Web hosting Custom Email SiteBuilder

Ida Laura Rawle Carrigan was born December 30, 1879 at Morgan, Utah, a daughter of James Richard and Margaret Mary Simmons Rawle. She was the second child in a family of twelve children. She was blessed with wonderful parents and was reared in a home where there was an abundance of love, understanding, companionship and happiness. Her parents had a strong testimony of the Gospel and they lived as perfect a life as it is possible for humans to live. Their spirituality radiated in their home and had a great influence on the lives of their children as well as on all who associated with them. Friends were always welcome in their home, which was a gathering place for the young people. It was a common practice for them to tell their friends to meet them at Rawle's. As they grew older they even had their "dates" call for them there.

Because there were no telephones when Mother was young, Grandpa and the fathers of their friends, had a unique way of letting them know it was time to come home. They would go outside and play a special tune on their cornet, which could be heard from quite a distance. Each family had it's own tune, which they all recognized, and they would know who was being called home.

Mother and her sister Sarah, enjoyed playing house and they spent considerable time playing together. Mother had always been afraid of cats and one day as they were playing at the back of Grandpa's lot, which was beyond a vegetable garden and a barn, in a small apple orchard, they heard "Meow" and Mother said, :Sarah, did you hear that?" Then there came a second "Meow: and Mother grabbed her things and was ready to run. Aunt Sarah said, "Don't be afraid Ida, it's only a kithy." (Aunt Sarah used to lisp) At this point Grandpa came out and let them know he had made the sounds just to have a little fun with them.

Mother never overcame her fear of cats. She and Aunt Sarah always had a close relationship and when they married their husbands became good friends. The four of them had many good times together. When Mother and Dad moved to Bingham Canyon, Sandy and Midvale, They would visit each other and at times would stay over-night.

Mother received her education in the Morgan grade school, there was no high school in Morgan at that time.

As a young girl and as a young lady, Mother and her sisters Maggie and Sarah, sang together for church and community programs. She told me of a time when they volunteered to sing in Primary. They sang the chorus of "I was seeing Nellie Home", which was "I was seeing Nellie Home, I was Seeing Nellie Home, It was from Aunt Dinah's quilting party, I was seeing Nellie Home." They kept singing this over and over until their teacher stopped them, saying it was very nice and they could finish it another time. She also told me of a time when they sang on a program and Grandma wasn't able to go with them. When they returned from the program Grandma asked how they had sung, Mother said, " I guess we didn't do very well because they had us sing another time". She was too young to realize this was a complement. When they were older, Aunt Maggie would accompany them on the guitar when they sang.

Mother was talented with dramatic ability and acted in some plays and operas that were produced by a community organization in Morgan. She played the part of "Little Eva" in the play "Uncle Tom's Cabin." She also had a part in a musical about "Queen Esther", from the Bible. She often sang some of the songs from this opera. W also enjoyed listening to her sing some of the songs from Melodrama such as, "After the Ball Was Over", "My Mother was a Lady", "Two Little Girls in Blue", "The Baggage Coach Ahead", and others like them. These songs were tear jerkers but they told a story and we enjoyed hearing them. She would also sing some humorous songs, which I am sure Grandpa learned in England, such as "The Bowery", and "Wake up Johnny, Wake up John".

Doing house work was about the only work a girl could get when Mother was young and at one time while she was working for a lady who had a new baby, she had the experience of making "Hard Dumplings:. She was told to make them with flour, salt and water and to boil them in water that ham had been cooked in. They were truly hard dumplings and Mother was worried because she was sure she had ruined them. When the family started to eat she watched nervously to see their reaction. They ate most of them and the lady she was working for told her to save any that hadn't been eaten because they liked to eat them cold too. Mother didn't realize how many times she would make these dumplings in her lifetime because we really liked them. The younger members of our family didn't like them and Dad used to say he thought he should half-sole our shoes with them.

Mother also worked for a time for Aunt Julia Walker (Grandma Rawle's sister). Aunt Julia's husband managed a large ranch on Antelope Island and Aunt Julia cooked for the men who worked there. Aunt Julia was quite different from Grandma and sometimes she would speak sharply to Mother and make her feel very sad. In addition, Mother was home sick and would cry almost every night when she went to bed. Dad also worked there for awhile when Mother was there. In the story of Dad's life I told some of the experiences he had there.

Mother taught a young Sunday School class and she told me of a testimony meeting her class had. One little girl said, "One time my brother had a sore finger and my mother put salve in it and it got better." Another student said her grandfather had been very sick so they had the Elders administer to him and he died.

