The Ross Solon McGee Story.  Installment 3

(in the words of Myrna McGee Smith)

After the family left Crescent they moved just a few miles south to Draper into the Fitzgerald home. Russell milked cows at a dairy there and Leo would come and haul the milk to a creamery in Murray.  Gladys worked for Rasmussens in Sandy and for Alma Smith in Draper doing housework. She stayed at Smiths while she went to school at Jordan High School in Sandy and worked for them after she got home.

Gladys married Leo George Bateman on Oct. 14, 1929 in the Salt Lake Temple. He was the son of George Leo and Milrhea Cushing Bateman. Leo and Gladys lived on a farm in Sandy where they had chickens and fruit trees. Leo was working for a dairy hauling milk at this time.

Golda was working for the Shaws doing housework. She lived in with the Shaw family while she went to school and then worked for them after school.

 After Golda got out of school she went down to Kirtland, New Mexico to live with Uncle Elwood and Aunt Celia.  She can remember how sad Ross was when she left and he had tears in his eyes and Golda cried as she waved good-bye to him as she looked out the back window of Uncle Elwoods truck and waved to him until they were out of sight. 

 Russell followed Golda down to New Mexico and stayed with Uncle Elwood and Aunt Celia for awhile and then he returned back to Draper where he worked for Boyce's on their dairy.  There was one time he almost lost his foot in a farming accident hauling hay.

 Golda met Lloyd Taylor in New Mexico and since her church records were still in Utah Ross had to talk with the Bishop to get a recommend for her to be married in the Temple.  They were married in the Logan Temple Jul. 9, 1930.  They made their home in Kirtland, New Mexico. Lloyd and Golda are the parents of four children: Leo Bryce, who died at birth, Con, Robert and Ravelle.

Lloyd and Golda were later divorced.

 On October 19, 1962 Golda married Ernest LaCell Brammal in Springville, Utah.

They have made their home in Mapelton, Utah.

 It was about this time in 1930 Ross and his family moved across the railroad track and lived in the Walbeck home which only had a frontroom and one bedroom.  Ross and Elsie slept in the frontroom and all the kids slept in the bedroom.

 Colleen was born on July 20, 1930 at the home in Draper.  Elsie had been out picking dewberries that day and then Ross had to go get Dr. Sorenson, who had to come from Riverton.  Elise hurried and got the baby things out of the trunk and then heard Colleen cry and she seen that red hair.  Aunt Sally came down to help dress her and Ross had to bottle the dewberries. 

After Colleen was born Elsie got real sick with what was called Brights disease which had to do with the kidneys and she had blister like sores all over her legs and the Dr said she probably  wouldn't live very long, but she finally got better.

Ross worked for Joe Mickelson on his egg farm where he gathered and washed the eggs that were then sent to the stores to sell. He also worked at the Draper Feed Mill, along with his two teen age sons Lloyd and LaRaine.

Ross built a home in Draper which looked the shape of a chicken coop.This home was across the street and down the road from Jim and Sally Washburn. 

On June 3, 1933 Leola was born in the home at Draper. Leo and Gladys picked out her name.  When she was about seven or eight months old Elise would take her over to see Grandpa McGee.  His health was failing at this time and he would motion for Leola to get her attention and would touch her fingers with love and affection . Grandpa Solon Huff McGee died at the age of 80 on Feb. 3, 1934 when Leola was eight months old and was buried in Draper, Utah.

Elise can recall the many skunks that Grandpa McGee had. He had a bunch of them that he kept in a pen.  They didn't have any scent and were treated like their pets.

On Sept. 30, 1935 Ross and Elsie's sixth child Myrna was born at their home in Draper. A neighbor Mrs. Maxfield asked LaRaine if his Mom had her baby yet and he said "well sure, she's two years old.  This was Leola since he didn't know his mother was going to have another baby. LaRaine walked in and asked what was Rhoda Washburns baby doing here.

