Pearl Gardner Crow Interview

              Dr. Radke- Moss Women‟ s Oral History Collection
Pearl Gardner Crow
By Pearl Crow
January 26, 2008
Box 5 Folder 7
Oral Interview conducted by Keri Wheeler
Transcript copied by Keri Wheeler Jan 2008
Brigham Young University- Idaho
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* Most portions of interview were written down and then re- read by the narrator.
Keri Wheeler: History 497R Oral Interview. The first question is what is your full name, including your maiden name?
Pearl Crow: Pearl Gardner Crow.
KW: All right and when were you born?
PC: The 31st of March 1918. And there were twins; a boy and a girl.
KW: And so you were twins?
PC: Uh huh.
KW: Oh! That‟ s interesting.
PC: And he is still alive too.
KW: That‟ s cool.
PC: But we were the youngest of father‟ s and mother‟ s children. Now, I say that because father and mother were both married earlier.
KW: Oh.
PC: Okay.
KW: And where were you born.
PC: Then in Labelle Jefferson Idaho on a farm. We moved to Ammon, Bonneville… if I can find my place here. Well, that‟ s where we moved… Okay, next question.
KW: And who were your parents and what were they like?
PC: My parents were Franklin Gardner and Ethel Pearl Clements. Frank as he was called… it says what was he like… [ he] was a very honest, a little strict, widower, very religious. Ethel Pearl Clements… Beg your pardon.
KW: Um Hmm.
PC: Okay, his wife and one daughter… now Frank‟ s wife and one daughter having died earlier, leaving two daughters and a son. Ethel Pearl was a divorcee who thought she was marrying a good man, but turned out to be a scoundrel. How do you like that? She brought two boys to Frank and Ethel‟ s marriage.
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KW: And how many siblings do you have and what were they like growing up?
PC: Okay, there were fourteen siblings with my father‟ s children, my mother‟ s children and their children.
KW: So there was a total of sixteen?
PC: Fourteen.
KW: So a total of fourteen children including you.
PC: So that would be thirteen, thirteen siblings.
KW: And totally fourteen children, including you?
PC: Um hm. Yes.
KW: Wow. Big family.
PC: Let me see now, I had to write so much in here. Okay. Now, my brother and I as twins were the youngest children. Now if I can get that straightened out…. Well, oh some of the older children had married and had had families of their own. We were quite compatible. In fact Mother‟ s oldest son, was my favorite brother.
KW: Um Hmm.
PC: Oh, my nose is going to run… Pardon me. There were five boys and five living girls. Father and mother‟ s first children were two girls, and they were twins and they died prematurely as infants. And then my parents had two pair of twins, two girls first, and a boy and a girl as their last children, and that is Pearl.
KW: Wow!
PC: I had to write that down. Okay, now let‟ s see now. Okay, what‟ s the next question?
KW: What childhood activities did you have?
PC: We did a lot of swimming, playing tag, throwing the ball over the house, called Anti Over and Run My Shippy Run. And in the summer we all worked on the farm, hoeing and weeding beets and anything that needed to be done. We had chickens and cows and pigs and horses. We all had our little difficulties but our religion as Latter- day Saints gave us stability and hope.
KW: And did you live during the Depression?
PC: Yes.
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KW: And how did that affect you and in what ways did you have to adapt to the situation?
PC: It did not affect us too much because we lived on the farm with a huge apple orchard and raised our meat and we canned most of our food including the meat. I remember though that we could only have one pair of shoes, and sugar was in very short supply.
KW: Um Hmm. And did your parents have difficulties with work?
PC: Not really, they just knowing how to farm and had the children as help. And we didn‟ t have a lot of money, but we had what we needed to live. It really wasn‟ t that hard.
KW: Did you notice anybody around you having difficulties with the...
PC: Oh yes, there were people around us that were having difficulties because they were not on a farm and they did not have the supplies that we had.
KW: Um hmm. Where did you go to High School?
PC: I went to … I can‟ t say it… Ammon, Bonneville High School in Idaho. It was a very good place to go to school. There weren‟ t drugs and pornography and problems that we have now. It was a much easier time for children to be raised.
KW: Now is this the High School that is now the elementary school down here that you went to? Or is this a different one?