Mother was very popular with the young men and Dad had some keen competition when he was dating her. There was a time when she didn't know which one she liked best, Dad or another young man she was dating. When she was with one she thought she liked the other best, but Dad finally won. In later years a daughter of the other man she dated, was one of our closest friends. We used to tell Mother we were glad she had married Dad instead of Mr. Francis, even though he was a very nice man.

Mother and Dad were married in the Salt Lake Temple January 18, 1901. They had to travel to Salt Lake in a horse drawn cutter ( a one horse sleigh). Their wedding reception was held January 23, 1901. A full course dinner was served to all the guests, followed by a dance. Grandma prepared all of the food; and served it in her home. They started to serve dinner at 4:00 PM and would serve as many as could be seated at a large table, these guests would then go to the dance and another group would be served. This was repeated until all the guests had been served.

Except for about a two year period, when they lived in Salt Lake City, Mother and Dad lived in Morgan County, Utah until 1923. At that time Dad was working for the Utah Power and Light Company and in January of 1923 they transferred him to Bingham Canyon, Utah. From this time on in their lives, they lived in some town in Salt Lake County.

Mother and Dad lived in Peterson, Utah when Lois was born and when she was very young, Mother had David O. McKay for dinner. He was General Church Sunday School Superintendent at the time and had come to attend Stake Conference in Morgan. He was a good friend of Uncle Jim (Dad's brother) and he had asked Mother if he could bring him there for dinner. Mother said that when Brother McKay (Later President McKay) looked at Lois he said, "Sometimes we may not consider ourselves to be rich but if someone offered you millions of dollars for this baby, you wouldn't take it.

When Mother was not quite eighteen years of age, she received her Patriarchal Blessing from her Grandfather, which said she would be "A mother of a numerous offspring and they will honor thee from generation to generation." At that time it seemed far fetched and she and her friends used to joke about it. Mother's special calling certainly was that of being a wife and mother. She gave birth to fourteen children, one a still born, one a twin who died thirty minutes after birth and one who died of complications following measles, at one year of age. Three adult daughters, Verna, Agnes and Phyllis also preceded her in death. Mother's life certainly proved how well she fulfilled her calling as a mother and she will be honored from generation to generation.

Mother had a very hard life, especially when we were young. Dad didn't always have a regular job, which was common with many men at this time. This made it difficult for Mother and she had to manage on very little money. With so many to feed and clothe, it was difficult and she would be the one to go without the things that she might need. She never complained. I know there were many times when we were participating on programs, that Mother would have liked to see us perform but she didn't have the proper clothes to wear so she had to stay home. She was anxious to learn how well we had done and was eager to talk to us about it.

For many years of her life she had a health problem with a very bad goiter, which gave her considerable trouble. At that time it was always fatal to have it removed so she continued with the problem until about 1931, when the operation had been perfected. Even then she had a very slow recovery.

She didn't live in a home with indoor plumbing until she moved to Bingham Canyon, in 1923. Not many homes had it before that time, in fact, the land lord had it installed in the home in Bingham Canyon before our family moved into it. Most of the homes Mother lived in didn't have water piped into them. Water had to be carried from a spring or be pumped from a well. A considerable amount of water had to be carried for such a large family and had to be heated on a coal stove for bathing and for doing the family laundry. Mother was very particular and each batch of clothes had to be put through the washer twice. The white clothes were boiled in addition to that and all the clothes were rinsed twice, all of which kept us busy carrying water. Our wash day lasted from morning until night and we sometimes had to use a lantern to see to finish hanging the clothes to dry. The washer was a manually operated one. Mother had her first electric washer about 1920. She had her first electric stove when she moved to Bingham Canyon. Many years of her life she didn't have electric lights because electricity wasn't available.

I don't want to sound disloyal to Dad, but he was the youngest child in the family and he was really spoiled. His family waited on him "hand and foot" and gave him his way in almost anything he wanted. Because of this, he wasn't very thoughtful of Mother and she continued to wait on him just as his family had done, and Dad expected it. I'm sure he didn't realize how hard this made Mother's life, he had known nothing else. In later years when Dad had a bad leg, because of arthritis, he didn't want to go anywhere and he didn't want Mother to go either. She would stay home with him regardless of how badly she might want to go. When we would try to talk her into going she would refuse because she wouldn't want to leave him alone, which was typical of how unselfish she was.

Mother was also considerate of Dad's Mother in spite of the fact that Grandma wasn't always nice to her. Mother had married Grandma's favorite son and had taken him away from her and Grandma couldn't quite forgive her for it.

When we lived in Peterson Mother would encourage Dad to stop by and eat with Grandma so Grandma wouldn't have to eat alone. Mother knew how much this would please her. Whenever Mother baked anything she always sent some to Grandma.

