Christina Howie Lindsay
Written by her son William Lindsay
She was the oldest child of William Howie and Jane Blackwood. She was born at Craighall,
She got very little education, as they lived three miles from the school house. When quite young, she learned to milk cows, make butter and cheese. She even helped to cut the grain with a cycle and bind it. While cutting grain, she cut her little finger which was stiff for the rest of her life.
When Father first met her, she was a dairy maid at a farm called Crawfordstone. They were married at Craighall on the 15th day of May 1844. On account of Father’s work they kept moving about from time to time. Only once, however, did they move out of Ayrshire an that was just before my birthday in 1847. While living there in 1848 (April) they joined the Mormon Church, and both were faithful leaders as long as they lived, though they had to meet the scoffs and scorn of their friends and neighbors. She was the only one of the Howie family to join the church at this time. Her brother William Howie did join later, but it seemed it was only for the purpose of getting help to bring them to
I remember well when I first had to go to work in the coal mines. I was nine years old and we had to get up very early. Mother used to wake us up and help us get dressed and with tears in her eyes she would say, “My poor sweet boys, I hope you will some day get away from the coal pits.”
Mother was a grand baker of soda scones, especially if she could get butter-milk to mix with the flour. At the death of our dear father, she did not give way to despair but stood the terrible shock wonderfully well. Her faith in God was still strong, and calling us boys around her, she said, “Boys, never mind, we will go to
James S. Brown was president of the company. The ship was divided into 7 wards with a man to oversee each ward. We only had one storm of any consequence on the voyage. The food and water was not good and there was only one large stove or galley to cook for the 700 people. In these conditions it as hard to get anything cooked. Mother, however, had cooked a lot of oat cakes to bring with us so we fared better than many others. There were two deaths on the sea. We arrived safely in
Our family, with others, was assigned to John Turner’s wagon in Homer Duncan’s company. The teamsters and oxen were new to us. We left
Mother soon bought a cabin from Dayless Sprouse and paid for it in clothing she had brought from
Mother was always very independent. There was a move on foot soon after we got here by Wm. J. Wall and others, for all of the settlers to donate to a fund that would furnish a cow free to all the new families, but she refused to take a cow in that way, so she traded a dress pattern to Janet Sessions and got her first cow. In 1864, she was married to George Muir, and even after her marriage she worked in the harvest fields binding wheat to help him with his work. She was always busy doing work of some kind. She got one of the first sewing machines and did sewing for other families. She went to the head of Echo canyon to work and cook for 20 or more men from Heber, who were working on the railroad in 1868. Later, she went to
When they returned to Heber, she acted as a mid-wife, helping many women in times of need. Then she took up a homestead claim at Center Creek, proved upon the claim and gave the title to her sons John and George. She also did what temple work she could for her dead. She was quite active, up to within a year of her death. She often expressed her thanks to God, that she had, with help, and the help of her sons, been able to come to Utah and to see them all comfortably located in homes of their own, with good wives, and she said, “I couldn’t have picked better ones myself.”
When I went on my mission in 1905, she accompanied me on the train to
She lived with George Muir over 40 years, and you may be sure she had plenty to put up with, on account of his drinking, but however she stayed with him or let him stay with her, and finally she had the satisfaction of seeing him live a sober few years. I want to say this for him, he had many good traits in his character and especially he was good natured and not abusive when drinking as some men are.
(Missing something here I think)
She said no, when got a cow it will be “oor ain”. So she sold a shawl or a dress pattern to Alex Session’s wife and got her first cow and she was proud of it too.
There was a grist mill on Snake Creek that had been built that summer but it had no smutter and the flour we got from it was very dark. But people had to use that or go to a mill at
I the fall of 1868 when the Union Pacific Railroad was being built, I took her out to the head of Echo Canyon to cook for some 20 men from Heber which were working there and I also took my intended wife to help her. I took Mother’s stove and all cooking utensils. They earned about $90.00 each while there. She had two children by George Muir. John, born May 24th, 1864 and George, born February 16th, 1866. She also got one of the first sewing machines in Heber and did the sewing for other families. Then she went out to
She also visited the
A few years before her death, she lived in her own home in Heber and was quite spry and active and did her own housekeeping till within a short time before her death at the age of 83 years and 22 days.
Although she never held any high public office in the Church, she was a firm believer and a staunch supporter of all the doctrines of the church and did all she could to encourage her children to work in every way possible for the up-building and on-rolling of the worn of God in the earth. She surely deserves great praise for the great work she performed in bringing her family to
She was a wonderful good mother to us all. God bless her memory.
The following lines were written by me while in
On Hearing of my Mother’s Illness:
It grieves my heart to learn you are so ill
And that I am so far away but still
I know you’ve good true friends on every hand
No better can be found in any land.
I thank the Lord that though I’m far away
Your sons and daughters are with you each day
To cheer and comfort you by words and deeds
In every way attending to your needs.
I pray to God that if it be his will
That he with health and strength may bless you still
That we might all be spared to meet again
In
On July 3rd you will be eighty three
A good old age that only few do see
And few have e’er excelled you in your life
As Mother, constant friend, or faithful wife.
I feel to honor you for all you’ve done
To teach and train your daughters and your sons
In honor, virtue, truth and all that’s good
I’m sure you did your best and all you could.
God bless our Mother Dear in life or death
And keep us all like her, firm in the faith.
That when our race upon this earth is run
We all may meet in our eternal home.
Another few lines written a few days later.
My Mother dear though I am far away
I think of thee quite often every day
And wish within my heart I had the power
To soothe your sufferings in your trying hour.
At morn and night when I bow down in prayer
I ask that God may keep you in his loving care.
And still preserve your life if he thinks best,
Till I shall meet you in the golden West.
But if it be his will that you should be
Called from this life unto eternity
I feel to bow submissive to his will
Knowing that I shall meet dear Mother still.
If true and faithful which I hope to be
I shall both you and my dear Father see
Where pain and sickness and all sorrows cease
And those who’ve overcome find sweet release.
Many times when I used to call at her home she would say, “William, I thank the Lord every day I live that I got you boys all here to
Your affectionate brother,
William Lindsay.
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