and Apostles of our church). My Dad's Maternal line is buried in Henefer's little cemetery, where they were sent by Brigham Young to settle. My Mother's lines are all in Brigham City, Utah with many, many valiant pioneers who braved the path across the country. My Great Grandma Chloe was a wonderful genealogist. She told us many, many stories of her Pioneer parents. I need to carry on that legacy.
When Grandma Chloe turned 90, I was young, we held a special party/reception for her in the 4th ward in Brigham City. My Mom rewrote the words to a primary song that I to this day struggle to sing correctly because this is how it will be forever engraved on my mind.
"Whenever I think about Pioneers, I think of my Grandmother Chloe. I like to remember the stories she's told, for she's done genealogy and so, if you would like to talk with her she will tell you more, for she's seen the whole world. For her 90th birthday we have gathered here, we do love our dear Grandmother Chloe."
Grandma Chloe, Grandma Mary, Grandpa Harold, Grandma Orla, Grandma Clyde, I love you each! I was THE luckiest little girl! I had 7 Grandma's all alive when I was little! I loved visiting them, shopping with them, playing in the irrigation ditches in Brigham City as Grandpa Harold & Grandma Mary worked in the field. Walking to the market with Grandma Chloe. She never owned a car, and so she pushed a walker/basket to help her carry her groceries in. She lived very near the center of town, and walked or Grandma Mary took her where she needed to go. I don't know how she used to get to Salt Lake City. I remember carrying huge books for her in the Genealogy (now Family History is the correct term) library in downtown Salt Lake. I am sure that she rode the bus there. I know that Grandma Mary had to catch the bus in Ogden (some 30 miles around the point from Brigham). I wonder how Grandma Chloe caught the bus? I will ask Mom.
This is Grandma Mary the week before she died.
Grandma Mary always picked fresh flowers on Memorial Day to decorate the graves. It would take truck loads of buckets loaded in her trunk to have enough for all the pioneers grave sites she would care for. I loved going with her because she could tell us stories about each one. For me, just finding the headstone was a puzzle I didn't know how she remembered every year. She had many hidden in all corners of the Brigham city cemetery. I miss you Grandma Mary! I wish I could come clean and decorate your headstone today! Thank you for your legacy of love, your example of honor! Grandma Mary was the first woman dentist in the State of Utah! I took a few of my little ones to the dentist this week, and as we waited, I read the certificates on the wall of passing boards, and thought of Grandma Mary taking her boards on the prisoners at the Utah State Penitentiary. She attended dental school in San Francisco, where Grandma Chloe moved with her. Grandma Chloe was a single Mom, her husband was a traveling salesman, and left her for another. He continued to support Grandma Chloe and her daughters, Mary and Shirley. He paid for Mary to go to school. They were brave women to go on their own! Grandma Mary came back to the State of Utah, Brigham City to practice after school. I don't know if they sold their house in Brigham while Mary went to school, or not. I will ask Mom that too.
I am grateful to Grandma Chloe and Grandma Mary for their example as Mormon women who saw education as important. Grandma Mary was a very successful dentist! She owned many, many farms in the Brigham area. Grandma Harold had fancy equipment to run his farms. When I was little, Grandma wasn't practicing any more. I have fond memories of having my teeth cleaned on her couch, with my sister holding the squirt bottle as Grandma ran the drill that would polish my little teeth! Grandma thanks for protecting my teeth! I will do better at helping my little ones have good teeth! I remember you cleaning ours regularly! I will get my little ones in for a cleaning.
I remember playing with the cats at Grandma Mary's. She had horses including a little Shetland pony for us to ride - you were so good to us! Thank you! She had chickens in the coop, a fun (we believed it was haunted) old house we played in, where we found cases and cases full of books! They were so covered in dust, but we managed to find many treasures there to read! I remember making sugar cookies on the cutting boards, on the floor in the kitchen with Grandma. We didn't frost them, but sprinkled them with colored sugar for decoration. What fun! My favorite food at Grandma Mary's was Peanut Butter Sandwiches! Grandma always bought "White" bread! That wasn't a treat that we had at my house! To this day, I remember how good a peanut butter sandwich with her wonderful Peach homemade jam was! I remember peeling the peaches with her. She would sit us at her table, with a towel under my arm and two big bowls - one for the cleaned peaches, and one full of peaches. Then right in front of me was a cake pan, I was told to peel the skins off, after Grandma blanched the peaches. I remember thinking it was such a waste of good peach skin! I loved eating the skin instead of simply dropping it in that cake pan. Because the peaches had been blanched, they were wet, and I was short - even sitting on a spare big pot or a stack of phone books! The water would run down my arm, driving me crazy as it dripped down my side! I remember Grandma putting a towel under my arm so it would catch the water. She was so amazing!
