Eliza Blair-Leavitt
(Life sketch 1901-1996)

Submitted by Mary Leavitt

Eliza Blair was born September 30, 1901 in Lewiston, Cache, Utah. She was the 8^th child of ten, born to Mormon pioneer parents, William Moroni Blair and Katie Norris. She was of the "second"family, her father, who was among the one percent of church membership who practiced polygamy in those days, had a "first" wife, Lavinia Haynes Blair. "Aunt Viney" and her father had eleven children together making the total of Blair children twenty-one. Each family had a separate home within 100 feet of one another on the same farm just west of town. Katie was much younger than Lavinia and was married to William just prior to the "Manifesto" which ended plural marriage for all church members. These were difficult times for our people. Our own mother and her family suffered the persecution that came with polygamy. She never questioned the choice her father and mother made for she knew that only the worthiest members of the church were allowed to practice plural marriage in their calling to multiply and replenish the earth, but it was never easy.

She was 13 years old when her mother died. She loved her mother very much and spoke of her in reverent tones, often referring to her as "an angel here on earth". Katie Norris was a beautiful woman, sweet and kind to everyone and the love of our grandfather's life. Mom told us many stories of how hard it was growing up without a mother. When her older sisters married, she was the only girl left at home to take care of the household chores: laundry, cooking, cleaning and sewing. Her father, bereaved at the premature loss of his beloved wife, was a stern task-maker who found it difficult to show affection to young Eliza. She longed for his approval but seldom received it until she was a grown woman with children of her own. The combination of all these things did not make for a pleasant childhood.

Mom was a great storyteller and loved rocking the children, telling stories and singing to them. She had a beautiful alto voice and loved singing in the church choir or with someone else whenever there was an opportunity. Of course her favorite time was whenever she had a baby in her arms. We all know "Rock-A-Bye Baby" and "Our Little Gray Kitty". We passed these and other songs on to our children and grandchildren. Her father was an accomplished musician. He was given credit for establishing the first band and choir in Cache Valley, Utah. Mom inherited his talent. She played the piano when she was younger but after she married, the demands and expense of raising a large family left no time or money to buy a piano, so we didn't have the opportunity to enjoy that talent. We did, however, learn to sing from her. She gathered us together in the evenings or whenever the opportunity presented itself, and saw to it that we learned many of the songs of her day as well as old-time gospel hymns. She taught us to sing parts, which made for lots of family fun. Some of us remember sitting around in circles shaking jars filled with cream, singing the whole time the cream was thickening up for butter.

During WW1. Dad was home on leave from the army when Mom caught a glimpse of him in town one day. She knew from that moment on that he would be the love of her life and her eternal companion. He just didn't know it yet. Every day for several days in a row, she walked the two miles from the family farm into Lewiston to the corner market on the chance he might come to town that day.

A special Saturday night dance was held at the 'ol Lewiston Opera Hall. Mom had permission to attend the dance with her younger brother, Charlie. She was eighteen years old at the time and had thick, long dark hair that she piled on top of her head. She wore a white taffeta dress that offset her beautiful hair and blue-green eyes. When Dad caught sight of her, he knew that he had to know who the "beautiful angel in white" was. Under the watchful eye of "tell-all" brother Charlie, he whirled her around the floor just once and knew this was the girl for him. The rest is history.

They were married December 10, 1919 and were sealed for time and eternity in the Logan Temple, March 18, 1925. By this time they had Devone, Norman and Hazel. Mother said it was heavenly to kneel at the alter by her mate and have the little ones all dressed in white kneeling next to them. They were now an eternal family. Little did they know at that time how much strength this would give them to endure the trials they were about to encounter.

Mom and Dad lived on a farm in southern Idaho for about four years before they moved to American Falls where Dad obtained work on the Minidoka Dam Project. It was while they were living there that tragedy it them hard. An epidemic of spinal meningitis first struck little two and one half year old Hazel. While she was in the hospital fighting for her life and not expected to live, four month old baby Beth was stricken with the disease and died while in the care of another woman before either of her parents could get home to her.

Hazel did live but was left totally deaf, one leg shorter than the other and very weak and sickly. Our mother was overcome with grief for the loss of one child and the tragic debilitating illness of another. When Beth died on the 31^st day of March 1926, she did not realize she was carrying yet another child.

Esmond was born in November 1926. Both mother and child was very weak and sick. Mother held him close to her bosom for most of the day sensing that he was not destined to live. The doctors surmised that his illness was the result of a grieving and worn out mother who hadn't the ability to care for herself or her unborn child. Perhaps a merciful Heavenly Father sent one of his strongest spirits to her arms knowing full well that this child did not need to remain on earth to prove himself worth of exaltation. Mother was doing the best she could the under the circumstances, but the added responsibility at that particular time may not have been something she could have held up under. The community was still living in fear of the terrible epidemic that had come upon them. No one came to help mother and father during this time of pain and sorrow. Together they named little Esmond, dressed him up in a little doll's gown and tenderly placed him in a shoe box, then buried him next to baby Beth ( in the same plot we've been told) in the Neeley Cemetery just outside of American Falls, Idaho. These were trying times for our parents. Only the strongest could have endured what they did.

