Married Norman Hans Nisson 12 Oct 1908 in Preston
Mary-Howard
Died 25 June 1935
Buried in Swan Lake
1910 Census
1920 Census
1930 Census
This was written by Mary's daughter-in-law, Jean.
Mary Ann (Ane Marie) was born in Mink Creek, Idaho on Feb. 18, 1884. She had two brothers, Ole Peter and Henry Lawrence, and five sisters, Maren Sophia, Bodil Johanne (Hannah), Juliana (Julia), Christina, and Elizabeth (Lizzie).
Mary Ann and Norman were married in Logan, Utah on Oct. 12, 1908. They lived in Preston for a few years. Howard, Ken, and Helen were born in Preston. They moved to Banida where Lulu and Vera were born. Banida is a small community between Preston and Swan Lake. Lulu and Vera both died as infants and were buried in Banida. An effort was made to find the graves when Norman died, but no one seemed to know where they were and a stone was placed in the Swan Lake Cemetary in their memory.
Norman was a farmer and he admired a farm in Swan Lake. It was owned by the Quigley family and he called it "The Quigley Place." When it was put up for sale, Norman bought it. It consisted of some three hundred plus acres. It had a large barn, a two-story house, and a good well. Some of the land was dry farm and some of it irrigated. Most of it was on the east side of the highway, but some was west of the railroad tracks.
Frank, Ivan and Arlo were born in Swan Lake. The years after 1918 were good years, and Norman spent a lot to improve the farm. He had a herd of dairy cattle, a hundred or so pigs, about three thousand chickens, and some horses. He bought farm implements to plant and harvest the crops. There was a fruit orchard and a large garden.
Norman found satisfaction in his farm, and always looked for ways to improve it and make the work easier. He and Howard devised a plan to make a conveyor that would carry grain from the truck into the granary. It was powered with a gasoline engine and was the first grain elevator in the area. His dairy barn was always up-to-date. He piped water to a water trough near the barn for the livestock, and the chicken coops also had running water. He bought a tractor as soon as he was able, and he kept his farm implements in good working order. The Swan Lake store has always been the social center of the community. After the milking was done in the morning, and after they had eaten breakfast, the men would gather at the store in the winter to visit and exchange stories.
Norman had a good friend, Leo Beckstead. He was a cattle trader, and Norman would go with him to Idaho Falls, Blackfoot, Ogden to livestock auctions, and he enjoyed playing cards. The farm around the house and the barn was planted in grain and alfalfa. The farm west of the railroad tracks was pasture and alfalfa. It was marshy land and there was water for the cows.
Swan Lake was settled by Mormon pioneers and the people were close. They helped each other. They worked together and played together. The children were school mates from
first grade through high school. The school in Swan Lake was open a lot for the youth to play basketball in. The Nisson boys enjoyed all sports and were active in baseball and basketball. By the time they reached high school, they were already teammates and played well together. When Ken and Howard were teenagers, they played with teams that would go to Oxford or Clifton or Downey or other places. Ivan was the happiest little kid around when they would take him with them.
We always read about the men and things they did, and how hard they worked, but the wives and daughters were as important and they worked as hard, sometimes harder. Mary was one of those really hard working ones. I never met her, but I have visited with people who knew her and her children have talked of her. From their comments, I picture a woman with a small frame, brown hair and a very gentle nature. It seems that everyone who knew her loved her and felt that she worked too hard. She gave her children a lot of encouragement and helped them to achieve. They all had a deep love for their mother. Norman had a hard time communicating with his children, and often their discussions would turn into arguments. They were all very bright, but they were a stubborn bunch.
As so often happened, money was spent on the farm buildings, and the farm implements and the livestock, but the house and the things women worked with were at the very bottom of the list of priorities. The house they lived in looked spacious, but there were two rooms upstairs where the boys slept. Downstairs consisted of a combination kitchen, dining, and living room; and a bedroom where the parents slept. One corner was curtained off for a bedroom for Helen. Upstairs was like gymnasium with a fruit basket on one wall to practice basketball shots. Often the windows were broken.
There was no plumbing in the house, and that means no bathroom, and no kitchen sink. The cattle, horses, pigs, and chickens had water at their houses, but Mary had to carry every bucket of water she needed from the well. The well had an electric pump, but it takes a lot of water for drinking, for cooking, for washing and bathing and for the laundry. She had a kitchen range that burned wood or coal. It heated the kitchen in the winter (and in the summer). It was used to cook the food and to heat water. There was always a tea kettle full of hot water and a coffee pot on the stove.