Hanging right behind her table she had a wood engraved sign with two horses standing face to face on the bottom. It read: "Be careful of the words you speak, keep them soft and sweet. You never know from Day to Day, which ones you'll have to eat." I remember wondering what on earth that meant, and what those horses had to do with eating words. I got it Grandma! Thanks for teaching me to take time to think about what I say. I will try hard to remember that advice today!
Grandma Chloe had the BEST raspberries in all the world as far as we were concerned! She had an acre lot that she cared for right up to the end of her life - with the help of Grandma Mary I am sure! She would run the irrigation water down the middle of the rows and rows of raspberries in the back part. I remember Wonderful frozen homemade raspberry jam that Grandma Mary made! I don't know which jam I liked it better, the Peach/Pineapple jam that she bottled, or the frozen raspberry jam she had in the basement freezer. They were both made with love, and soooo delicious! I almost have to stop writing, and go make a peanut butter sandwich right now - 2:12 a.m.. Thanks Grandma for the hours it must have taken for you to pick all those raspberries! I remember her sending us out to pick, but I don't remember ever coming back in the house with more than just a little bowl full. It was our favorite treat! I remember running to say "Hi" to Grandma so we could get a treat from the raspberry bushes in the back!
Liesl with Grandma Mary in December 2002.
Grandma Mary had a huge garden in her yard to the day she died! She had been here to see us (never staying long, but often riding the bus down for over-night!) She drove here frequently too! The last time she was here, my kids had been watching Mary Poppins. We joked as we put her on the bus Very Early that morning, that we hoped the "wind would blow our way again soon!" So she would come back and see us. It was only about a week later that we got a call that she had been square dancing, and died in the arms of her square dance partner. She had been dancing all night, and did one turn, and went down. They said that they think she died before she hit the floor - we know - she Danced right into the arms of Grandpa Harold who was missing her, tired of seeing another man "Swing His Little Girl!" Grandma Mary - I love you! Grandpa thanks for helping her always as the Wind beneath her wings! You worked hard, and provided many opportunities for us little girls to learn life on the farm, about hard work and the satisfaction of a job done.
My Father's Mother was Grandma Orla. She was raised in Henefer, also by a single Mom. Grandma Orla and Grandpa Chris complied a wonderful history, and I highly recommend it! I will get it out this morning, and read it to my kids this week. Grandma Orla was a beautician by trade. She had 4 children, and my Dad, Val was her oldest. Grandma Orla was always very close to her sisters. I was her oldest Grandchild. When I was young, my Dad owned a construction company "ValMark Construction" business with Grandpa Chris, and Uncle Mark. At about the age of 8 - in 1978, work was hard to come by. Grandpa Chris had learned construction from his father "Farfar" or Paul I Paulsen who started Paulsen Construction in Salt Lake City. They built many, many beautiful buildings including the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers building, the South visitor's center on Temple Square, many, many churches, the high rise apartments at the mouth of City Creek Canyon.... It was a family trade passed down to my Dad! In 1978, there were disagreements in the way projects were being bid, and my Dad finally determined that he was not going to continue to stay in the company with no work! So he broke off, from ValMark and opened VPC Inc. (Val Paulsen Construction Inc.) He managed to get work, cutting his percentage below what ValMark was willing to, and bidding work other than for the Church. My Dad went on to build many David Early Tires centers - not even being forced to bid them, but being initially invited to participate on a exclusive list, and then just being the preferred contractor of David Early. Dad built several Draper Bank buildings, and did remodels for the school districts, water district, Hercules, in between other jobs. Because VPC Construction was successful, and ValMark went on to struggle, it created tension in the family! I have many memories, however, there was always some tension because of the difficulties that were blamed on my dad.
