In the onward flow of years, all that is not recorded is lost. We know of the past only what the written page reveals; the romance, the tragedy, the joy, the sorrow, the struggles and achievements of a people. Silent the tongue that told the tales, faded the pictures aroused by the narrative, clipping from memory are the courage and heroism. Shall we let the stories die and be buried in the annals of the past? While there is yet time, it would be rescued and retold:
And so it is expected that the posterity of Joshua Coombs and Sarah Lane Huggins should wish to preserve a record of their pioneer heritage. So in this event, I will relate the following historical events of my gracious pioneer mother's life:
She, Sarah Lane Huggins, youngest child of William Huggins and Emeline Acker, was born July 2, 1850, in Tom's River, Ocean County, New Jersey and lived there the first three years of her life. Then, together with her parents she came to Utah from New Jersey in 1853 - traveling by ox team in Captain Anthony W. Ivan's Company. The family arrived in Springville, Utah, August 10, 1853, and lived there for awhile and from Springville they moved to Fayette, Utah, to help colonise (sic) there. Then in the fall of 1862, they came to Fountain Green, where she lived the remaining years of her life. The family was living in the Fort at Fountain Green at the time of the Black Hawk War.
At the age of seventeen, she met and married a Mr. John Reedhead as a second wife. As he had another wife, their family life was not too happy and so they were divorced. They had two children, a boy William Levi Reedhead, born February 24, 1868, and died at the age of two years, and a girl, still-born.
Two years later she married my father, Joshua Coombs, July 22 1872, at the Salt Lake Endowment House. They made the trip to the Endowment House by ox team. They both had a lot in common as they had both been married before, but they knew that marriage was ordained of God and that marriage was the mother of the world. It preserves kingdoms and fills cities and churches and heaven itself.
Her first home here in Fountain Green as a bride was a very small 10 x 10 foot one room house built by father in 1865 and in that home my brother, Joshua, was born. Seven children were born to add to their posterity and to bless their marriage. They were all born in Fountain Green. Joshua David, born March 7, 1874 and married Maria Barentson. Harriet Emeline, born May 16, 1876 and married Andrew F. Morgan. Hannah Amelia, born October 30, 1878, and married William T. Mathis. Elisabeth Flarilla, born June 4, 1881, and married David Abraham Robertson. George Ephraim, born April 10, 1884, and married Agnes Matilda Anderson. Edward Alonzo, born October 24, 1886 and married Lula Amelia Bryan. Wilford Henry, born April 13, 1889 and married Ellen Janet Crowther.
Her second home was a one-room log house, 17 1/2 x 13 feet (both the first and second houses are still standing on Brother Wilford's lot). Five of their children were born in their second log house and as she had pledged to be father's companion and helpmeet she worked very hard during the years of privation and hardships in rearing her family. They had a few sheep and would save some wool for family use. I remember her washing it, spinning it into yarn, coloring it and knitting socks and stockings, gloves and mittens and carding it into batts for quilts. I remember, also, that occasionally in the fall father would kill a beef for the family use and I remember helping mother make candles from the tallow that was not suitable for food. After rendering the tallow I would hold the twisted candle wick into the center of the molds as she would pour in the rendered grease. These candles furnished much of our light at night. We had a large fireplace in the south end of our room that also gave us lots of light as well as heat. Father would place a long log on the fire that kept burning far into the night. In member I can still see those bright embers glowing and they seemed to stand as sentinels, watching o'er us while we slept.
Mother used to gather the long new rye straws, soak them in water to soften them and braid them in long strands and then fashion it into hats. She would buy a little ribbon and made or buy a few flowers and put them on, sew and elastic to put under our chins and thus our Easter bonnets were fashioned. She sewed all our clothing from undergarments to Sunday-best dresses, coats, capes, hoods, etc. Father's farm produced most of our food and her labors in that capacity were equally as hard as in the previous one in preparing and storing it for winter's use. Mother used to go in the fields and assist him with his planting and harvesting.
Father was a singer and played a cornet in the Fountain Green Brass Band.