When electricity was brought to the homes in Swan Lake, Norman bought an electric range. It was wonderful in the summer. I'm sure Mary enjoyed having it. In the summer Mary would have a huge garden, and it was hers to weed and water and care for. She canned hundreds of jars of fruits and vegetables, which were stored in a cellar for the winter months. It took two days to do the laundry and the ironing. Baking bread and cooking for a family as large as hers was a monumental task. Mary fed the chickens, gathered hundreds of eggs every day, cleaned them and put them in crates to be sold. The cream separator had to be washed twice a day.
In her lifetime, she never had a bathroom, she never had a kitchen sink, she never had a refrigerator, she never had a furnace or a carpet for her floor. She never had a parlor or a living room. She didn't have a dress to wear to church. She didn't go to church, she didn't go shopping, and her education didn't go beyond the eighth grade.
She enjoyed her neighbors, and shared her garden produce with them. She had a raspberry patch. They're a lot of work, but after she picked them and put them in jars for the winter, she'd share with her neighbors. She loved her children and they always felt her love and spoke of her with reverence.
Mary gave birth to eight living children, buried two babies, and suffered a number of miscarriages. She died at the age of forty two and left some children who needed her gentle influence in their lives. Arlo was eleven, Ivan was thirteen, and Frank was fifteen. Howard, Ken and Helen were older, but still living at home. Norman was lost without her.
Swan Lake was a good place to grow up. It was like one great big family, and you were accepted literally "warts and all." The boys all liked to play baseball and basketball. The school house was open most of the time; it was just through the field, and the boys spent a lot of time there. One evening Ken and Howard were playing, and Mary and Helen took Arlo and Ivan to the game. Ivan had followed Ken and Howard around often enough that he knew the rules of the game and the words like foul shot, bucket, out-of-bounds, dribble, etc. He had also learned some colorful phrases to yell at the referee. That evening he really embarrassed his mother. Norman would never go to the games because he thought it was a waste of time.
Mary had a special love for Arlo. He was small and quiet, he never went out for sports, and was not included in their activities. I'm sure they all missed her, but I think she spent more time with Arlo because there were no more babies. Ivan missed her for a lot of reasons, but the main one was that she always loved and accepted him. Mary was very ill for a time before she died. Her death certificate records the cause of death as kidney failure and heart problems.
Here's a letter Mary Ann wrote to her daughter in 1934:
Swan Lake Ida.
Sept 18 – 34
Dearest Helen,
Well I will try and write you again. Well Ivan and Arlo got started school just think the school is furnishing all paper pencils etc everything but fountain pens. Ivan is wondering where his pen is. Guess I will have to buy him one. Got one for Frank one at the variety store. It writes good but don’t know how long it will last.
Well I finally got my teeth Friday night I should have been in Sat to have them ground down. But I haven’t been in yet. I managed to wear them until today my mouth got so sore I had to discard them till I can get in and have them ground [?] off.
Hilda’s baby has intestinal flu [?] has it also. She has had it for some time. They took them in to the Dr. today. Hilda is surely worried as well she might be as he had a temperature of 103 ½ . Poor Juda is still waiting. I think Andy went back to Lewiston Monday. Did you hear about Wesley Biggs and a couple of his pals. (Terrible isn’t it) It stands one in hand to be careful of whom and where one goes.
Howard and Afton was married in the Salt Lake Temple Friday the 14. They got their license Thursday at Logan so they could go through with the earliest group at 9 a.m.
They were down here a short while Sunday. She was telling about [?] bed room set and new [?] he bought at Salt Lake. She surely seemed thrilled over them.
Afton invited Frank to come and have lunch with them.
I haven’t decided what to give them it all depends on how much money I can get. Guess they won’t start housekeeping till after the first of October when their furniture comes. I think Howard is pleased about getting some more grain to load as he no doubt needs the money now. I think Mr. Toller did it for his benefit. The co[mpany] was surely pleased with the grain from Swan Lake.
Well it is past my bedtime so I will have to hurry.
I don’t know anything about a shower for Afton but they will likely have one. I will try and mail your purse one of these days.
I have no doubt the work there is worth more but how will Mrs. Rowlings feel. She told you what the wages would be so you had a chance to turn it down. But do as you think best yourself.
Well the boys just got home from mutual. They are thinking of organizing scouting again.
I arranged with Dr. Cull[?] for an examination if you are in Preston and want to. I can’t tell when I can come in or I would arrange for you to meet me.
Be good
With lots of love
Mother
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