Mother was very sympathetic and generous. When my sister Margaret was a baby (1911) we lived near a railroad station in Morgan, Utah. The trains would stop here to get water and when the train stopped many men who had been hiding on the cars would get off and go to the homes nearby to ask for food. They would hide on the train this way and be able to travel free of charge. The Rail Road Company would make them get off if they saw them. The men who traveled this way were called "Tramps" or Hoboes". Many of them came to our house asking for food. Mother would never let them go without giving them something to eat. There were times when several would come at the same time. One time a group of young men came at the same time and Mother didn't have any bread. She had made some but it hadn't been baked, however, she was baking cookies and she gave them warm cookies with milk to drink. They stayed on our porch to eat them a nd seemed to enjoy them. We have learned since that these men left markings to direct others to the homes where they would be given food.

There were also Gypsies who came through Morgan each Summer and they also came begging. Mother was very nice to them and always gave them something.

Mother was deeply religious and had a strong testimony. She taught us to pray, have faith and pay an honest tithe. She also encouraged us to be active in the Church. She never lost an opportunity to call our attention to an object lesson. She had taught us to always ask the Lord for his help in anything we were doing and my sister helped us to realize how important this is. My sister was to give a talk on a Stake Primary Conference program and she was so well prepared and confident she forgot to pray before she went to the meeting. She didn't even take a copy of her talk with her. When she went to the pulpit to give her talk, her mind went blank and she couldn't even remember how it started. She had to sit down without giving it. This made a strong impression on us and we always remembered it.

Mother always stressed the importance of being honest and trustworthy. She told us that if we picked up as small an object as a pin that wasn't ours, we were stealing. I remember how I would turn away if I saw a pin in a neighbor's yard because I didn't want to be tempted to pick it up.

Mother was quite a tease but that helped make life interesting for us. She had a good sense of humor, which I am sure helped her to keep her sanity with so many children to manage. She had patience which most people would think was impossible for anyone to have. Sometimes I felt she was too patient and was imposed on because of it. I told her I thought there was a point where patience ceased to be a virtue (how wrong I was). She said, "I pray every day for patience." Her prayers were certainly answered because I know of no other person who had as much patience as Mother, no, not even Job because he did complain to the Lord.

Mother enjoyed poetry which had a special message and she saved many which she thought were especially meaningful. These she clipped and pasted in a notebook along with small quotes that appealed to her. They all contained a message about living a good life.

Mother loved people and was loved by all who knew her. Her willingness to help others was one of her strong attributes, and whenever she helped anyone she did it in such a way that no one else knew of it.

Mother was an excellent cook and did all the cooking for our family until we were young ladies, then we helped some. She would spend hours baking cookies or cinnamon rolls or frying doughnuts and we would eat them as fast as they were cooked. I thought it would be discouraging to work so long and have nothing to show for it but Mother would say she wanted them to be eaten when they were enjoyed most. It wasn't enough that she had so many to cook for, my brothers would take them outside to their friends. It was common to see one of them thread as many doughnuts as they could get on the blade of a knife and take them to their friends. Mother always baked a special birthday cake for each of us and the one who was having the birthday had the privilege of scraping the pans that the cake and the icing were made in, she always left a little extra for us. On Thanksgiving Day she would make different kinds of tarts as well as squash, mincemeat and cranberry pie for dessert, as well as cooking a big dinner. We didn't have turkey but we always had baked chicken with dressing.

She did considerable canning and she was so particular about the way the fruit was pealed, as well as the way it was arranged in the bottles she wouldn't let us help with it, even though she would can many bushels of fruit. We did help with other things but not with the preparation of the fruit. It was just before I was married that she let me help her and then I am sure she wouldn't have let me if her health hadn't been so poor at the time.

Mother was a perfect organizer. She planned the work that needed to be done and made assignments to us. She had two of us work together as a team because she thought it was too hard for one to lift the bedding when we made the beds. When doing the dishes, one would wash and the other would dry the dishes. The next time they would reverse jobs. The same two would work together all and we would have the assignment for a week. The next week we would reverse jobs. There was never a question of who was to do any job nor was there any problem of anyone having to do more than their share. We knew what we were to do and when we had finished our work, and Mother had inspected it, we could go out to play. Mother was a thorough inspector and we knew the work had to pass her inspection before we were free to play. Sometimes when she thought we hadn't cleaned the corners well enough, she would tell us she would hate to see what our homes would look like, when we had a home of our own. She said she thought we wouldn't have any corners because they would be filled with dirt. I don't think we were that bad and I am grateful for the training whe gave me.