PC: No, now let me think… There was a fire, I think, we had a fire that burned down the schoolhouse. We had to have school in a church house for a while.
KW: Really? That‟ s interesting. Usually that doesn‟ t happen very often.
PC: No, It doesn‟ t.
KW: And do you have any prominent memories about this time in your life, other than the fire at the school?
PC: Well, I really liked school. And this is interesting, since I had very good everyday assignments, I didn‟ t have to take many exams. That was a strange thing at that time was the case with me. [ It] was if you worked well, and did a good job [ you] didn‟ t have to take exams.
KW: Wow. It‟ s a lot different now where we have a lot of exams.
PC: Okay. Well, let me see… I didn‟ t have to take as many exams. As well as other students it was the same with them. [ I] did very well in school, was not valedictorian, but I was next and they called it … Saletorian. I was a Saletorian, but that wasn‟ t the highest, it was just the next.
KW: That‟ s interesting. And what kind of work and/ or activities did you do at this time? 5
PC: Oh we had fun dating and dancing and singing and learning. And we had many good friends. I did some work for a teacher for a time which helped me with my money.
KW: Um Hm.
PC: Okay.
KW: And did you go to college? And what degree did you get?
PC: Well, it was not as such as college, but it was an extra training of six months. And it was called a National Youth Administration sponsored by the government. And in that we learned special homemaking training: canning, sewing and gardening.
KW: Interesting.
PC: So I should be prepared.
KW: Yeah, so do you think that was to prepare you for marriage? Or just to prepare you to…
PC: Probably general life and of course marriage too.
KW: Sometimes I think we need that nowadays. „ Cause a lot of people can‟ t do that anymore.
PC: I think especially nowadays. People don‟ t have a lot of gardens like we did. We always had a special… for gardening and so that helped.
KW: Yeah.
PC: We didn‟ t have the problems that a lot of other people had because of that.
KW: That extra security of having food. Yeah, that‟ s really important now. And what special talents, hobbies, or other pastimes did you have?
PC: Well, let‟ s see. Oh! I loved reading and I liked sports too; playing ball with the kids and things like that. And we did a lot of swimming in the canals and I don‟ t think that they do that anymore. In fact I think the canals are closed some of the time and there‟ s no water in them. And of course gardening and I remember I wanted a special dress when I was twelve years old and it was kind of… it had points on it and in between the points there was gathering. And I wanted that dress, and mother didn‟ t want to do it, and so I did it myself.
KW: Really.
PC: From then on I sewed.
KW: All of your clothes or just… 6
PC: Well, most things. I‟ m real short.
KW: Um hmm.
PC: And when I went to buy anything, it always had to be remade. So, I was glad I could sew.
KW: Yes.
PC: I hated anything sloppy and it had to be just so.
KW: Yes.
PC: I didn‟ t like that. Okay, next question.
KW: And how have your talents changed? Do you still participate in some of them?
PC: Well, I‟ m rather old right now and I‟ m getting arthritis. So, I used to crochet and embroidery. But that‟ s very difficult to do. But other than that…
KW: Mm hmm.
PC: We still garden and we still can our vegetables.
KW: And you do have a beautiful garden.
PC: We do, and it‟ s so much better than what you buy.
KW: Yes, yes it is.
PC: Somehow…
KW: And where and when did you get married?
PC: Okay, we got married the 22nd of November 1938 in the Logan Temple, and that was a most exciting time. We have always been temple goers and love church activities.
KW: And I should also ask: what was his name?
PC: Joseph Orville Crow.
KW: Okay, and how old were you and how old was he?
PC: I was 21 and he was 24.
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KW: Did you work at anytime during your marriage? Did you have any " outside- of- home" work while raising children? Where did you work and where did your husband work?
PC: Well, yes I worked part time at Cress‟ s.
KW: What‟ s Cress‟ s?
PC: That is a five and ten cent store.
KW: Okay.
PC: I don‟ t remember, I worked there quite a while. And Orville was a farm laborer and he just worked for farmers for part of our life…..
KW: And how many children do you have?
PC: We have four children; two boys and two girls.
KW: That‟ s very good and even. I like that. And how many grandchildren do you have?
PC: We have nineteen grandchildren. They are all law abiding citizens except two boys who are not active in our church. But they are good people, good men, and they have good marriages.
