Interview with Aunt Laree S. Bauralee

Taken from an interview with one of our oldest living relatives. Laree Schvaneveldt Bauralee.

The Bold text is ours and the black text is Aunt Laree.




Interview with Aunt Laree S. Bauralee

Date: August 11, 2007

How far apart are you and Lee?
Quite a bit, he is almost old enough to be my dad.

Mom is still wearing the old style garments. You can see them in the picture. They go clear down (to the ankles). Referring to old family picture.

What were the circumstances of your family when you were born?

Grandpa Lee lived down the way from our place. Very humble. We had a big house, the one that is still there. We were living down in Dayton, in John and Venna’s house. I was born in Dayton. It was before they moved up Cedardale, Weston Creek.

I was five when Mardene was born. We were living up there when Mardene was born, because I remember coming down the stairs and Doctor Holden was sitting in the dining room eating his breakfast. Somebody had cooked him breakfast. (So after he delivered Mardene he was having breakfast.) So I went down the stairs, went out the door and went around the back door and came in. (So you didn’t have to talk to him?) No, Free as a Breeze.

So who was close to you in age?
There was Mardene…

Mardene was five years younger, Norma was five years older and Tilly was two years older, but she passed away when she was ten years old.

Do you remember when Tilly died?
She had the same thing that I had, but I got over it and it took her. Kidney disease. Three months difference between Tilley’s death and Father’s death.

After your father died what was life like for your family?
It was pretty hard. The boys were all older and took care of mother, but it was about the depression time, so it was pretty rough.

What do you remember about the depression? Peach farmer’s in Brigham city would come out and we would trade them a bushel of wheat for a bushel of peaches.

What do you remember about your mother? She had it hard, we were not that good to her. Her sons need metals given to them. They carried her all over. Delbert was at home then, of course, Lee lived down the way. They came up and helped. Lila was so good to my mother, really good to my mother. Really good to me, too. I lived down there more than I did at home, you knew that didn’t you? I lived with them just down the way about a mile.

How old were you when you went to live with them?
No, I was fairly young. We used to ride my horse to school. I remember that. I was probably 8 or 9 years old.

When Norma left home and I had to go home I didn’t like it at all. I wasn’t ready to go home.

I used to help with the kids. When the kids were born I was working in Logan and they came to get me. I was tending kids down there. They come to get me, so I could help out with the twins. I tended the boys while they were at the hospital. When they told me they had twin girls I didn’t believe them, I told them they would have to bring them home so I could see them.

They had five boys.

What was your father like?
He was a hard-working man, but I didn’t know him too well. He died when I was eight years old. I remember he was a big tease. When we would get in the car, we had one of those old time cars, he would just tease ya’ until everybody else got out there. He was a big teaser. I remember one spanking I got. He told me to bring him a drink down in the field, and I didn’t. It was a little green willow, too and it hurt. Gave me a few little spanks with that.

So did your mother ever remarry after your father passed away?
No, she was very ill, she couldn’t walk. Do you know what she had? She had really bad arthritis. She had it pretty bad. She fell and didn’t know that anything was broke; she went several months before she found out her hip and elbow was broke. She was walking on crutches until then and after that she never walked again. The boys carried her every where she had to be. She just sat in her rocking chair.

How old was she then?
She was only 54 when she died, so she was pretty young. How old was your dad when he died? He was about sixty, he was ten years older than her. She died about six years after he did.

Do you remember what school was like as a little girl?
Oh yes, I can tell you all about that, I haven’t forgotten that. We went to this little one room school house, one teacher for eight grades, up Cedar Creek. A mile from the house, you either had to walk or ride a horse. In grade school I had two teachers the entire time. Was it a big class? No only about 13 kids, in eight different grades? Did you write on paper or chalkboards? Chalkboards, there were two great big chalkboards on each wall, there was a big sandbox, and a big stove.

How long did you go to school there?
Until eighth grade, then went to high school in ninth grade.

What did you like to play as a little girl? What did you do for fun?
I don’t know, I was sick as a little girl, so I didn’t do much outdoor playin’. I missed all of second grade because I had a heart problem. But, mostly they would play baseball out in the yard. I loved to ski. We would strap skis onto our boots and then at noon hour we would go to the field by the school and ski. I liked doin’ that better than sleigh riding.

What was a typical day like with your family?
I don’t know, Mother was sick all the time.
Who did the cooking, if Mother was sick? Norma did, Norma, with the help of others. Norma and I cooked for the haymen. With the help of Lila. She used to come up and help us.

When your parents passed away when you were 13 were did you go after your parents passed away?
I stayed with Verl for a while, but then he got married and I went to Logan and tended people’s kids.

How did you meet Hugo?
I met him in SL, through friends. I lived with Wynn Hardware, then I went up to Mudd Lake, my sister lived there. My sister teased me that I hated it there so much, that I would marry someone from there and live there. I told her no way! Ellen Wynn tried to get me a job at the arms plant. But, they weren’t hiring. I went and tended a neighbors little boy. He was never “right” he got pneumonia and passed away. Thank heavens I wasn’t watching him then. Hugo was from Mudd Lake. We didn’t live there, but we stayed there with his brother and his wife for a little while.

