George W. Brough
As told to Lavor Brough
When George W. was a young fellow he and his father took part in the Black Hawk War.
In early days the tickets for the dances was a cedar post, a chicken, squash, a dozen eggs, or something they have in their garden.
George W. Brough never wore a coat. He had not gloves, no overshoes, and La Vor Brough said that everyone said they could tell when they saw him coming for he never wore a coat. He did have warm underwear.
George W. Brough and family lived on the northwest corner of the block where no stands the Spring City church. Lavor and some of the children were born there. George W. Brough, when they were building the church Grandfather Brough was the foreman and oversaw the getting of the stone and work in getting the stone cut and hauling the stone to the church site. The rock was in layers, the rock had to be measured, turned to get cut as even and in the size they could. The men would drill holes through the rock and size that was needed. If the rock did not break along the drilled holes sometimes they had to blast, then it would not come out even. Teams would haul the rock to town for worker at the church.He worked there for 2 winters and all that he received was 2 quilts. One time while working in the rocks they found a fish in the rock.
George W. Brough spent most of his early life herding sheep. Jane said the he was away with the sheep 16 years after they were married. He went over the Castle Valley in emery County, which was over the East Mountain from Spring City. He would stay with the sheep until about the last of February, then he would get on his snow shoes and come over the mountain and stay with the family until early spring when he went and moved the sheep again. His sons would help him when they got old enough. The also were away from home a lot.
They say that Grandpa would put Grandma behind him on the horse and they would gallop through town. They had to haul wood from the hills east of Spring City for burning in their stoves. If they had coal late in their lives they had to haul it from the Price district.
They hauled the lumber from the mountains to build their homes.One day they were hauling lumber from the Rock Canyon, their daughter Rozina was with them. They had on 1000 feet of lumber weighing about 4 tons. Rozina was under the wood. She was black in the face and Grandfather thought she was dead. He somehow raised the wood by himself and took the weight off from her. She said it was some super power that helped him.
They had big fireplaces, which they used all the time, the pine wood that was used was hard and dry, and while it burned it would just pop and sound so good. It was cut in big logs and made good heat. When George and Jane were married they had $f5.00, a home made table, abed, and one cow. There was mud and one time they went to Chester in the wagon they mud was sticky and it was like gum. It stuck to t wheels until the mud was so high around the wheels it pushed the wagon box off. In those days the children did not get much for Christmas. One Christmas Lavor Brough told his father that he did not believe in Santa Claus. His father said, “Well, If you do not believe in Santa Claus I guess he doesn’t need to come to you.”
Christmas morning their cousins Ern and James Brough would come over to see what Santa would bring.
After George W. Brough and his family moved from the town site they moved out on the farm of Simmon Peck. George w. Brough was City Marshal in Spring City. Grandfather had an old mule, which he rode by the name of Saul.
He rode him at the 4th of July celebrations with the yelling and shooting the old mule ran into the tree and broke off a limb and hurt Grandfather’s head.
Lavor said his father was kind and good to them but when he said something he wanted them to do it. He said just once he told his father he would not turn the washer, he wanted his other brothers to have a turn first, but he did turn the washer and he believed he had to take two turns, and 15 minutes was a long time.
