Item Detail
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Rawlinson, Eliza Lucina Moore
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1882-1973
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MSS SC 53
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Memoirs and History
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Eliza Lucina Moore Rawlinson was born September 11, 1882 to Almeda Harmon Moore and Joseph Andrew Moore in Joseph, Utah. Eliza was born in a log home, and lived on farms for most of her childhood. Eliza's first memories are from their log home on the Sevier River. She remembered her 'Ma's' good cooking and her parent's good relationship. Here, her 'Pa' taught her to use a scythe, cut wheat with his old cradle, tie the bundles with grain straw, shock and load the grain on a wagon, and make grain stacks. She often listened to her mother read in the evening or tell stories while she was working. When the diphtheria epidemic passed through during the winter of 1888-1889, the bishop had given her family a blessing that they would be protected by the Lord. Forty-one children died that winter, but not one of Eliza's family was stricken with the disease. Eliza entered school when she was 8 years old and missed tending her little sister. In 1893, Eliza's family had to move their log home to a dry lot in town because they were never able to file on government land where they had been living. After this move to town, Eliza worked out side of her home often, but returned home when her mother was sick or needed help with a new baby. After helping her mother with the birth of a younger brother, she wrote, it was a delight to be there to help her.' The family kept their home in town, but lived on rented farms during the summer for a few years. When Eliza's uncle, aunt, and her aunt's brother came to stay with them, her mother was sick, and Eliza felt responsible to cook in the morning and prepare her younger siblings for school. She admired her aunt's brother, Walter Rawlinson, very much and wished she could see him again. He came back to visit, and eventually they were married April 22, 1903 in the Manti Temple. She moved to Bountiful with her husband and 3 children in March 1908. They then moved to Oak City around 1913. Eliza was the mother of 7 children. She passed away February 12, 1973 in Delta, Utah.
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Eliza's memoirs are found within the history she wrote in 1962 as a tribute to her mother Almeda Harmon Moore. Also included in the collection are other histories Eliza wrote about her ancestors: Eliza Bramwich Tyrell Harmon Riddle Lee and Polly Lucina Sheffield Moore Rawlinson. About her tomboy nature, Eliza wrote, 'I guess I should have been a boyI wanted to live out of doors, and go bareheaded so the breeze could tie my hair in knots.' Eliza wrote of the many moves the family made during her childhood, and of the births of her younger siblings. Eliza's accounts are a look into the pioneering lifestyle of the late 1800's and early 1900's. She wrote with great detail about the homes they lived in and the family's way of life. After she moved to Bountiful, her family sacrificed to visit her father and mother in Joseph, crossing the mountains with a horse drawn wagon. The last time Eliza saw her mother was in Oak City in 1914, after which she unexpectedly passed away. Eliza's writing is cheerful and optimistic. She never complained and her great character is evident through her records.
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1806-1866