Christmas 2002 at a Christmas Party with Grandpa Chris & Grandma Orla
I have fond memories of Christmas morning at Grandma Orla's where we always gathered (despite the hard time) for Poncoka's which Grandma Orla taught her kids to make in the tradition of Farmor - her mother-in-law. I remember as a very young girl, watching her cut women's hair in the studio in her basement. She had several (3 or 4 I believe) chairs in a large room with mirrors on one wall. I remember smirking at the women sitting under the blow dryers after Grandma had rolled their hair. I don't remember Grandma ever cutting my hair, but stories say that Grandma cut my hair at about age 5 at which time it was almost to my waist and naturally wavy/curly. She cut it very short at the request of my Mom. After that day, my hair was never naturally curly again. I remember playing on the swing set in Grandma Orla's backyard (which I now have in my backyard! They just don't make things solid like that these days! Thanks Grandma & Grandpa!). I remember fun parties where Grandma and Grandpa came at Uncle Cy's(sp?)& Aunt Mary's (Grandpa's brother)in July many years in a row. I was kind of adopted by Grandma Orla's sister Aunt Suzy who lives in Ivins - just a few miles away. I will call her tomorrow (oh, in a few hours) and tell her I love her! I got to go to California with Aunt Suzy one year to visit her daughter living there. I remember fun nights at Aunt Suzy's house with her daughter Danielle who is just a few years older than I am, and now lives in California.
I do remember spending a few nights at Grandma Orla's house. I remember one trip to Lake Powell where Farmor came with us! Grandma Orla and Grandpa Chris had a house boat which was fiberglass. It was always high stress when we went because Grandpa was always so worried about hurting the boat. I do have fond memories of sitting on the bow of the boat, waiving to other boats with Farmor sitting by my side. I remember that Grandma Orla had juice boxes (like milk cartons) from Winder dairy which she had frozen to bring on the trip. They were icy, and we would shake them up good, and have a cold treat there in the hot sun. Farmor wore long sleeves and a hat to keep out of the sun. Grandma Orla was "allergic" to the sun, she would turn really red when she got hot, and then would get sick. She stayed inside the houseboat most of the time. When she came out in the sun at Powell, I remember her carrying an umbrella to hide under. I don't remember many trips, but I heard about other Powell trips on the houseboat, and they always seemed riveted with wind, rocks and fear. I almost wrote "Stress" but I remember Farmor saying that in her day that word didn't exist. She said that in Sweden there was no such word. Today it is blamed so often for the root of problems. Farmor would not accept that excuse. Grandma Orla - I love you! Grandpa Chris is still with us. We have a fancy frame that we send him pictures on called a Ceiva frame. I download my pictures of the kids to a computer website, and then every night, his frame which is connected to a phone cable, calls the website, and downloads 30 new pictures so he gets to see what is happening in our world. It is a fun way to connect! I have paid the subscription fee for more than 3 years now, and we continue to enjoy sharing smiles that way.
This post started with memories of Farmor. I can't quit without writing about her! Farmor was not a handcart pioneer, but rather a pioneer in her own right! Farmor grew up in Sweden. When she turned 19, she got on a boat, to come to America. Her older sister had come before, and helped with money so Märta could follow. She boarded the boat, not knowing if she would ever see her Mother and Father, family or homeland again! As a little girl, her Father had a dream vision of a man standing at a pulpit, giving a talk. They lived in an apartment building in Stockholm. One day, her father heard music coming from below them in the apartment, and he went to see what it was. When he found it's source, the music ended, and a man walked to the pulpit. It was the same man and the same sermon he had seen in his dream. He listened to the sermon, and stayed to ask questions. He joined the church immediately, he knew it was true! Her Mother was a bit more hesitant, but did also join the church. Farmor was one of many siblings (I am going to have to get my sheet out to remember). Her older sister had come to America to join the Saints - the Gathering spoken of in the 10th Article of Faith that Chandler spoke about today when Saints were told to come to Church Headquarters to join the body of Saints. One at a time, their family split, and came to the land of the free! Farmor boarded the boat with some "girl friends," but no family members. While on the journey over, one of her friends died, and was tragically buried at sea. Farmor (Marta Astrid Axlina Weijland [I will check spelling]) landed at Ellis Island, where they did strip searches on everyone for fleas. They checked them out physically, and then lined everyone up for interrogation. Märta watched and listened as her turn neared. Her question was "Do you love your home land?" She did indeed love her homeland, it was dear to her heart! She stammered and didn't know what to say as she relived memories of her friend being strapped to a board, and sent overboard into the sea. Finally she gathered courage, and answered bravely "Yes, I love my homeland." Knowing that this answer could send her back onto the boat.. she would tell us that she waited scared for her life. She said the men looked, stopped, and then finally answered, "Anyone who loved their homeland can learn to love America. You may enter." She was so relieved! She then received her paperwork back, only to find that they had changed her name. The papers rather than reading Märta said Martha. To her dying day, she was known in America as Martha because she was not going to let that force her to return to that boat!
