Item Detail
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Mabey, Viola N. Brown Zumbrunnen
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1891-1983
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MSS 796
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Autobiography
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Viola N. Brown was born September 30, 1891 to George and Minnie P. Brown in South Coalville, Utah. She led a happy childhood and spent a lot of time playing with her sister Grace. She attended high school at the courthouse building, which had been converted into an LDS Church Academy. Her father died July 3, 1910 after a long illness and a 12-year-old brother who had been an invalid his whole life followed April 11, 1911. This was hard for Viola's mother financially and emotionally. Viola left for summer school at the University of Utah, and after a six-week course, she signed a contract to teach school in Randolph, Utah. It was here that she met John W. Zumbrunnen, her future husband. He was the foreman of a phosphate mine in the valley. They were married July 22, 1912 and had seven children: Viola Naomi, George Albert, John Orloo, Richard Abner, Mary Blanchard, Andrew Robert, and Leland Brown. When the mine closed, their family moved to Alton, Idaho where John harvested hay, worked in timber with his father, and improved their ranch. They later moved to Frontier, Wyoming where John began working in the coal mines. On September 2, 1920 Viola and John were sealed together and to their children in the Salt Lake Temple. August 14, 1923, John was killed in a mine explosion. Viola moved the family back to her hometown of Coalville, went to summer school at the University of Utah, and graduated from high school. She held various jobs to support her family, including her three terms as the county recorder. She married Joseph L. Mabey on December 30, 1942. He died March 19, 1951. After his death, Viola worked as a clerk at Hill Air Force Base and was active in community politics and events. Viola maintained a close relationship to her mother throughout her life and cared for her in her final months. Viola died March 17, 1983.
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Viola's autobiography is part of a collection containing a diary and some receipts belonging to her father, George Brown. Her autobiography is typewritten on large sheets of paper. It is unbound and is thirty pages long. Viola gives a general introduction on her parents and on her pioneer heritage. Then, she proceeds to tell her life story. The autobiography is divided into chapters with descriptive titles such as 'An Adventure' and 'Joe Leaves Us.' The section on her childhood is conversational and nostalgic. She recalls many interesting events that occurred and she tells family stories. The later sections are a more focused narrative that describes how she met her husband and the time that they spent together until his death. After this, the chapters become more scattered again. She lists major events in a mixture of journal-like entries and third person reports of her activities. At the end, she states that the next chapters will be devoted to the life stories of her children; however, these chapters are not included in the collection.
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1886-1965