Stephen, Signora Life Histories



Stephen Williamson Thaxton and Signora Hansen
Wedding Picture 1903

Stephen Williamson Thaxton

November 28, 1871 to August 16, 1949

Stephen Williamson Thaxton, son of James William Thaxton and Helen Marion Averett Thaxton was born 28 November 1871 in Shunesberg, Washington County, Utah. He was the eighth child in a family of nine.  He was baptized October 6 1879. When he was a child his

family moved to Mt. Carmel Utah where he attended school up to the third grade. The best education offered in that area at that time.  As a boy of fourteen years, he herded cattle on what was known as "The Escalante". He took only his bedroll and a few staples such as flour, salt, sugar. shortening, soda, and dried beef etc. He could make excellent soda biscuits. When he was older he ranged cattle in what is now Zions National Park, He carried a pistol to protect himself from cattle that had gone "loco". He was also familiar with a place called "Robbers Roost" in a box canyon, in the park. The experience he had tending cattle and living off the land stood him in good stead all the rest of his life.  Steve (as he was called) married Sarepta Angeline Jolley

December 9 1895. To this union was born a daughter, Maneta, on October 3 1896. Their next child named Stephen was born November 9, 1899, and lived three weeks. He died November 27, 1899. Sarepta died when Stephen was born from complications of this birth. They are both buried in Tropic, Utah cemetery. Steve reared his daughter Maneta, by himself for three years, a difficult task.  Three years after his first wife Sarepta, died he courted Signora Hansen and they were married in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah April 8 1903, at this time Signora stood proxy for Sarepta to be sealed to Stephen. Their first home was in Tropic, Garfield County, Utah, a two room house.  Their first child, Leland, was born 16th of May 1904.  Later they moved to Mt. Carmel Kane County, Utah and another son, Leonard Clyde, was born April 18, 1907.  Their third son, James Andrew was born August 10, 1909 in

Tropic, Garfield County, Utah.  While living in Tropic, they lived near the mountains where

they had a small farm.  To supplement his income Steve drove a six horse team hauling freight from Salt Lake City, to St. George for a hardware and general store. This had to be a most grueling task, in winter and summer weather over a distance approximately 500 miles with no improved roads.  One time Steve was bucked off of a horse in front of his neighbor's home. His niece found him lying in a puddle of blood nearly dead. It was reported that he lay unconscious for nearly a week, This left a scar on his head, but he did pull through. 

In Tropic they had many floods and the winters were very bad in those years. One winter Steve and another man went to search for a mailman. They found him frozen to death near the East Fork of Tropic.

When Leland was a small boy his father would take him for a walk to town to get the mail.   They had a big dog and Steve loved to watch "a dog fight."  One time some men jokingly said they finally found something that could beat his dog in a fight, a cougar. Luckily Steve's dog was bigger and won the battle again.  He enjoyed a dog fight as much as some people love boxing, baseball etc nowadays.

Steve and his family moved to Murray, Utah, for a short time.  While living there he worked on an aqueduct that brought water to Salt Lake City. The spring floods forced them to move and so Steve drove the team and wagon and his wife Nora drove the team and buggy. Steve took good care of his horses. Nora remarked that he always fed and watered, and groomed his horses before he looked after his family. He had the best of reasons for doing this. When they first carne to Idaho, Steve worked at the Sugar City sugar factory cutting the sugar with a paddle. Later on they moved to Emerson District near Heyburn where they lived in a tent during the

remainder of the winter.  In the spring they rented the Claughley home in Emerson and while there a son, Marion, was born on the 27 September 1911.  Steve hauled hay during the winter to supplement their income. The construction of the irrigation system from the Minidoka dam was not complete, so Steve worked on a dragline building canals and drain ditches. He also helped in the construction of the Gooding canal and aqueduct at Glenns Ferry, Idaho.  Steve homesteaded on one of the last eighty acres in the Heyburn area and lived there the rest of his life. 