What was the religious beliefs of your family? Do you remember going to church?
My mother was very church going, my father wasn’t so much. When she got sick they used to come and have relief society right at our house. It was such a small ward.

What were some of your family traditions, for Christmas and such.
We didn’t have too much, I had a sick mother, we pretty much just did whatever the kids could do. Christmas was always fun. We would always get just one nice thing, like a doll or something. We always had a Christmas tree. Didn’t have electricity, so we put candles on it, then we would blow them out. They didn’t get electricity there until after I left. Did they have running water in the house? No, no running water. It was all piped and pumped for a bathroom, but there was no power to pump the water. It was a really nice house we had, especially in those days.

What did you do for your birthdays?
We had a cake and that was about it. Pretty much the same as any other day?

Can you tell us about your siblings? Starting with the oldest.
There are a lot of them. Of course Vena was the oldest, I loved to go to her house, she always had so much good food. May, her daughter was about the same age as me, so I liked to go out there and go to school with her. Vena would pack these wonderful lunches; I just loved to open them up with all the good food. At home we got a jam sandwich.

Then, Edna. I used to like to go to her house too. She didn’t drive in her later years, but she drove then, She drove us in this old motor car with no windows. She had children about my age too. Her only girl was a few years younger than me.


Edith. She had a stroke, then she never was the same. She had one baby after the stroke. But, the doctors didn’t want her to have any kids after that. Bill, her husband was good to her. Everyone thought it was a shame, he dragged her all over. They both liked to dance.

Next, was Lee. He was a great man, a very great man. He liked to do things upright, good farm man. He had a big family as you know. He was always good to me. He was like a second father to me. I went to him with lots of problems. I didn’t have a dress for graduation. Verl said he wouldn’t take me to get one, so he said we’ll take you and get you a dress for graduation (from grade school) He made sure I got one.

Les. I never was around Les to much. He got married and moved away. He had a hard time of it too. He lost his wife after his fifth child. Delbert took in the last baby after his wife died. Raised it to a certain age, but then they came and took it back and broke there heart. I think his name was Blake.

Delbert, raised Les’s fifth child. I didn’t know any of Les’s children very well.

Verl. Did we talk about Delbert. He was really a good brother to me. I don’t know what I would have done without the boys. They had to do a lot for their mother that’s for sure. Delbert was the one at home when father died. The rest were all married. He helped take care of me.

What was Delbert’s wifes name? Ruth. She’s not that well. She is in a facility, were they help take care of her.

Who of your brother’s and sisters are still alive?
Norma, she is five years older than me. Mardeen the youngest sister died when she was quite young.

Next, was Verl. He was the last one at home. He got married young.

Norma, Norma lives in Logan. She has been a widow for many years. She’ll be ninety in September. I stayed with Norma a lot in Logan in between jobs.

Tilley. Got sick when she was young. She had problems with her Liver. She had what I had, but she didn’t get better. Past away.

Who did Mardeen live with after your mother passed away?
She lived with Verl for a long time and then she did the same thing as I did. Lived with a couple different people. She had one boy and then adopted a girl. She died of cancer.

Left to right back then front: (Refering to Old Family Picture)
Delbert, Edith, Venna, Lee, Edna, Melva, Les, Front, Norma, Mardeen, Verl, Laree, Tilley.

The hired men gave some of the kids nicknames.
Lee- Slick
Delbert- Dobe
Norma- Stormy
Edna- Ted
Verl- Squeak
Melva- Scotty
Les- Punk
Venna- Ven

Six of the eight girls had red hair. Venna and Norma didn’t. Lee was the only boy with red hair.

When I was little I lived in Dayton. It was a nice home. It had a big front porch across the front. When you went in the front door there was a living room. Then off to the side there was a nice bedroom. The kitchen was nice and big. Bathroom was off the living room and another bedroom. Then you went down into the basement. It wasn’t finished in those days. Big basement we used to play down there.

When you went out the kitchen there was a big back porch that they built later.

What were your first impressions of Grandma Lila?
I don’t remember when I first met her. She was just always there. I always liked her and got along with her. She was always good to me. Like I said, she was like a second Mother to me.

Did you ever do anything fun with her?
I used to tend the kids. When the twins came into the picture, I was about 15 years old at the time. Anyway, I would take JaNeal because she was the chubbiest and I liked ‘em chubby. We would go, just take off and go places. Visiting to different people. Lila said don’t ask for anything when you get there. I was one of these that were always hungry. I was just a young kid. I remember her telling me not to say I was hungry.

It was kind of hard we didn’t have all the fancy equipment that they have now.

We have 21 Great Grandchildren, only 14 Great Great Grandchildren.

Do you have missionaries out?
Not now, but all of our grandsons have served a mission.

Well, I’d just like to say I think you should be really proud of them. They were great parents. They were great people. I love them very much!