Elisabeth 'Betty' Matilda Wennergren 1854–1909

Personanteckningar

Life Sketch of Elizabeth Matilda Wennergren Barrett

Elizabeth Matilda Wennergren Barrett was born November 11, 1854 in Trollhatten, Alvabr,

Sweden, to Jacob and Eva Christian Lundberg Wennergren. While still a young girl her father, who was a watch maker, drowned in the canal which ran through the city. It left her mother, Eve Christina with four children, Oscar, Elizabeth Matilda, Charles, and Emil.

They were members of the church and had a desire to immigrate to Utah, Elizabeth was eleven

when her Mother left with her three brothers and herself, in 1865.

They spent four weeks sailing the waters in a sailing vessel, and landed in New York. Leaving

New York they traveled to Salt Lake with a team of oxen, making the journey in three months. While on the trail her brother Charles died. They came to Logan to make their home. Not having a place to go a Brother Thatcher cared for them. He let them live in a spare two room log house. At this time it was necessary for Elizabeth to work out to help support the family. At the age of 11-12 she kept house for a large family doing the cooking, washing and ironing.

Elizabeth was a beautiful girl and everyone loved her, for she was kind and cheerful and made

life pleasant for all. She continued to work at house work until she was given a good job in the

Blanchards Hotel working there for several years.

While Elizabeth was working away from home her Mother married again to David Drysdale from

Logan. She went home for a short time but her step-father would have her assist in the work of the

family. After a short time of living at home she was asked to go to the home of Linney Farrel carrying for a sick woman and taking charge of the home affairs.

Elizabeth remained there for a number of years and while there she had the pleasure of meeting

here future husband. He being hired out to work at the same place.

On October 18, 1874, Elizabeth was married to William Barrett in the Endowment House in Salt

Lake City. They made their home in Logan in a home across the street from the B Y College. While there a son was borned to them on November 15, 1875 and was given the name of William Charles. Then they had a daughter born October 18, 1877 and was given the name of Evalene.

When Evalene was five weeks old William and Elizabeth and two children moved to Mendon.

They bought the old Shumway home on the corner facing the church house,

A year later their little son William Charles was taken ill with blood poisoning and died

December 19, 1878, a great loss and sorrow to them.

Laura Matilda their next child was born in Mendon September 9, 1879, then a second son Emil

LeRoy born July 25, 1881, he lived five months and died December 25, 1881, a great loss to the family.

The third son, Oscar Junius, was born July 6, 1883 while William was away from home working for his brother-in-law, Emil Wennergren on his farm in Trenton.

A daughter Charlotte, was born December 28, 1885. A son Clarence Samuel, born March 28,

1889. On February 23, 1892, a daughter Selma Hortense was born. November 5, 1895 was the birth date of Algia Lavine and on November 13, 1900 their last son, Howard Owen, was born living two months and four days before he was called home.

Elizabeth was a energetic woman working hard for her family and assisting those who needed

helped help in time of sickness. Many weeks out of every year she worked in the temple donating her work of redeeming many hundreds of the dead that have passed away.

Elizabeth was a Relief Society teacher for many years and up until the time of her death being

very faithful in her labors. Her life was a very useful one and her example was uplifting to all who knew her.

In 1902 her brother and his wife died leaving six children, she and her family helped to care for

them. Two of the children lived with them until old enough for their sisters to take care of them.

On March 14, 1903 her son Oscar went to Sweden on a mission, She had always told him that

was where he was to go as it was her homeland. Money was hard to get when Oscar left but the lord multiplied their income and they were able to build a beautiful new home while he was gone. Oscar came home in 1906 after serving 3 years in the mission to a lovely new home which they all enjoyed.

Just three years after the house was completed and every thing was coming along in their favor,

getting things so they did not have to work so hard, Elizabeth took sick with pneumonia and passed away on October 15, 1909. She left a husband and seven children who missed her greatly, she was a you woman when she died.

Written by her daughter Charlotte Richards.

A story told by her son Oscar J. Barrett

His mother liked to go and spend time in the temple, one day as she prepared to leave she

couldn’t find her cape which she wore all the time. She looked all over but went anyway and wore a older coat. Several months later she was looking through some old clothes in a trunk up-stairs she found her cape folded in the bottom of the trunk. About this time a group of Satan’s hosts had visited the temple and had told the President they would do all in their power to stop the people from coming and doing the work for the dead at the temple.