Jemima Rachel Forster ~ Index
The sweetest little old lady I have ever talked to in all my life, looks about the age of seventy, spry with a twinkle in her eye and a happy little laugh. Takes care of her own work and home. Has lived on the same city block all her life. Jemima R. Forster was born in Mendon ninety-three years ago last August 21st. Her brother was the first male child born in Mendon. She remembers the old fort in Mendon, where her parents, along with all the Mendon folks lived when Mendon was first settled. They then built homes in Mendon. The house she lives in now was where she was born ninety-three years ago.
Sister Forster has been a faithful church worker all her life, working first in the Primary. When she was taken from the Primary and put in the first intermediate class in Sunday school, the children cried because she was leaving them. In the summer time she remembers the picnics held on her front lawn for the children, all of their entertaining was home made in those days of the Primary, Sunday school and M.I.A. She was assistant secretary in the M.I.A. for three or four years, then secretary about the same amount of time. Then ward M.I.A. president for twenty years, a total of twenty-nine years M.I.A. service.
We never missed a meting, the horse and buggy could go through mud and snow very well,
says Sister Forster. She tells of groups of teachers going into their meetings singing songs and telling jokes on the way. A happy group, always in attendance, even though they traveled miles to their conventions and stake meetings. Mendon at the time Sister Forster first began working in the M.I.A. belonged to Cache Stake, there was only one stake in the valley. Then she belonged to Hyrum Stake for many years. Mendon became a ward in Logan Stake about thirteen or fourteen years ago. When a group of church workers were going to a convention the priesthood members placed spring seats in a wagon to accommodate more people for the trips. In the winter they went by bobsleigh. In the M.I.A. only lesson material was given, they usually had a surprise party once a month for both organizations for their entertainment and amusements. They also had dramatics and Sister Forster was very active in the dramatics of the ward. She also was on the Old Folks Committee for many years.
At the Logan Stake quarterly conference held last May, (1960) she along with Brother Joseph C. Sorensen received their honorary Master M-Men and Golden Gleaner awards, for their many years of outstanding service.
My Aunt Jemima…
Jemima R. Forster lived to be just over one-hundred and one years old. She was born in Mendon on 21st August 1867 and died on 15th December 1968. She is buried in the Mendon Cemetery near her father, mother, brothers and sisters. She was unmarried in her earthly life and to the best of my knowledge, the last living of the large Foster family. I still have a few very fond memories of her. Once she knew who you belonged to, where you fit in, and she was ok with that, you were like family. I remember cutting through the block on her property, early in the morning on the way over to Rulen and Lorna Ladle's when I was about ten or eleven and playing with Robert Ladle and or with Blaine Taylor. She would sometimes catch us sneaking through her lot and invite us in for pancakes and what a wonderful breakfast she would make. She was really good to the little children of Mendon it would seem. We would eat our little feast out in the warm sunshine of the south screen porch that is no longer there. (2md April 1995, Paul Murray removed it three or four years ago when he did some remodeling on the home.) Being the little gentlemen that we were, we would thank her very much for the breakfast (our second of the day) and be off on our way exploring the nooks and crannies of the wonders that were Mendon, Utah, back then.
We would get into the old rock church house and pump the guts out of what was left of the old church organ, then jump around on the old stand or stage and pretend to orate to the crowd. When we were done here we would then walk across the street to the old 1899 red brick school house and lift up a board, that was supposed to keep us out of the old rock part of the school, on the rock south side. All I will say is that this is what fun was meant to be. Two or three kids in an abandoned school with nothing special to do except have fun. The squeal that you can make on those old real slate black boards! We were not mean nor destructive more than we needed to be, we just explored a lot. There was a bell tower you could get into if you got up on the roof and etc., the bell was always missing in my time. The old Mendon town hall and jail sat just out in front and to the south of the red brick schoolhouse and was great adventure and sport as well. I can only remember one cell in the jail, perhaps there were two. They held school in it as well, when they had too many children enrolled at one time. In 1964 when they took down the old yellow brick church and Bishop, Fred W. Sorensen had the 1864 old rock church pushed in and used for road fill on the county roads, our hideouts were diminishing. They took down the nice stone outdoor fireplace that the Mendon Wild Life Federation built north of the yellow brick church as well at about this same time.