KW: That‟ s important, yes. Are there any favorite memories about child- raising?
PC: Well, I think it is really wonderful. It‟ s a learning experience. And it is not without its sorrows and its joyous occasions. And our children are all outstanding men and women. All of my children were married in the temple. Probably in Idaho Falls, since we moved to Ammon. Now, let‟ s see…
KW: And where have you lived? Did you move a lot or did you stay mainly in one place?
PC: We lived in Labelle Jefferson Idaho until I was about six years old and then we moved to Ammon and we‟ ve been here ever since. We didn‟ t move very much, just the two places. We had a good ward to raise our children in and we didn‟ t like moving. And all our children have married well and have stayed active in the Church of Latter- day Saints. Okay.
KW: And what memories or experience do you have with major historical events like the
Depression, or WWII, or any of those?
PC: Well, I don‟ t remember too much about that.
KW: Yeah?
PC: I don‟ t remember any significant experience. Just doing what we had to do to help with our livelihood. And I just let the rest of the world go by… 8
KW: No, It was kind of hard to have the outside troubles in Ammon and Idaho Falls because it‟ s such a small area, back then especially.
PC: Yes.
KW: So you didn‟ t get any kind of outside influences?
PC: Not particularly. It‟ s kind of a secluded, nice place to live.
KW: I like it here too.
PC: That‟ s good, it‟ s a good place.
KW: Now, so… with any of the Cold War or Vietnam, any of those memories? Or all of it was just kind of…
PC: Like I said we lived in a sort of secluded small area, and it didn‟ t affect us. Now if some people, if they didn‟ t have a garden and didn‟ t sew and cook, and all the things you know that helped us in our lives it would have been harder, much harder.
KW: Yeah, and I imagine it didn‟ t affect your work life or education with any of those?
PC: Not particularly, no. However, you know when we had… now with that flood though. Now this is a strange thing, but people around us were flooded, but it didn‟ t come over this road into our yard, only just a little bit. But we had dug a root cellar, and so we had dirt that was loose, where otherwise it was really hard.... and you could not get anything…. but my husband got that loose dirt and put it right next to the house. And it was frozen so hard under there that we didn‟ t get flooded. The water was there and it come just about to where it would come into the kitchen door, but it wasn‟ t quite high enough. So we did not get flooded. There were other people around us and we had a man up the street from us that tried to dig through the road so that more water would come our way and I was thinking it would maybe be … some. But it couldn‟ t break through.
KW: You were very blessed.
PC: We were blessed. Yes, we were.
KW: That‟ s amazing.
PC: The thing about that too, Orville was a secretary, [ a] ward clerk. And neither the ward clerk, nor any of the bishop or his counselors didn‟ t get flooded….. I thought that was very strange.
KW: Very interesting.
PC: Blessed. 9
KW: Yes, very blessed. And any other memories associated specifically to Idaho and this area… other than the Teton Dam Flood or…?
PC: Well, I was saying that we were blessed with the Teton Dam Disaster, many around us had a lot of loss, but we had our homes in Ammon and some of us knew that our homes were not flooded. I just told you that.
KW: Yes. And my next question was how did those affect your life? You were mentioning some of them.
PC: Well, we were not flooded but as we weren‟ t, we could help others and we did service for others during that time, such as washing clothes. I did a lot of washing clothes and helping others clean up the mud, especially from their homes. It really was rather devastating. As we weren‟ t flooded, a neighbor… I don‟ t know if I should tell that or not… about the neighbor trying to cut through the road.
KW: Yeah.
PC: But I‟ m sure that it was to help alleviate because we didn‟ t get that much over the neighbors. Let‟ s see…. oh, a neighbor tried to cut through the road to let the water, I should say to alleviate the water, perhaps above us. We had some water around our home, but I told about…. should I do that here?
KW: That‟ s fine, whatever you would like to say.
PC: My husband piled dirt around the base of the house, and the ground being frozen so hard that prevented the flooding of our house. Okay, it just missed it… we had water around the house, but it didn‟ t get high enough to come in the house. That‟ s kind of a nice story.
KW: Now … so it didn‟ t get into the root cellar you said? Because there were some people who had to get rid of all their food.