Three more children were born, Elden H. Thaxton 31 March 1916, Irma Sarepta September 21, 1918, and Alfred October 3, 1921. The last child. Alfred, being born just 25 years to the day of when his first child, Maneta was born.  Steve had a lot of patience and helped his boys learn to work.  One time they went out on one of the islands in the river and were chopping willows with an axe, and one flipped up and hit Steve in the eye, causing him to lose the sight in that eye. This incident occurred during a winter when the river was frozen over hard enough to drive a team of horses over to the island. He also went into the mountains south of Oakley, Idaho to cut and haul pine and cedar for firewood. Alfred went on one of these trips and recalls some of the details; "We drove to Oakley, which took one day, and stayed with Uncle John Butler.  The next day we went to Bostetter where the timber was located. Dad worked all that day and we stayed overnight in the hills. The next day Dad snaked the logs onto the wagon using chains and ropes and a horse to pull the logs up the skids. As a small boy I tried to help but just got knocked down by the end of a tree. I always admired Dad's ability to handle this job with very little help. We went back to John Butlers and stayed another night, then on home the following day. It took the better part of a week to get a winters supply of wood."  Steve believed in discipline. Once three of the boys were fighting so he cut three twigs off of the prune tree and gave one to each boy. He made them whip each other below the belt and the first one to quit was going to get it from their dad. (He mellowed in later years).

He was always up at 5 a. m. making a fire even if it meant waiting for the sun to come up.   Every morning he had hot soda biscuits for breakfast except Sunday when he had hotcakes. If

Nora was sick, he would do the cooking.  He left the field at 5 P.M. so that he could be on time for meals and milk the cows at exactly 6 P. M.  Steve believed in being punctual, a trait that has carried over into his children. 

Steve loved to go to celebrations and rodeos; although he thought many of the cowboys inept at roping and riding. Every so often they would take a day to go visiting friends and relatives.  In about 1925 they had their first car and on the way with Nora, her mother, Caroline Hansen, Alfred and Irma were on their way to visit Steve's sister, Helen Marion Moncur, in Emerson. They had an accident on the way that permanently injured Nora. Steve never drove a car again.

He loved a good horse and enjoyed riding. He also took great pride in having good work horses. His horses were always the best; or he trained them to be the best, everything was shined and given the best of care. He had his own blacksmith shop and fitted his horses with shoes as well as repaired the farm machinery. In this shop he had a forge with bellows that were pumped to keep the fire hot and he could shape the steel over an anvil. He also had a shoe stand where he could repair or resole us kids shoes.

Until electricity was available they used sagebrush, willows and cedar for fuel and for many years later. They received their first telephone about 1917 and their first number was 75R5. Maneta became a telephone operator. Electricity was put in about 1921 or 1922.

Since Steve had had a lot of experience with animals he was always in demand to doctor the neighbor’s cattle. He was "on call” day and night even after Veterinarians came to the area. The farm had a road on the east side. In the summer this road filled with blow sand and in the winter with drifted snow. Steve pulled so many cars out of the sand or snow that he always harnessed one horse before he would go to bed so he would be of help to the stranded travelers. He received a thanks mostly for compensation. 

During the evenings he would sit and braid lariats, hackamores, quirts and repair chairs from rawhide that he gauged from cowhides. He made a lariat for each of his sons. Steve made his own spinning wheel from a washing machine. In the spring he pulled hair from the horse’s tails and the children would spin the hair, and he then made horsehair ropes.  Many evenings Steve would play a five string banjoes and sing some songs. The children always enjoyed the get-togethers and would beg him to do it often.

 Steve Thaxton upheld the LDS Church but did not attend often.  He had no bad habits such as drinking or smoking. After moving to Idaho, their neighbor was the Bishop and was always asking why he did not attend church with his family. One Sunday he decided to go to Sunday School and was asked to help with the Sacrament. This scared him so badly that he rarely went to church again.

In August of 1949 things were not going too well on the farm, and he was a little discouraged, also his health had been failing for over a year. He was sitting on the lawn under a tree whittling, which he did most of the time. He had gone out into the fields three times in the late afternoon; it was very hot. After he came back the third time he put away his knife, handed his wallet to Nora and said "What's the use?" At this time he suffered a stroke and fell from his chair. Leland was called and then the rest of the family and then they the ambulance.   Meanwhile they took him into the house, as he left he raised up to look around as if it was the last time he would be there. He always said that he didn't want to die with his boots on and when Leland pulled them off, he smiled. Steve had never wanted to be in a hospital, but

this time there was no objection. Three days later he died at 11:45 P.M. August 16, 1949. Alfred was sitting with him at the time, although all of his kids, even Maneta was in the hospital area. Stephen Thaxton was buried in the Heyburn Cemetery. 

