ABISH JONES CORRY
1884 - 1968
Abish was born on 1 September 1884, in Cedar City, Iron, Utah, a daughter of Uriah Treharne and Mary Alice Higbee Jones. She was the oldest of seven children (Alma Treharne--1887; Irene--1889; Mary Malicent--1891-1897; U Ashton--1893; Zelma--1895; and Emron H--1898). Her parents were living at the home of her Grandmother, Sage Treharne Jones, and she was probably born in that home. The family lived in that home for four years. Ed Ashton and his wife, Cora, and their baby, Dolly, joined the Jones household while they were "on the underground" (hiding during the polygamy years). Dolly was a second cousin to Abish and they became very close, almost like sisters. Ed Ashton was an excellent builder and bricklayer and he built a house for Uriah's family to which they moved just before Abish's brother, Alma Treharne, was born (23 January 1887). In July 1889, after Abish's sister, Irene, was born, the family moved back to Grandmother Sage Treharne Jones' home. In July 1891, three months after her sister, Mary Malicent, was born, the family went up on Cedar Mountain with Aunt Tury and her family. They carried on the activities of a dairy--milking cows and making butter and cheese. It was a lot of fun for Abbie and her brother and sisters. There was always a clear cold spring of water. Abish was eight years old when her father, Uriah, was sustained as president of the Parowan Stake.
In her own words, Abish tells about her first day at school: "The first day I went to school, I felt bad because I couldn't read and I stayed in at recess to get the teacher to show me how to read and write. Most of the children went out to play. I found out that you can't learn that quick. My Mother and Father helped me a little at home, but I expected to learn faster."
She wrote of another experience: "One day the Indians came to our place to beg for some bread. Mother was holding [my younger sister] and the squaw remarked how pretty she was and asked Mother for her. Well, we all began to cry thinking she was really going to take her but Mother told her no and so they said no more and we felt better."
During the school year of 1894-95, Brother and Sister Warner stayed with Abbie's family. Brother Warner was a teacher at the public school in Cedar City. Abbie was eleven years old at this time. In a letter written in 1896 to Abbie's mother Mary Alice (after the Warners had moved from Cedar City), Sister Warner wrote about Abbie: "There is Abish--a sweet, pure-minded girl. I hope she is progressing in her studies. Often Brother Warner tells me of what a rare intellect she has and he says, 'my, but she will be a smart woman if she continues in her studies as she did in my school.'"
The general authorities would stay at Uriah and Mary Alice's home so Abbie and her brothers and sisters would always be very busy cleaning the house from top to bottom. President Lorenzo Snow stayed with them after he had made known his special "Tithing Revelation" to the saints in St. George, on his return trip to Salt Lake City.
When Abbie was fourteen years old she had her hair curled with a curling iron by her Aunt Millie Higbee. They had wonderful canyon outings at the canyon in the summer and skating trips to "eight mile" in the winter in the white-topped, horse-drawn "station wagon" with two seats all filled and kids sitting in the back with their legs hanging down. One trip was made to Navajo Lake.
On 24 July 1897 when Abbie was thirteen years old, she went [to Salt Lake City] with her father to the great celebration commemorating the arrival of the pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley. President Wilford Woodruff took a prominent part in the events. Abbie marched in the parade with her Salt Lake cousins. They were dressed in light summer dresses and they all carried Japanese parasols which were spoiled when it rained at the end of the parade.
Abbie attended the schools in Cedar City up through the Branch Normal School. After finishing at the BNS, she attended two years at the University of Utah and lived with Aunt Cora Ashton. She graduated from the University of Utah on 8 June 1905. Her father didn't believe in his children dressing extravagantly so Abbie went to school with one or two skirts and two blouses. They were made of fine material, but she had to make them do by washing and ironing them often.
Abbie had earned a teaching certificate but she never taught school. She worked at the bank. The Jones family lived next to the Corry family on 100 West for a number of years. When Elias Moroni Corry went on his mission to California, Abbie and some of her friends decided to write to different missionaries. Abbie wrote to Lyle (Elias) and they dated when he returned from his mission. Abbie said that Lyle took her for granted and at one dance he didn't take her--just expected he'd see her there and take her home. Abbie decided differently, so she told him she wouldn't go home with him since he didn't ask her to go to the dance. She avoided him for awhile and it finally awakened him to the fact that he should do something about it. They had a talk, became serious and were married in the Salt Lake Temple on 6 June 1907. They moved into the Uriah Treharne Jones home on 100 West Hoover Avenue in Cedar City which they bought for $1,500.
Lyle was assistant cashier at the bank. They took in boarders, mostly young women who were attending college in Cedar City. Abbie cooked on a coal or wood burning stove which also furnished heat for the kitchen and part of the room next to it.
Their first child, Virginia, was born 16 April 1908, at home. Next came Elwood on 4 March 1911; Elma on 18 November 1913; Inez on 3 June 1917; Ruth, 1 September 1919 (born on Abbie's birthday); and Beth, 6 February 1922. All these children were born at home with Dr. Menzies MacFarland as the attending physician. The older children were waiting upstairs when Beth was born. After the birth, the doctor came upstairs and asked the children if they would like to trade their new baby sister for his new baby boy (he and Mrs. MacFarlane had all boys). The reply was an emphatic "No".
Abbie did the washing with a scrubbing board and had to boil some of the clothes to get them clean. The ironing was done with a heavy iron that was heated on the stove.
Lyle and Abbie decided to build a new home. The plans were made by a man from Salt Lake City. The family moved into the new home before Melvin was born on 15 March 1924. He was born in the new home. The last child, Lloyd, was born 13 August 1928. [Editor's note: I seem to remember my mother saying that Lloyd was the only child born in a hospital.]