Märta made the long journey to Zion (Salt Lake City) and found a job as a nanny. There where many from Sweden were working as nannies in downtown Salt Lake - enough that they held their own church gatherings in Swedish. Farmor didn't know English well. She claimed that she learned English by reading the Relief Society magazine (see her testimony there). She had not been here long, when she went to a dance for the young people. There was fine man there, who asked her to dance. They danced the night away, and she fell in love! She didn't know that he was the father to five children. It was several weeks later that he divulged that information to Martha. His wife Keri had passed away in child birth of Christopher Bernson Paulsen. Martha was taken home to meet the kids, and within a very short time, married Paul, and became an instant Mom to five little ones! Christopher was only 6 months old. She is an amazing example!!! I love you Farmor! Thank you! Farmor did get to see her Mother again, many, many years later. Obviously I was named after her! I carried the umlaut over my first a, and the correct spelling that she lost at Ellis Island. When I was in kindergarten, some of my papers were shown to my Dad. He chastized me, and told me that I was not correctly spelling my name, and had better learn it correctly! I learned that my name was Märta with the umlauts. I am so grateful for the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Martha Weijland Paulsen. She was a totally amazing woman! Thank you Farmor!
Today I live some 300 miles away, and I so wish I could race right up there now to carry on this work of love. I love you Farmor and Farfar! I have such rich heritage! Farmor and Farfar and several of their children are buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery (with many Prophets and Apostles of our church). My Dad's Maternal line is buried in Henefer's little cemetery, where they were sent by Brigham Young to settle. My Mother's lines are all in Brigham City, Utah with many, many valiant pioneers who braved the path across the country. My Great Grandma Chloe was a wonderful genealogist. She told us many, many stories of her Pioneer parents. I need to carry on that legacy.
When Grandma Chloe turned 90, I was young, we held a special party/reception for her in the 4th ward in Brigham City. My Mom rewrote the words to a primary song that I to this day struggle to sing correctly because this is how it will be forever engraved on my mind.
"Whenever I think about Pioneers, I think of my Grandmother Chloe. I like to remember the stories she's told, for she's done genealogy and so, if you would like to talk with her she will tell you more, for she's seen the whole world. For her 90th birthday we have gathered here, we do love our dear Grandmother Chloe."
Grandma Chloe, Grandma Mary, Grandpa Harold, Grandma Orla, Grandma Clyde, I love you each! I was THE luckiest little girl! I had 7 Grandma's all alive when I was little! I loved visiting them, shopping with them, playing in the irrigation ditches in Brigham City as Grandpa Harold & Grandma Mary worked in the field. Walking to the market with Grandma Chloe. She never owned a car, and so she pushed a walker/basket to help her carry her groceries in. She lived very near the center of town, and walked or Grandma Mary took her where she needed to go. I don't know how she used to get to Salt Lake City. I remember carrying huge books for her in the Genealogy (now Family History is the correct term) library in downtown Salt Lake. I am sure that she rode the bus there. I know that Grandma Mary had to catch the bus in Ogden (some 30 miles around the point from Brigham). I wonder how Grandma Chloe caught the bus? I will ask Mom.
This is Grandma Mary the week before she died.