Steve Thaxton was above all a Christian, in the way he lived his life, giving to his fellow men and all those people he came in contact with. It should be said of him, "That he lived in a house

by the side of the road and was a friend to man".  Jesus said, "The greatest commandment is; Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart--And thy neighbor as thy self."  Also:  "For if ye have done it unto the least of these, Ye have done it unto me."  This is the creed by which Stephen Williamson Thaxton lived, and his children honored him for this creed. 

Written by notes from Leland, Irma, Maneta and Alfred.

Comments by Irma:

I didn't show much outward affection to my father but my parents didn't show affection either. I always knew that he would get for me anything he could. I also tried to do the same thing in return whether it was working in the field or picking berries or in the house. He did most of the shopping, because of my mother being crippled and if she needed material for a dress for me or herself, he would by it and bring it home. He was very good at picking pretty material. I didn't have new clothes often, mine were mostly hand-me-downs but he always managed to get me what I needed. After I was married, I always went home often to help or do what I could to make things easier for him. He was honest, hardworking and would give you his last penny if you needed it.

HISTORY OF SIGNORA (HANSEN) THAXTON

 Signora Hansen was born July 30, 1881, at Big Cottonwood, Salt Lake City, Utah.  She was the second daughter of Caroline Pederson and Andrew Janus Hansen (A.J.).  The first daughter only lived one month.  A. J. Hansen was a polygamist and Caroline was his second wife.  The little home in which Signora was born was only one room.  It was built of adobe.   Andrew and Caroline made the adobe bricks themselves.

Signora and her mother lived there for six years.  They moved by covered wagon to Cannonville, Utah, which is in the southern part of the state.  In 1892 they moved to Tropic, Utah.  Nora's father built them a new home made from sawed logs.  It was a one and one half story house.   He owned a sawmill at this time.  I remember Mama telling about going to the sawmill in the summer to cook for the crew.  They also went to the caves to get ice to make homemade ice cream.   She spent all her girlhood years in Tropic.  She attended the schools which were' available at that time.  When she was twelve years old she was appointed Secretary of the first Primary organization in their new ward in Tropic.  Her father was the first Bishop in Tropic.

She worked as a hired girl in a boarding house for her room and board with very little money for wages. 

On the 8th of April 1903, she was married to Stephen Williamson Thaxton in the Sal t Lake City Endowment House.  Also at this time, she stood proxy for Stephen’s first wife,   Sarepta Angeline Jolley who had died from complications at childbirth.  They had one girl, Maneta, and the baby boy who died at three weeks.   Maneta was six years old when Nora and Steve were married.  They moved into the same home the same home that was Steve and Sarepta's.  Steve worked at hauling logs for the sawmill the first year of their marriage.  The only means of transportation was by horse and wagon.   Nora was very good at handling a horse.

Their first child, Leland, was born May 16, 1904, in Tropic, Utah.  They moved from their small farm to Mt. Carmel, Kane, Utah, and while there Leonard Clyde was born April 18, 1901. They moved back to Tropic and James Andrew was born August 10, 1909.  Steve worked at hauling freight from Salt Lake City to St. George for a hardware and general store.  The spring floods forced them to move so they went as far as Murray, Utah, for a short time where Stephen worked on an aqueduct that brought water into Sa1t Lake City.

The next move was to Sugar City, Idaho.  They moved by horse and wagon, one driven by Steve and one driven by Nora.  Steve worked at the sugar factory for awhile.  Then they moved to the Emerson district where they lived in a tent for rest of the winter.  Nora knew what hardships were raising a small family while living in the coldness of a tent. In the spring they rented the Claughley farm.

Marion was born September. 27, 1911.

They homesteaded an 80 acre farm in Heyburn and this is where they lived the rest of their lives.  They first built a one room house with a lean to for porch.  By the time Elden was born on March 31, 1916.  They had added two more rooms, a bedroom and front room. The kitchen was 1arge but the bedroom was small. 

 Steve worked on the dragline helping to build canals and ditches and Nora cooked for the crew part of the time.

Irma Sarepta was born September 21, 1913.  Alfred October 3, 1921.  A midwife helped with the birth of her children as there were very few doctors.

Nora always raised a good garden and as soon as possible they started an orchard and a berry patch.  She had all the kinds of berries that could be grown in this area.  I learned to pick berries when I was young.   You started at sun up and picked until they finished.  They had a big enough patch that other people carne and picked on shares. They were picked every other day and it lasted about a month. The other kinds of berries we picked ourselves on the opposite days.   

