Item Detail
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Charles, Myra Leonard
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1872-1956
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MSS 827
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Biography
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Myra Leonard Charles was born January 6, 1872 in St. John, Utah to David Henry Leonard and Emma Child. At a young, she moved to Kamas, Vernal, and then to Huntington, Utah. In 1892, she married Henry Charles. They homesteaded a farm in St. John and had five children, although one died young. They raised their oldest son's children after his wife died. Myra died October 20, 1956 from incident of old age.
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Part of the J. Allen Parkinson collection, this is a four-page typescript biography written by Linda Charles. It is located in the fourth folder of the collection, which is labeled, Biographies, CA- CU. Within the manuscript, Linda writes of Myra as being a charitable, kind, and generous woman. She was known as Mother Charles and served all of Tooele in several ways. She helped people medically, serving as a midwife even for Indians. She was also the community mortician. Linda writes that Myra was a sympathetic, sensitive, and cheerful woman, remaining bright even after her husband's death. In 1937, she suffered a fractured hip, laceration, and bruises from an accident. Myra was an active LDS Church member, serving in the Relief Society as President and counselor, and also in the MIA, Sunday School, and Primary.