PC: We were not flooded. We just weren‟ t flooded. Maybe a little bit high enough to come in the door, and we‟ ve got window boxes too.… And it didn‟ t get in the window box. It didn‟ t get in the basement.
KW: That‟ s amazing.
PC: Yeah, it really was amazing. There was a neighbor down the street, she wasn‟ t LDS, she got flooded pretty good, and she lived right across the road from where the bishop and the counselors lived, and she got flooded and they didn‟ t. She couldn‟ t understand that.
KW: Now do you remember how they…. when you heard about the flood, was there any radio? Or did you hear it on…..
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PC: Let me think about that... I heard it earlier; I didn‟ t think it was… but I knew it was coming.
KW: Yeah.
PC: That‟ s the reason my husband got the dirt to put around the house. So we were aware of it before it hit us. So that gave us a little bit of time to prepare as much as we did.
KW: That‟ s good that you could. So, now…
PC: Got to flip them over…. you‟ ve got a long one here.
KW: Okay, that‟ s great. And what organizations did you belong to?
PC: Well, mostly within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints. I was a teacher all of my life… I started teaching; my first teaching was a Sunday school class when I was seventeen.
KW: Wow.
PC: And then all through my life I have taught Sunday school, Primary, as Relief Society President and taught a Religion class, and otherwise in Relief Society. Oh, I said that I taught in Relief Society, and Relief Society President and I taught a Genealogical class for years. And anyway…
KW: Now do you have any memories about how church activities have changed over the years?
PC: Well, in as much as they cut down the time that was spent in classes because we used to go… we would have Sunday school on Sunday, and Tuesday we had Primary and another night they had mutual. And so when they changed that, it was all on Sunday. And so Sunday school, Primary, and mutual was all on Sunday. So that gave quite a bit of time to give to be with the family and to train your children and the family. So, I thought that was good and proper.
KW: Very important.
PC: Yes, because the family life is the root of all good in both families and in the world.
KW: It is difficult nowadays to keep the family together.
PC: It is, because everywhere now and everything is trying to break the family up. It really is. And it is very scary.
KW: It‟ s very scary. Now did you go on a mission? When and Where? And what memories do you have of your mission?
PC: Yes, we went on a mission, we went on a stake mission first and that was for about well, it was two years I guess. It was two years for me, my husband they put in a little earlier than that, and put him in as ward clerk and then I was given another companion and finished out my stake 11
mission. And that was probably before 1979, sometime before that. Then we were called on a regular full time mission. Well, it turned out to be fifteen months. And we went to a fifteen month mission to Plummer, Idaho.
KW: Where is Plummer?
PC: Now that is about thirty- five miles from Coeur d‟ Alene. It‟ s a bigger place and there was kind of the headquarters over Plummer. And my husband, when we went there, there was only two years that there had been a branch there, and he was helping building a building and I wondered what to do because I wasn‟ t a builder. But the women did the cleaning up and there were things that kept us busy while we were there, and then we did go out proselyting too, you know at different times. I remember there was a young girl there that I asked if she could go up proselyting while my husband was building the church and was given that permission. And her husband just before that took her on a motorcycle ride and they had a wreck. That stopped that. I always wondered what I was going to do. I mean I like to be busy, but there was always something to do. But I thought that that was a little sprained. It wasn‟ t to be I guess.
KW: You said that was in the 70‟ s that you went on this mission?
PC: We went on a mission in 1979 and we were released December of 1985.
KW: To Palmer, Idaho? Plummer.
PC: From Plummer to here, we were there the full time in that area.
KW: How did that affect your children? They were of course all grown up. How did you feel about being away from your grandkids and…?
PC: Well, that was really no problem. My children were all married and they had children. And they were busy keeping contact with us. [ They‟ d] write to us and we wrote back. Communication was good. So we enjoyed it. I don‟ t know that it bothered me that much.
KW: Because you kept yourself busy as much as you could.
PC: Yes, as much as we could.
KW: And were their any particular difficulties that came to mind that you had during your life?
PC: Well, I had seven operations. It wasn‟ t very, well it was quite serious. I had had ulcers for years and finally the doctors said, “ Don‟ t you think you better have something done about that.” So I decided to and there was between forty to fifty percent of my stomach was removed.