In spit of mother's busy life, she always found time to visit her elderly mother. She lived in Fountain Green, too, but in the extreme north end of town and mother lived in the south, a distance of one mile. We had a very gentle riding pony and mother would mount the horse, put the baby in front of her and sister Elizabeth at the back and go to her mother's for a few hours. At times when mother was there visiting she would have Elizabeth play at the south end of the house and listen for father's cornet call. If he returned home before mother did he gave her a signal on his cornet. Sarah, my pretty Sarah. She would immediately return home and prepare he evening meal while father did the chores. Then they would spend their evenings out in the yard singing together and father playing his cornet. In fancy, I can still see and hear them singing and playing beautiful moonlight, a favorite song of theirs.
They would go into the hills and gather service berries, sometimes camping overnight which was always a joy to the children in the company, sleeping out under the blue heaven and beautiful stars. She would dry the berries and use them for pie and puddings during the winter. They also used to dry red currants to use the same way. Ground cherries were also gathered from the fields and made into preserves, as we used to call it. Father was very fond of them and so mother never thought her winter storage of food quite complete without it. She also dried corn as a winter vegetable and had corn-meal made for bread and cereal. Whe the cows would be at their highest production of milk, she made several cheeses. Many times I've watched her put them in her press at the south side of the house. These were also added to her winter feed supply.
Mother was a counselor in the M.I.A. about the year 1878. I remember her helping the other officers cook and prepare a dinner for the old people of the ward. Her dear life was devoted to the real and human things in life. She was a favorite in her family among the children and when any of them were ill they always sent for Aunt Sada, as they lovingly called her. She would go to them all hours of the day or night and her mode of travel was either walking or riding on a horse in back of the one that came for her. Her love and tender care to t hem smoothed many a rugged road. I remember two different times when she had a contagious disease in her own family that she partitioned her one room off with wire stretched tight near the ceiling and hung quilts on it to keep the sick ones separated from the rest of her family. Mother taught her children that material things perish, wealth vanishes away, but an untarnished soul is God's greatest handiwork.
With soft-spoken words mother spoke of happiness, of faith and love for one another. The world around her little home was drab enough, but when a great soul is lighted by endless eternal fires, it glorifies all about. She lived and toiled in those little log homes until about 1889 when they moved in to the brick home now owned by brother Wilford, in which he was born. She lived in that home the remaining part of her life. This home was much better than her former ones had been.
A short life well lived was filled with her untiring love and service to her husband, her family and friends. With her beautiful voice she sang the songs of praise and devotion to our Heavenly Father. At the age of forty-nine, and still true to her covenants as a helpmeet, she passed to the Great Beyond, to a better home above. This was on August 5, 1899.
She was the mother of nine children, seven survived her, also her husband and two grandchildren, Melvin Morgan and LaVern Mathis. All this to bless and cherish her loving memory. The memory of my pioneer mother is a sweet and hallowed one to me and will never, never die. So in death, as in life, she stands beside her loved ones, beckoning them on to even higher achievements, to lives of service and devotion.
Her posterity up to date in 1955 is one hundred ninety three, most of them living. her two children by her former marriage preceded her in death and 4 of her children by her second marriage have followed her, and also eleven of her grandchildren. Four of her children still are living and sixty-nine of her grandchildren, also many great-grandchildren.
Five of her grandsons served their country during World War II. One, Virgil Coombs, son of Wilford, gave his life in the campaign of Italy. Evan and Don Coombs, sons of Alonzo. Two of her great-grandsons, Vern and Bern Chapman, grandsons of Hannah also served during World War II. Since the end of the war, Ken Coombs, brother of Virgil, is serving in the Korean War. Dean Coombs, son of Alonzo and Grant Fahrni, grandson of George have also entered the service of our country. Another great-grandson, Jay Dee Coombs, a grandson of Joshua, is filling a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and is at present in South Dakota, which is in the West Central States Mission. Bessie Coombs has filled a mission in Minneapolis, Minnesota and will be released May 25, 1957. A great grandson, Garn Coombs, is on a mission in Springfield, Vermont, in the New England States.
Her children were the jewels on earth and will be her stars in her crown of eternal life.
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