Someone then bought the ground that the old 1899 red school and jail sat on and they took it down in April of 1968, and built the white brick apartments and the current Melanie Sorensen Hatch home (35 North 100 West). I remember crawling through all the air ducts in the ground, while they were building the new red brick church house that we have today. I got into the cement for the footings and had lots of fun pushing the rich black earth back into the trenches that were dug for the footing foundations and duct system. This and the old beet dump shack and railroad cars were some of the other favorites haunts of ours. I also remember the pea vinery and Rondo just south of town, but the Oregon Short Line Railroad station was gone before I had a chance to explore it. Aunt Jemima helped to provide the fuel for the little devils that were razing cane in town, as I am sure she had probably done for many years. I see in my historical readings, that my short cut through Jemima's block was first blazed by L.K. Wood and friends, long prior to our use of it. I suppose that this trail was in use by the kids from the time the people moved out onto their city lots from the old fort. People used to be able to cut through the block then, times were friendlier then it would seem now. One need not lock up everything…
Newspaper Articles
Jemima Rachel Forster— Honored on 96th Birthday— Honoring Jemima Forster on her 96th birthday anniversary with an open house party were Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Taylor of Mendon. More that one-hundred-eighty friends and relatives called to wish the best to the remarkable lady. Guests from out-of-town were N.D. Salisbury, Logan; Mrs. and Mrs. Ralph Taylor, Linda, Susanna, Rosanna, Roger and Larry Taylor and Lee Jones, all of Magna; Katherine Tolman, Mrs. Bertha Reid, Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Reid, Salt Lake City; Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Watkins, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Heninger and Grant Heninger, Logan; Maud Henry and Margaret Darley, Wellsville; Mrs. Bernice Curtis, Deanna Curtis and Laura Curtis, Smithfield; Lester Taylor and Mr. and Mrs. Glade Taylor of Logan, Frances C. Rigby of Newton. Others callers were Dr. and Mrs. Lyman Smith, Provo; Howard Whitney, Idaho Falls, Idaho; Norman Whitney, Bend Oregon; Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Nelson, College Ward; Edna W. Rust and Martha W. Wallen, Logan. ~Newspaper Not Listed.
Jemima Rachel Forster— Ninety-Ninth, Jemima Forster, 99 a pioneer of Mendon, Cache County, will be celebrating her Ninety-Ninth birthday September 11th, with friends and relatives. A daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Forster, who were the first settlers of Mendon in 1859, she was born August 21st, 1867, in Mendon where she has lived all her life. As a young girl she rounded up cattle on the ranges with her brothers. She attended the Brigham Young College in Logan, was postmistress of the Mendon Post Office, managed the family hotel-boarding house and the old John H. Anderson store in Mendon. Miss Forster has been active in the auxiliary organizations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She has served as M.I.A. president and Sunday school teacher. She has also been president of a chapter in the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. When her brother, (Matthew) returned from a British mission with eight-year-old Oliver Taylor, she reared the boy as a foster son. Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Taylor of Mendon and their four sons and families gathered with friends August 21st at the Taylor's home for a piece of birthday cake and plan to have an additional celebration September 11th. ~Newspaper Not Listed, September 5th, 1966.
Celebrates Ninety-Ninth Birthday at Party— Miss Jemima Forster celebrated her 99th birthday anniversary recently at a lovely party given by Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Taylor. A beautiful cake centered the table and guests included Mr. and Mrs. Lester Taylor, daughters Dianna and Laura, Logan; Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Taylor, Roger and Rosanna, Magan; Mr. and Mrs. Fred Taylor, LaVerna, Blaine and Paul of Mendon; Mrs. Maud Hendry and daughter Jean, Phoeniz, Arizona; Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Nelson, College Ward; Mrs. Charlotte B. Richards and Mary O.J. Barrett. Refreshments were served to those attending. Jemima was born August 21st, 1867, in Mendon, daughter of Ralph and Margaret Forster. She has remained spry and active with an alert mind and reads with glasses until the last three years. She has spent many hours crocheting pillow case lace, bed spreads, doilies and other articles until the last three years. Miss Forster has been active in the L.D.S. Church and has worked in the Primary, served as president of the Y.L.M.I.A. for many years, worked in the Sunday school, and has been captain of the Mendon Camp of Daughters of Utah Pioneers. In 1960, she received an honorary Golden Gleaner award. ~The Herald Journal, September 18th, 1966, page 15.
Notes…
This first nice but much too short of a history for Jemima R. Forster, was written by my aunt, Veda Sorensen. The second, lower one is mine. Jemima R. Forster was my personal link to Mendon's Pioneer Past. I am so glad to have known her, even if it was just for a short time as a youngster, of no more than fifteen. She lives on in a very plesant place in my memory still and I think she always will. Jemima R. Forster did not marry in her lifetime.
The photograph shows Jemima Rachel Forst recieving her Golden Gleaner award, and Joseph C. Sorensen recieving his Master M-Men award. The photo was taken in the Latter-day Saint tabernacle in Logan, Utah. This would be in the 1959 or 1960 time period.
When I was on the Mendon City Council, (2000-2004) I once tried to name Menodn's newest park, now known as "Taylor Park" over in Phesant Hollow after her. The ground belonged to her and her family and she lived to be the oldest person to ever reside in the fair city of Mendon, Utah. As I was the only one interested in doing this, and with no other support from the council members, the park has the name of Taylor Park in honor of the developer.