KW: Wow.
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PC: And that was quite difficult because I could eat so very little and it took years to be able to get enough food to last. I almost had to be eating … oh whatever I could you know because it was such a little stomach then that had to be stretched.
KW: And now people do that on purpose, so that they can lose weight. Just amazing.
PC: You know that isn‟ t always so good though. I had problems. I had some other problems after that, that were almost as bad as the ulcers. But gradually I got over that and got along better. Not so much misery. Anyway.
KW: Are their any particular favorite memories that you had during your life?
PC: Let me see. We had enjoyed our family reunions and get- togethers and I had many pleasant memories teaching in the church. I really enjoyed that. And teaching in the primary and the different organizations and it satisfied me and I made a lot of friends and the children loved one another and it was a good experience. And I had it all my life. I quit teaching. I quit in the first of January in 2006. And I quit driving at that time. Getting older, [ I] got to give up some of these wonderful things.
KW: Yep, and do you have any other advice that you would like to share?
PC: Well, I would tell all young people, old people whoever, to keep close to our Father in Heaven, to pray always, over all of your life and keep our Father in Heaven‟ s commandments if you want to be happy. The church gives stability and the knowledge that we are never alone. Our Father in Heaven and his son Jesus Christ are always available through their obedience to their commandments. We have had a good productive life together. My husband is 93 years old and quite well yet. I am 89 years and 90 in March. And my husband has difficult ties now with his memory and he‟ s legally blind. But he has good hearing aids and still does very well. He‟ s okay.
KW: Yes, I see you always out still working in your garden and it‟ s just amazing to me. And you have such a beautiful garden, especially all of your flowers. We always enjoy them.
PC: Oh, I love flowers. I like them everywhere and my husbands says, “ Isn‟ t there a place that you don‟ t need to put flowers?” I say, “ If I don‟ t plant flowers, weeds grow there.”
KW: And it‟ s better to have pretty flowers growing there.
PC: Much better.
KW: Now to go along with your advice… I was just thinking if you would like to share your testimony. If you wanted to do that, or anything else you would like to say.
PC: Well, I thought kind of in a way I did. That…
KW: Yes, but… or any last… 13
PC: I have enjoyed our church religious life and I know we have a living prophet to guide us who is Spencer W. Kimball ( KW: At this time, may have meant Gordon B. Hinckley.) And the Savior atoned for our sins, and he‟ s always there to help us and to guide us if we will live obediently and keep the commandment. And he is always there to help us and our Father in Heaven wants us to come back and live with him and it is only through the gospel of Jesus Christ and keeping the commandments. Having the Holy Ghost to be with us because he is a guide and a help to us in many ways. And I was reading in Life Everlasting, that without the Holy Ghost we could not be sanctified. And before we can live with our Father in Heaven, we have to be sanctified and so we are blessed to have in our church … with the blessings of the Holy Ghost to guide us and help us in our lives.
KW: All right well, thank you very much.
Additional interview
Addendum: Later on January 26, 2008
KW: Now, you say that you forgot a portion of your organization, so we will let you tell about that.
PC: I also extracted church records at the stake house of birth, marriage and death records from the first of January 1982, to the first of June 1996, which was fourteen and a half years… I hope…, which were German, Latin, and English mixed. They were sent to Salt Lake City and from there to various temples to have the ordinance work performed for those individuals. From the first of June 1996 to the first of January 2006, about nine years, the records were sent from Salt Lake to various church libraries for people to do their research and perform their own temple ordinances. There were five to six people extracting every other day of the week except Sunday. The first of June 6th 1996 the German extraction program was discontinued. For two years, I had been doing family record extraction on the computer in my home, as well as German extracting. I [ Pearl] continued extracting family records on the computer at my home until the first of January 2006. Then it became necessary for me to be released and take over as caretaker of my husband who is legally blind and has a very short memory. However, he feels good and does rather well, under the circumstances. I now do humanitarian sewing in my home. I left out the biggest part of my life…
KW: No Problem.
PC: I extracted all that time and anyway… you don‟ t need this?
KW: I don‟ t think so, but do you have any other memories that you can think of that you would like to add to the interview?
PC: Where would I add it?