Grandma Mary always picked fresh flowers on Memorial Day to decorate the graves. It would take truck loads of buckets loaded in her trunk to have enough for all the pioneers grave sites she would care for. I loved going with her because she could tell us stories about each one. For me, just finding the headstone was a puzzle I didn't know how she remembered every year. She had many hidden in all corners of the Brigham city cemetery. I miss you Grandma Mary! I wish I could come clean and decorate your headstone today! Thank you for your legacy of love, your example of honor! Grandma Mary was the first woman dentist in the State of Utah! I took a few of my little ones to the dentist this week, and as we waited, I read the certificates on the wall of passing boards, and thought of Grandma Mary taking her boards on the prisoners at the Utah State Penitentiary. She attended dental school in San Francisco, where Grandma Chloe moved with her. Grandma Chloe was a single Mom, her husband was a traveling salesman, and left her for another. He continued to support Grandma Chloe and her daughters, Mary and Shirley. He paid for Mary to go to school. They were brave women to go on their own! Grandma Mary came back to the State of Utah, Brigham City to practice after school. I don't know if they sold their house in Brigham while Mary went to school, or not. I will ask Mom that too.
I am grateful to Grandma Chloe and Grandma Mary for their example as Mormon women who saw education as important. Grandma Mary was a very successful dentist! She owned many, many farms in the Brigham area. Grandma Harold had fancy equipment to run his farms. When I was little, Grandma wasn't practicing any more. I have fond memories of having my teeth cleaned on her couch, with my sister holding the squirt bottle as Grandma ran the drill that would polish my little teeth! Grandma thanks for protecting my teeth! I will do better at helping my little ones have good teeth! I remember you cleaning ours regularly! I will get my little ones in for a cleaning.
I remember playing with the cats at Grandma Mary's. She had horses including a little Shetland pony for us to ride - you were so good to us! Thank you! She had chickens in the coop, a fun (we believed it was haunted) old house we played in, where we found cases and cases full of books! They were so covered in dust, but we managed to find many treasures there to read! I remember making sugar cookies on the cutting boards, on the floor in the kitchen with Grandma. We didn't frost them, but sprinkled them with colored sugar for decoration. What fun! My favorite food at Grandma Mary's was Peanut Butter Sandwiches! Grandma always bought "White" bread! That wasn't a treat that we had at my house! To this day, I remember how good a peanut butter sandwich with her wonderful Peach homemade jam was! I remember peeling the peaches with her. She would sit us at her table, with a towel under my arm and two big bowls - one for the cleaned peaches, and one full of peaches. Then right in front of me was a cake pan, I was told to peel the skins off, after Grandma blanched the peaches. I remember thinking it was such a waste of good peach skin! I loved eating the skin instead of simply dropping it in that cake pan. Because the peaches had been blanched, they were wet, and I was short - even sitting on a spare big pot or a stack of phone books! The water would run down my arm, driving me crazy as it dripped down my side! I remember Grandma putting a towel under my arm so it would catch the water. She was so amazing!
Hanging right behind her table she had a wood engraved sign with two horses standing face to face on the bottom. It read: "Be careful of the words you speak, keep them soft and sweet. You never know from Day to Day, which ones you'll have to eat." I remember wondering what on earth that meant, and what those horses had to do with eating words. I got it Grandma! Thanks for teaching me to take time to think about what I say. I will try hard to remember that advice today!
Grandma Chloe had the BEST raspberries in all the world as far as we were concerned! She had an acre lot that she cared for right up to the end of her life - with the help of Grandma Mary I am sure! She would run the irrigation water down the middle of the rows and rows of raspberries in the back part. I remember Wonderful frozen homemade raspberry jam that Grandma Mary made! I don't know which jam I liked it better, the Peach/Pineapple jam that she bottled, or the frozen raspberry jam she had in the basement freezer. They were both made with love, and soooo delicious! I almost have to stop writing, and go make a peanut butter sandwich right now - 2:12 a.m.. Thanks Grandma for the hours it must have taken for you to pick all those raspberries! I remember her sending us out to pick, but I don't remember ever coming back in the house with more than just a little bowl full. It was our favorite treat! I remember running to say "Hi" to Grandma so we could get a treat from the raspberry bushes in the back!
Liesl with Grandma Mary in December 2002.