Not long after Esmond died, mom and dad acted upon the advice of their family doctor and moved to a higher, healthier climate in Bellevue, Idaho, away from the construction dust and sickness that continued to plague American Falls. This was done to give Hazel a better chance to fully recover. While in Bellevue, mom set up housekeeping in a tent down by the Wood River, where Hazel was allowed to run and play in the mud and regain her strength and health under the watchful eye of a loving mother. Dad worked on a large ranch there for a widow woman and declined her offer to put them in a caretaker's house when he saw how happy and healthy were becoming when allowed to pay outside in the fresh air an sunshine all day.

Melvin was a welcome addition in June, 1928, bringing the now healthy family back to four living children. The first thing mom noticed about Melvin was that he had red, curly hair just as Beth and Esmond had before him. She was happy to have a baby in her arms again.

The family's stay in Bellevue had been good for them but the call of good-paying work in Oregon was hard to ignore. Sometime around 1930 the family moved to Nyssa, Oregon where dad went to work on the Owyhee Dam as a mule skinner. In Nyssa, mom gave birth to Ruth in 1932 and the twins, Lloyd and Boyd in 1934. Richard Dale made his appearance in 1945. He was born in Ontario, Oregon 12 miles away from Nyssa. Mother was 44 years old at that time. Mom felt strongly that " there was one more little spirit in heaven that wanted to be with our family".

The summer of 1943 Hazel came home to have her baby. Eileen was born July 17, 1943, a beautiful baby girl with dark eyes and lots of dark hair. We all loved her and she loved our attention. When we went to work in the beet fields, mom put her in a basket under a shade tree, we each took turns caring for her while the others worked and were happy to get to sit in the shade with baby Eileen.

Mom was a compassionate person, if someone was sick or in need she would cook a pot of chicken and noodles, some homemade bread and off she would go to take care of them. We didn't have much, but there was always fresh, homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, big pots of stew or beans and oft times fried chicken. Mom raised the chickens and grew a garden every year, and we could always go out on the ditch banks and gather asparagus that grew wild. We never went hungry, nor did anyone else that came to our house. Mom was a wonderful cook, she never used a recipe. Our clothes were always clean and ironed. The home we lived in was very small and humble, but always clean. Mother was one who really could "make a silk purse out of a sow's ear", so to speak.

In their later years, in the early 1960's mom and dad moved to Prescott, Arizona where they met Bishop Boyd Tenney. He had a tremendous impact on their lives and helped make their dream come true. Bishop Tenney encouraged them to serve on a mission and saw to it that they did just that. They were called to serve a mission on the Lame Deer, Montana Reservation, part of the Northern Cheyenne Mission. They served on the Lame Deer Reservation. One of mom's many duties was to teach the Indian sisters how to use their commodities. This was her special talent. She had spent a lifetime making wonderful things out of very little. Now she was teaching her sisters how to do the same thing. We have pictures of their going away party the members gave them when they finished their mission. The tables were covered with food, lots of homemade breads, pies, cakes, etc. made by the sisters she worked with and trained. This was truly a labor of love.

She kept a daily journal of their missionary duties, the ups and downs, the joy and tears. All of her children have a copy of it. They loved every minute they were there. Mom almost brought an Indian baby home with her. It was a little girl she helped deliver and of course, fell in love with right away. The mother was having a hard time taking care of all her children and told mom she and dad could take it home with them. The tribe and the federal government saw things differently. Mom and dad were very disappointed.

Over the years, throughout their moves and travels, mom talked a great deal about the babies she left behind in Idaho. She was very sad and concerned that there were no headstones on the graves, other than the temporary ones the cemetery provided.

In 1984, three years after dad passed away, we were finally able to take mother back to Idaho where we joined up with some of the other family members at the Neeley Cemetery. It was a meaningful, spiritual time for al of us in attendance, especially mother. After the headstones were placed on each of the two graves, mother seemed at peace. Nearly 60 years had passed for that precious mother of ours but she never forgot her two little ones buried up on that hill so long ago.

Marking their graves was a significant event, but pausing to put it all in prospective an acknowledge that this is an eternal family really hit home for all of us that day.

Memories from Eileen:

" She was my rock, my inspiration. She taught us the gospel through example and encouraged us to be strong and faithful. I have only been able to endure some of the trials I've had to face in my life because I had her example before me. What an angel she was. How lucky we were to have her as our mother and grandmother".

Mom's love of singing gave her joy throughout her entire life. Mom's last years spent in Mountain View Manor Nursing Home were brightened when son-in-law, Harold Boyd came on his regular monthly volunteer visits to sing to the residents. Harold would hand her a microphone and she would sing gospel songs in harmony, loud and clear with him.

Mother lived to be 95 years and one month old She was the last of 10 children to leave this earth, passing to the other side October 31, 1996. I'm sure there was a great reunion in heaven when she arrived to meet her parents, brothers and sisters, our father, 5 of her children, several grandchildren and great grandchildren, sons in laws, daughters-in-law and many others. We miss you mom. Thanks for all you taught us.

Memories from children:

Melvin, Ruth, Lloyd, Boyd, Dick and grand daughter, Eileen.