Item Detail
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Sorenson, Francelle Scott
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1871-1946
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MSS 14
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Biography, letters
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Francelle Scott Sorenson was born February 6, 1871 in Provo, Utah to Andrew Hunter and Sarah Ann Roe Scott as the eleventh and last child of her mother. Her father died when she was young, and she attended school to the equivalent of the eighth grade. As a young woman, she helped at home and also aided her brothers and sisters during their weddings, often making her sisters' wedding cakes and dresses. She married Walt Sorenson when she was twenty-seven and five and a half years his senior. Over the next five years, they had four children. They lived in Francelle's mother's home for a brief period at the beginning of their marriage before moving into their own two-room house. A baseball scout, upon seeing Walt play for a Provo baseball team, urged him to travel east, which he eventually did. He played for the White Sox for a time, and did not return home for thirteen years. Two years before his return, Francelle married another man, although they decided to separate because of their respective children and the conflicts between them. A year after Walt's return to Utah, he moved back into the home. Francelle died September 20, 1946.
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This collection is included among Rose M. Hinton's papers; it is a four-leaf typescript biography and photocopy of two letters of correspondence sent to Francelle. Both letters are included again in the biography as part of the typescript: the first is a letter sent by a baseball scout, urging Francelle to support Walt in his move to the East, and the second is a letter from Walt. A seeming conflict arose because of miscommunication between Walt and Francelle, which resulted in their long separation. Although never resolved, Walt was accepted back into the home after he returned thirteen years later. Francelle is described as being good-natured and modest, despite her many accomplishments. She was good with needlework and a good example to her children. She struggled with cancer for a time but was successfully treated for it. After several strokes, she died September 20, 1946 in Provo. On the back of one of the biographical leaves is an article titled, 'Walter Scott's Descendants,' which includes information on Reed Jennings Scott, Vera and Elmer Scott, and Shirley Korb.
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1826-1902