KW: Anywhere you want. Any other memories you would want to add? 14
PC: I told you something…. and I‟ m not sure let‟ s think what. I told you when we were standing here, I was …
[ Break: This portion was recorded twice due to an omission of the story by the narrator. The portion below is the final recording with the complete story.]
KW: You had another memory of your parents.
PC: Well, I mentioned earlier that my father was rather strict but as the years went by he mellowed a lot and was a lot more gentle. My father‟ s health had begun to fail and had severe headaches and when about 50 years old, he continued to periodically get somewhat worse. His memory was failing and he would roam around Ammon and got lost. A neighbor would bring him home. During his later years, father became a little dangerous toward mother. He raised a shovel threatening to hit her, she very calmly said, “ Frank, you wouldn‟ t do that.” And then he wilted and dropped the shovel. Could you stop it for a minute. [ Break]
Finally, a neighbor turned him into the county authorities and a trial was held and he was evaluated and pronounced incompetent and was immediately put in a mental health facility at Blackfoot. This broke my heart. It was very devastating to all of us. Okay, we took my mother down periodically to see him. Every so often he would gradually get worse until the age of 75 years old he died and was buried in the Ammon, Bonneville cemetery. Mother was left alone for quite a few years when she came and lived with us until her death.
KW: You don‟ t know how old she was when she died?
PC: She was about 84. If I looked it up and found it…. maybe I could...
KW: Let me know…
PC: … and let you know that. She was gentle and nice to take care of. She really was. She died and was buried in the Ammon Cemetery.
KW: All right, and did you have any other memories that you would like to share with us for this interview?
PC: There probably were, but I can‟ t think of any right now.
KW: Okay. Thank you very much.
PC: … I worked for a time at a warehouse, at a potato warehouse. But let that be all….
KW: But it is hard to put a lifetime into a small interview as this one and especially since you‟ ve been married for most of your life and how long is it going to be this year?
PC: It‟ s going to be 70 years, in November 2008. 15
KW: That‟ s amazing, a big accomplishment to make. Thank you very much for your interview, and for your time and for letting me know of the other memories you had. And so, thank you.
PC: You are very welcome. 16
Appendix:
Written Portion received on February 5, 2007
PC: I should mention this. Frank, my father as he was called, became little dangerous toward mother. He raised a shovel threatening to hit her. She very calmly said, “ Frank you wouldn‟ t do that.” He wilted and dropped the shovel. These were stressful times for mother and myself, having lived next door to them. With my 1 dau[ ghter] and two sons in school and my youngest dau[ ghter] starting kindergarten in 1955, I decided to branch out and enlarge my horizon. I started to take training to be a Beautician at the Excelsis Beauty School for a year and graduated with good grade. Mrs. Rowberry ran the Beauty School and a Salon. I worked for her in the Salon for eight months. During this time my husband remodeled a porch into a Beauty Shop. I stopped working for Mrs. Rowberry and started in my own Beauty Shop 1 Feb. 1957. I really enjoyed that work. I worked at this as time permitted until 1 Jan. 2006, when I let my license expire. ( We were called on a 2 yr [ sic] stake mission in 1957, released in 1959.) A new dimension came in my life in 1964. My husband and I being called and set apart to serve in the Regional Genealogical Library in Idaho Falls. We served as librarians for 2 years under Karen and Doyle Judy. They were released and I was set apart as Head librarian. I regularly worked in the beauty shop and sometimes working in library for 12 yrs. from eight in the morning until eight at night. I arranged my beauty appointments around at this phase of my life. Which has produced many interesting conversations and happenings in the shop. Never a dull moment! We went on a 15 month mission in 1997 to Plummer, Idaho. In Dec 2006 my son having retired and his children having married, except one son, a twin, was working away from home.
( He [ Val] had been a bishop, high councilman and he and his wife were scout leaders. She was a Seminary teacher for a time.) Val had been in Michigan for 37 yrs, moved back to Ammon and built a lovely home on half of our lot. My father had bought 2 lots in the Ammon Village earlier in his life and we had bought 1 of his lots, in turn Val go ½ of our lot. He said, “ he had come home.” He helps us a great deal in our declining years, as well as the other children contributed to our well being. Thus the circle of our 70 yrs life this year rolls forward.
The End
Pearl Gardner Crow