It used to bother me when I was trying to do something and became discouraged because it wasn't turning out the way I wanted it to and Mother would say, "If a task is once begun, never leave it until it's done. Be the labor great or small, do it well or not at all." I would say, "I won't do it at all." She would say, "But you have started it." I am also glad for what this has taught me and I have passed it on to my daughters, and it has bothered them as much as it did me. I hope it has helped them as much as it has me.

Mother had a way of making work seem like a game. She would write on slips of paper some work that needed to be done and on one slip she would write "Take a taste of mincemeat." We all wanted the mincemeat and we would draw one of the papers hoping to get that slip. When we didn't, we would hurry to what the slip of paper told us to do and then hurry back to Mother to have her make some more slips. We enjoyed this even though Lois got the mincemeat most of the time. This was Mother's own special mincemeat and she gave us some of it at other times.

another clever idea of Mother's was to have each of the older girls in the family be responsible for one of the younger children. We were expected to see that they were clean and that their hair was well combed. Mother managed this so well that we never felt it was a chore. It was a source of pride to us if "Our child" was clean and neat and it was a reflection on us if they weren't. When someone would come to us and say, "Your child is dirty", we would dash out to get them, bring them into the house and make them clean and neat before we would let them go out to play again. In the last few years I learned of people who were raised in a large family and felt their life had been burdened because they had to help care for brothers and sisters. Because of this they don't want to have children of their own. This proves even more what a special person Mother was because we never felt that way. We loved one another and when there was a new baby in the family we were thrilled and anxious to help care for it. Mother was a hard worker herself and never imposed on any of us. We knew we would have to share more with each new member but each one brought a special joy to our family. I remember how shocked I was when a friend of ours said she was glad she didn't have a sister because she could have more clothes if she didn't have one. As I think back on it now, I am sure she was jealous of us because of the good times we had together. She said that to make us think she was more fortunate than we were. However, this she didn't do. I as well as the other members of our family, are grateful for the opportunity we had of being raised in a large family and often talk about all the fun times we had. Even though no one in our family has had a large family, it wasn't by choice. I feel that anyone who doesn't want to have children because the were raised in a large family, must be very self centered. Maybe it was because they weren't fortunate enough to have a Mother like we had. It wasn't always easy but it was a wonderful experience. People who knew Mother and observed the way she managed her large family, would tell her she should write a book about how she did it because so many people could benefit from it.

With all Mother had to do she used to take time to let us comb her hair, which was long at the time. Because there were so many who wanted to do it, we would divide her hair into three parts and three of us would comb it at the same time, each pretending she was doing one person's hair. This caused us to snarl and pull her hair but Mother would take the discomfort and let us continue to comb it.

Mother taught us to play together and our brothers and sisters were our best friends. She and Dad would play with us. When we lived "Over the Peak" (a large ranch owned by Dad's brothers Jim and Irvin, near Peterson) Mother would take us to a shady little place, where there was a little brook and we would all wade in the stream. Later we would have a modest lunch and afterward she would read to us from the book "Stories from the Book of Mormon." That was always an enjoyable experience and the characters of the Book of Mormon became very real to us because of it.

In the summer evenings we used to play baseball, tip up, steal sticks and Run Sheep Run. Dad would usually play baseball with us and Mother would watch. In the wintertime we would play such games as "Donkey", Old Maid", "Rook", and other table games. Both Mother and Dad would play with us. This was always a lot of fun. Sometimes Mother would make candy for a treat and there were times when we would all sit around our large table and eat peanuts and raisins. Uncle Irv's family was the only other family living within miles of where we lived. Because we were so far from our friends, we had to make our own entertainment and it was good for us.

Mother taught us to sing and to harmonize. She and Dad would sing with us and we spent many enjoyable evenings singing together. In the summertime we would sit on the porch and sing. When we were quite young, Lois, Lucile and I sang at all church and community programs. Later we sang at all funerals, which was hard for us because we were so well acquainted with all who died. Mother taught us the songs we sang. The reason we were called to do so much singing at such an early age was because there was no one else in the little community of Peterson who could do it.

When we lived in Bingham Canyon, Mother almost had a short order house. There were so many of us going to work or school at different times and our lunch times were also very different. Mother was serving breakfast almost all morning and at lunch time the same pattern was repeated. Dinner at night was our big meal of the day and it was the only meal the entire family was able to eat together. However, if one of us was unable to be there at dinner time, we knew we would always find our dinner on a covered plate in the oven, being kept warm for us.

When my brothers were a little older they liked to tease Mother and they embarrassed her many times doing it. When we had a guest for dinner one of my brothers would say, "Can we have a whole egg?" They would say this even though no eggs were being served. They had heard of a family who did limit their children to one half an egg and they thought it was so funny they liked to tease Mother by asking this. Mother was afraid the guests would believe them, but the guests knew my brothers.