Grandma Mary had a huge garden in her yard to the day she died! She had been here to see us (never staying long, but often riding the bus down for over-night!) She drove here frequently too! The last time she was here, my kids had been watching Mary Poppins. We joked as we put her on the bus Very Early that morning, that we hoped the "wind would blow our way again soon!" So she would come back and see us. It was only about a week later that we got a call that she had been square dancing, and died in the arms of her square dance partner. She had been dancing all night, and did one turn, and went down. They said that they think she died before she hit the floor - we know - she Danced right into the arms of Grandpa Harold who was missing her, tired of seeing another man "Swing His Little Girl!" Grandma Mary - I love you! Grandpa thanks for helping her always as the Wind beneath her wings! You worked hard, and provided many opportunities for us little girls to learn life on the farm, about hard work and the satisfaction of a job done.
My Father's Mother was Grandma Orla. She was raised in Henefer, also by a single Mom. Grandma Orla and Grandpa Chris complied a wonderful history, and I highly recommend it! I will get it out this morning, and read it to my kids this week. Grandma Orla was a beautician by trade. She had 4 children, and my Dad, Val was her oldest. Grandma Orla was always very close to her sisters. I was her oldest Grandchild. When I was young, my Dad owned a construction company "ValMark Construction" business with Grandpa Chris, and Uncle Mark. At about the age of 8 - in 1978, work was hard to come by. Grandpa Chris had learned construction from his father "Farfar" or Paul I Paulsen who started Paulsen Construction in Salt Lake City. They built many, many beautiful buildings including the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers building, the South visitor's center on Temple Square, many, many churches, the high rise apartments at the mouth of City Creek Canyon.... It was a family trade passed down to my Dad! In 1978, there were disagreements in the way projects were being bid, and my Dad finally determined that he was not going to continue to stay in the company with no work! So he broke off, from ValMark and opened VPC Inc. (Val Paulsen Construction Inc.) He managed to get work, cutting his percentage below what ValMark was willing to, and bidding work other than for the Church. My Dad went on to build many David Early Tires centers - not even being forced to bid them, but being initially invited to participate on a exclusive list, and then just being the preferred contractor of David Early. Dad built several Draper Bank buildings, and did remodels for the school districts, water district, Hercules, in between other jobs. Because VPC Construction was successful, and ValMark went on to struggle, it created tension in the family! I have many memories, however, there was always some tension because of the difficulties that were blamed on my dad.
Christmas 2002 at a Christmas Party with Grandpa Chris & Grandma Orla
I have fond memories of Christmas morning at Grandma Orla's where we always gathered (despite the hard time) for Poncoka's which Grandma Orla taught her kids to make in the tradition of Farmor - her mother-in-law. I remember as a very young girl, watching her cut women's hair in the studio in her basement. She had several (3 or 4 I believe) chairs in a large room with mirrors on one wall. I remember smirking at the women sitting under the blow dryers after Grandma had rolled their hair. I don't remember Grandma ever cutting my hair, but stories say that Grandma cut my hair at about age 5 at which time it was almost to my waist and naturally wavy/curly. She cut it very short at the request of my Mom. After that day, my hair was never naturally curly again. I remember playing on the swing set in Grandma Orla's backyard (which I now have in my backyard! They just don't make things solid like that these days! Thanks Grandma & Grandpa!). I remember fun parties where Grandma and Grandpa came at Uncle Cy's(sp?)& Aunt Mary's (Grandpa's brother)in July many years in a row. I was kind of adopted by Grandma Orla's sister Aunt Suzy who lives in Ivins - just a few miles away. I will call her tomorrow (oh, in a few hours) and tell her I love her! I got to go to California with Aunt Suzy one year to visit her daughter living there. I remember fun nights at Aunt Suzy's house with her daughter Danielle who is just a few years older than I am, and now lives in California.