Gladys and Leo lived on a farm in Sandy, Utah in a two room house when they had their first baby Randall Leo on June 27, 1932 but he only lived a few hours and died that same day.  On Oct. 23, 1936 they were able to adopt a baby boy they named Bruce Kent. They later moved to Salt Lake City in the Sugar House area. Leo and Gladys were active in their Stratford Ward for many years where Gladys served as Relief Socity President and later the Stake Relief Society President. 

In about 1934 Russell was at a dance with Leo and Gladys where he met Alice Greenwood, a daughter of David Ezra and Sarah Jennet Bishop Greenwood from Sandy Utah. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple Oct. 15, 1937.  They have three children Russell Stamn Jr, Cheryl Ann and Boyd Russell.  Their first child died the day of his birth.

Russell and Alice lived most of their married life in Salt Lake City. They were active in their Kenwood Ward where Russell served as Elders Quorum President and High Priest Group. He and Alice served in many callings there.

Russell died on January 30, 1985 and was buried at Mt View Memorial Estates.

In February of 1938 Ross and Elsie were getting ready to drive into Salt Lake City to go shopping. It was a cold winter day so Ross had built a big fire in the stove to keep the children warm while they were gone.  Irene was thirteen years old and was going to tend the other children. Ross was warming something on the stove to be used to help his car to run when it burst into flames and caught the whole house on fire.  Ross tried very hard to get the fire out and to get what belongings they had out of the house and in the process was burned badly himself.  In a very short time the house was completely destroyed along with most everything else they had. 

Our family moved in with Uncle Jim and Aunt Sally for a short time and then we moved into Uncle Jim's brother Ross Washburn's other home. We all felt a close love for Uncle Jim and Aunt Sally.  They had a chicken farm and we loved the many times we were there, having a lot of fun with our cousins.  We never went to see Uncle Jim's and Aunt Sally's home without her making sure we had something to eat and she always made us feel welcome.

In 1936 Elias and Etta (a younger sister of Ross) left St George and moved to Draper, Utah where he worked for two brothers called Sapp and Sapp running their farm.  It was while Elias worked for them that he fell from a hay stack and broke his back and from then on he wasn’t able to do very much. They lived for a time in Grandpa Solon McGee’s home and later lived in Murray at about 4200 So. 9^th East.

There was a time when Lloyd and LaRaine worked for one of the men in Draper. (I think a Mr. Smith) and they received an old bicycle for payment. This was a small two wheeled bike which didn’t have a chain on it and only had one pedal, but it would go if they pushed it, so they would push it up the hill and then ride down. At this time Gladys and Leo were still living in Sandy, which was a few miles from Draper and they decided to go visit them by riding the bike. Gladys remembers that LaRaine had said to Lloyd, “Lets go see Gladys, she might have something good to eat”.  They left without telling our parents where they were going but somehow Gladys let them know where they were.  We didn’t have a telephone, but she must have called the neighbors who transmitted the information.  Later that day Leo and Gladys took them home.

They knew they were in trouble so the instant they got home they ran out into the back yard and started to gather wood. Mom heated water in a tub outside to do the laundry and they thought this might alleviate the punishment that would be forthcoming. It didn’t seem to do very much good, however.

Solon had been going to school in St George and when he was in the 9^th grade he came up to Draper and lived with Ross and Elsie again and attended Draper Jr High and was there until Grover and Martina left St George and moved to American Fork, then Solon went back to live with them and attended school at American Fork High School in about 1938. Solon would visit often with Leo and Gladys and with Russell and Alice. He would knock at the door and then Alice would see his face pressed up against the window with a big grin on his face.  Later Grover and Martina moved to Brigham City and operated a bakery for Leo and Gladys for a short time and then they moved to Salt Lake City. They lived at about 5^th South and 4^th East Salt Lake City and then at Rose Park near North Salt Lake where they lived until they died.