After three of my sisters were married and Mother wasn't too well, we needed some extra help so Mother had Leslie and Tom wash and dry the dinner dishes. On Sundays we would have a special dinner and we would try to set a very nice table. On these days we would use our goblets, if Leslie and Tom didn't prevent it. They didn't like to wash them so they would signal each other to go to the table quickly, remove the goblets and replace them with glasses before we would know it had been done. My brothers played pranks on each other too. One night when Leslie had gone to bed and was asleep before Tom, Tom tied Leslie's two big toes together and then fastened them to the end of the bed. Needless to say Leslie had dreams of not being able to move.

My sisters, Agnes and Margaret, did their share of teasing too. They would go to the back bedroom, which was near our neighbor's home, open the door and scream, "Oh Mother please don't beat us any more." They would repeat this several times and you would have thought they were really being hurt by the way they screamed. You can imagine the embarrassment this caused Mother. Another thing they would do to embarrass us, when we were in the living room with a boy friend, was to go to an upstairs bedroom, just above the living room, and talk loud so we could hear them. Agnes would say, "Leslie move over", and Tom would say, "Margaret you're taking all the covers", Leslie would then say something to Phyllis and some would say something to Grant, to make it sound as though they were all sleeping in the same bed. This gives you some idea of what Mother had to learn to live with, which she did and could smile.

While we were living in Bingham Canyon, most of our family were married. In 1929 two of my sisters, Lucile and Agnes, were married within twelve days of each other. Mother loved each of us and wanted us to marry and be happy but she still missed us. One morning one of my sisters came downstairs when she was unexpected and caught Mother crying. When she wanted to know the reason, Mother hurriedly put her hand to her cheek and said she had a bad toothache. At first my sister didn't realize it but then she remembered that Mother had dentures and she Couldn't have a toothache, so Mother was caught in a "little white lie".

Dad's pet name for Mother was "Kid", which was what he had called her from the time they were first married. In later years it caused her some embarrassment, when someone she didn't know came to their door and Dad would call her by saying "Kid". When Mother entered the room she could see the surprised look on the stranger's face to see a person of her age answer to that name.

Dad and Mother bought their first home in about 1937. It was in Union, Utah. They lived there until 1947 when they sold it and built a home in Midvale, Utah. They lived in this home until the time of their death. This was a nice home and Mother had all the convenient electrical appliances she so rightly deserved. They owned the first color TV in Midvale.

Mother had a keen interest in sports. When they lived in Bingham Canyon, they attended all the High School basketball games whether they were home games or out of town, and regardless of the weather. They followed the team to Grantsvillle, Tooele, Magna and Sandy, even though their sons weren't old enough to play. After my brothers, Tom and Leslie, played for Bingham High School, Mother had an even more intense interest and she enjoyed watching them play. She and Dad would listen to the baseball games of the Salt Lake Bees on radio and she was so happy to see them win. She and Dad listened to the BYU basketball games. After they had a TV set, they would watch the BYU games as well as the wrestling matches and all World Series baseball games. She was interested in other programs on TV, not just sports.

Mother had good health habits. She was careful to see that she had a well balanced diet. She exercised to keep fit, following instructions on a radio program and later on TV. She also took a daily walk. She continued this program of exercise after she was well over 80 years of age.

She was particular about her personal appearance and always kept herself clean and neat. In later years she was able to have the nice clothes whe wasn't able to have when we were young. When her health was better she had her hair done at a beauty salon every week. When a daughter of Lucile's, Montez, completed a course at a beauty school, she came to Mother's home and did her hair every week. Mother had a beautiful complexion and took good care of her skin. She had very few lines in her face and looked much younger than her years.

The last two years of Mother's life she had cancer of the lymph glands, and was being treated for it. Even though she didn't feel too well, she did all the cleaning in her home as well as the cooking. Her home was always neat and clean.

She died of pneumonia at the age of 85 years, May 25, 1965 at a Murray hospital. She was a sweet, kind, generous and truly wonderful woman who wouldn't knowingly offend anyone. She was so appreciative of anything that was done for her. We all wish we could be more like her.

Just as a beautiful painting must be viewed from a distance to fully appreciate it's beauty, so does a beautiful life. We all knew Mother was a very special person but in retrospect we can see that we didn't really realize what a truly exceptional person she was, even though we loved, respected and admired her.

In a prayer at her funeral, given by a grandson inlaw, Leland D. Ford, he said of her, "We are told there are angels, we have been privileged to have known one."