I do remember spending a few nights at Grandma Orla's house. I remember one trip to Lake Powell where Farmor came with us! Grandma Orla and Grandpa Chris had a house boat which was fiberglass. It was always high stress when we went because Grandpa was always so worried about hurting the boat. I do have fond memories of sitting on the bow of the boat, waiving to other boats with Farmor sitting by my side. I remember that Grandma Orla had juice boxes (like milk cartons) from Winder dairy which she had frozen to bring on the trip. They were icy, and we would shake them up good, and have a cold treat there in the hot sun. Farmor wore long sleeves and a hat to keep out of the sun. Grandma Orla was "allergic" to the sun, she would turn really red when she got hot, and then would get sick. She stayed inside the houseboat most of the time. When she came out in the sun at Powell, I remember her carrying an umbrella to hide under. I don't remember many trips, but I heard about other Powell trips on the houseboat, and they always seemed riveted with wind, rocks and fear. I almost wrote "Stress" but I remember Farmor saying that in her day that word didn't exist. She said that in Sweden there was no such word. Today it is blamed so often for the root of problems. Farmor would not accept that excuse. Grandma Orla - I love you! Grandpa Chris is still with us. We have a fancy frame that we send him pictures on called a Ceiva frame. I download my pictures of the kids to a computer website, and then every night, his frame which is connected to a phone cable, calls the website, and downloads 30 new pictures so he gets to see what is happening in our world. It is a fun way to connect! I have paid the subscription fee for more than 3 years now, and we continue to enjoy sharing smiles that way.
This post started with memories of Farmor. I can't quit without writing about her! Farmor was not a handcart pioneer, but rather a pioneer in her own right! Farmor grew up in Sweden. When she turned 19, she got on a boat, to come to America. Her older sister had come before, and helped with money so Märta could follow. She boarded the boat, not knowing if she would ever see her Mother and Father, family or homeland again! As a little girl, her Father had a dream vision of a man standing at a pulpit, giving a talk. They lived in an apartment building in Stockholm. One day, her father heard music coming from below them in the apartment, and he went to see what it was. When he found it's source, the music ended, and a man walked to the pulpit. It was the same man and the same sermon he had seen in his dream. He listened to the sermon, and stayed to ask questions. He joined the church immediately, he knew it was true! Her Mother was a bit more hesitant, but did also join the church. Farmor was one of many siblings (I am going to have to get my sheet out to remember). Her older sister had come to America to join the Saints - the Gathering spoken of in the 10th Article of Faith that Chandler spoke about today when Saints were told to come to Church Headquarters to join the body of Saints. One at a time, their family split, and came to the land of the free! Farmor boarded the boat with some "girl friends," but no family members. While on the journey over, one of her friends died, and was tragically buried at sea. Farmor (Marta Astrid Axlina Weijland [I will check spelling]) landed at Ellis Island, where they did strip searches on everyone for fleas. They checked them out physically, and then lined everyone up for interrogation. Märta watched and listened as her turn neared. Her question was "Do you love your home land?" She did indeed love her homeland, it was dear to her heart! She stammered and didn't know what to say as she relived memories of her friend being strapped to a board, and sent overboard into the sea. Finally she gathered courage, and answered bravely "Yes, I love my homeland." Knowing that this answer could send her back onto the boat.. she would tell us that she waited scared for her life. She said the men looked, stopped, and then finally answered, "Anyone who loved their homeland can learn to love America. You may enter." She was so relieved! She then received her paperwork back, only to find that they had changed her name. The papers rather than reading Märta said Martha. To her dying day, she was known in America as Martha because she was not going to let that force her to return to that boat!
Märta made the long journey to Zion (Salt Lake City) and found a job as a nanny. There where many from Sweden were working as nannies in downtown Salt Lake - enough that they held their own church gatherings in Swedish. Farmor didn't know English well. She claimed that she learned English by reading the Relief Society magazine (see her testimony there). She had not been here long, when she went to a dance for the young people. There was fine man there, who asked her to dance. They danced the night away, and she fell in love! She didn't know that he was the father to five children. It was several weeks later that he divulged that information to Martha. His wife Keri had passed away in child birth of Christopher Bernson Paulsen. Martha was taken home to meet the kids, and within a very short time, married Paul, and became an instant Mom to five little ones! Christopher was only 6 months old. She is an amazing example!!! I love you Farmor! Thank you! Farmor did get to see her Mother again, many, many years later. Obviously I was named after her! I carried the umlaut over my first a, and the correct spelling that she lost at Ellis Island. When I was in kindergarten, some of my papers were shown to my Dad. He chastized me, and told me that I was not correctly spelling my name, and had better learn it correctly! I learned that my name was Märta with the umlauts. I am so grateful for the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Martha Weijland Paulsen. She was a totally amazing woman! Thank you Farmor!