The new home was next door to Grandpa Uriah and Grandma Mary Alice Jones' home. Abbie appreciated the conveniences in the new home--electric stove, furnace for heat, etc. The old coal stove was put in the basement in the laundry room. Abbie suffered from arthritis which made it very difficult for her to do as much as she wanted. She was able to drive the car which she enjoyed. She had to have her teeth removed and had false teeth when she was in her twenties. She said that her bad teeth were probably what caused the arthritis to afflict her so early. She didn't complain of these handicaps. She played the piano when the family lived in the old home on First West, but as the arthritis became worse, she had difficulty in playing. Many times she would have to rock back and forth on the bed in order to stand up.
Abish served as second counselor in the Parowan Stake Primary and was released on 25 November 1928.
She was always busy and she taught her children the importance of work. The girls always had certain jobs to do. They divided up and two would do the kitchen work--meals, dishes, cleaning cupboards, etc. and the other two or three would clean the other parts of the house. They also learned to preserve fruits and vegetables.
Her daughter, Inez, remembers that Abbie came to Bountiful (where Inez and her family lived) to stay and help when each of her children--Corry, Eric and Kathy--were born. She was always willing to help when asked even though it was difficult for her.
In her later years, Abbie broke her hip (the first time was 1953) twice and had to have one eye removed with a glass-eye replacement. Staying at home alone became too difficult so she would travel to Bountiful to stay with Inez and Sterling and family for a month and then with Elma and Orrin and family for a month--back and forth each month. Sometimes she would spend time in Cedar City where Ruth and Scott and Elwood and Iris were able to help with her care. During the last several years, however, it became too difficult to travel to Cedar City so she remained in Bountiful at the two homes. She died on 15 September 1968, at Elma and Orrin's home in Bountiful, Davis County, Utah.
Abbie's daughter, Elma, wrote the following shortly after (October 1968) Abish passed away.
"It is sixteen years ago this year since we moved to Bountiful and it was the summer after we moved here that Mother broke her hip the first time. Mother had a strong constitution and determination to do things for herself. She recovered from the first break and then she had her left eye removed and replaced with a plastic one. A year or so after, she had another break on the other hip. She recovered from this and was able to get around fairly well considering her age and her arthritis.
She spent the last sixteen years with her children and grandchildren in Cedar City and Bountiful. We all learned to appreciate her more and love her.
"Mother had a good appetite most of the time, but about the last couple of years I don't think her body absorbed much of what she ate. At times when she liked some food especially, she always remarked how much she enjoyed it. She whistled and hummed songs quite often--even in this last year she would hum or whistle."
Another daughter, Inez, wrote the following a couple of months after Abish passed away:
"We never remember her complaining about her trials. She always kept wanting to be active and useful and independent. After her hip was broken, both times, she wanted to help with the dishes. We would put the dishes in a pan by the wheelchair and she would wipe them and put them on the table. We got an adjustable ironing board and a small light-weight iron so she could help with the ironing. She would get up out of the wheelchair and push it from behind to exercise her legs before they became too weak. She would go back and forth and then would have to rest.
"Another thing she did was to tell the children stories and poems when they were younger. She could be quite dramatic. She always kept up with current events and seemed to get a lot of enjoyment in discussing things with the family. Also, she would always help the children in learning to use the correct English. She would correct them kindly when they used the wrong parts of speech.
"I think we learned more about patience and endurance from Mother than we could have any other way--and our love for each other also deepened by having the experience and privilege of taking care of her.@
A cousin, Margaret Harmon, said what a beautiful woman Abbie was.
Abbie's brother, Alma Treharne, wrote the following:
"She [Abish] was a wonderful woman and raised a wonderful family. She was always so kind, gentle and understanding, yet firm enough to mold her children's lives to become fine men and women.
RUTH CORRY URIE
1919 - 1990
Ruth was born on 1 September 1919, in Cedar City, Iron, Utah, a daughter of Elias Moroni and Abish Jones Corry. She was the fifth child and fourth daughter.
Her father, Elias Moroni wrote the following about Ruth in August 1932 (he was serving as Bishop of the Cedar West Ward at the time and she was a few weeks from age thirteen): "Our next, Ruth, a beautiful girl full of purity and promise; a blessing to our home and to society, and one worthy of one of God's most noble sons, and whose success is assured if given the proper help from her parents."
Ruth was afflicted with Bright's Disease (nephritis--kidney disease) when she was in seventh grade. She had to miss school because of illness and wasn't able to graduate from high school with her class. She had surgeries at different times because of her illness and went to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to stay with Virginia and Bill for a time because the warmer climate was beneficial.
Ruth married Scott Maine Urie on 23 December 1950. They were later sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on 20 January 1956. Scott spent five years on active duty during World War II and also served for three years during the Korean War. He was a partner in an auto repair shop with Richard Stucki--U&S Motor Company. He served for seventeen years in the Southern Indian Mission and was branch president over nine branches in Southern Utah, Southern Nevada and Western Arizona. He also served as first counselor in the Duck Creek Branch presidency.
Ruth was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served as secretary of the Southern Regional Indian Mission for seventeen years. She was a temple ordinance worker in the St. George Temple. Ruth was a talented musician--vocalist, pianist and organist and also played the violin. She served as organist for all the church auxiliaries.
She worked closely with Scott in their business, U&S Motor Company, serving as secretary. Ruth and Scott were the organizers and the enthusiasm behind the "Corry Reunion" which is held yearly at Navajo Lake and Duck Creek. They provided their cabin as a place for some family members to stay and also as the place for the annual talent show.
Ruth died in St. George, Washington, Utah, on 3 July 1990. She was buried in the Cedar City Cemetery.
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