We made birthdays special by always baking a cake, usually a plain cake with lots of whipped cream between the layers and on top.  That was the favorite.  Nora did lots of sewing and handwork.  She loved to piece quilts and quilt them.  She crocheted and braided rugs from old clothes cut into strips.

She was always active in church work and loved to sing in the choir.  She taught Primary and was secretary in the Relief Society.

Every morning except Sundays, she baked hot baking powder biscuits for Steve’s breakfast.  Sometimes he consented to eat hot cakes on Saturday.

She loved to dance.  The time I saw her dance was at a Hansen family reunion in Pocatello.  We went as a family, but only Alfred and I stayed with her overnight in Pocatello.  She had a pretty pair of dress shoes, but only wore them for a short time.

In June of 1925, just before her 44^th birthday, she and Steve, Alfred, Irma and Grandma Hansen were driving to Emerson to visit Aunt Helen Moncur who was Steve’s sister.  They were hit by an oncoming car.  Nora and Alfred were hurt quite badly.  They were taken home and after the doctor came, he sent them to a private hospital in Burley.  Alfred’s stomach was injured and Nora had a dislocated hip.  When the doctor set the hip, he broke the hip socket, but didn’t admit it or try to fix it.  Nora was in a lot of pain and could hardly walk on crutches.  Her brother, Heber Hansen, lived in Pocatello and he knew of a bone specialist at the Holy Cross Hospital.  He convinced her to go to Pocatello where a Dr. Bond operated on her hip.  He repaired the socket joint and put a steel plate in her hip.  It left her with her right leg two inches short.  She was in a cast and in the hospital about six weeks and then stayed at Heber’s for awhile. She used crutches for a long time and then used a cane.  She also had her shoe built up two inches so she could walk better.  She endured much pain, but still took care of her family and was very independent.

She went to Oakley to visit her mother, Caroline Hansen, and her sister, Josephine, once in awhile to help them out.  In the fall of 1932, Josephine and two of her daughters, Sine and Vera, came to live with them in Heyburn.  Josephine was a widow and her health was very poor so Nora and Steve took care of her until her death in April 1933.  Sine and Vera continued to live with Steve and Nora for another year.  It wasn’t easy for them to add to the family because all of this time they only had three rooms, but the family made the best of it.

It was hard for Nora to do the shopping, so Steve did most of it.  He would go to Van Engelens and pick out material for her to sew and bought a lot of the groceries.  She had many ups and downs from being crippled. 

Steve bought Nora an electric sewing machine in the early 1930’s.  It was a White and was the first one in the area.  It was hard for her to treadle her old sewing machine.

In 1942, they added a bedroom and a bathroom to the house.

She fell two different times and cracked her hip which laid her up for awhile each time, but she continued to do whatever was possible.  For many years, Nora had goiters in her neck.  It was about the size of a golf ball and sat just under the skin on the side of her neck.  When doctors became more plentiful and knowledgeable, she was operated on and they removed one from the inside and one from the outside.  She came thorough the operation good and her health improved.  Goiters were quite common in those days and gradually medicine and diet corrected the problem.

Steve had not been well for some time and was unable to do any work.  On August 16, 1949, he passed away at Cottage Hospital in Burley, Idaho.  He was 77 years old.

Nora continued to live in the home and take care of herself.  In the spring of 1956, she tripped and fell.  This time she crushed a vertebra in her back.  She was put in a body cast that extended the length of her body and it was very hard for her to sit.  It was so heavy she couldn’t walk.  During this time, she lived with Ray and Irma.  She was in the cast about three months.

She continued to live in her own home until 1958.  She lost her balance and fell again.  She was in the hospital for two days and then returned home in a wheel chair.  She had a woman come to stay with her, but her condition didn’t improve and it was too hard to hire a women to stay and take care of her.

 It was decided the only thing to do was to move her to Ray and Irma’s to live.  Irma took care of her for two years and then had to move her to the Burley Nursing Home.

 She had a stroke in September 1961 which left her not knowing anyone or able to do anything for herself.  She died in Cassia Memorial Hospital on April 12, 1962.

She was never happy after we moved her from her home even though she couldn’t walk or take care of herself.  She had lived in that home for over 40 years and had seen many changes.  She reared seven children of her own and was a mother to Maneta too.  She had 21 grandchildren.

History written by Irma Thaxton Bailey.