Emma Theodora Bayles
Born: 9 October 1864 at Parowan, Iron, Utah, USA
Parents: Herman Daggett Bayles, Sr., and Anna Frederikka Thomasdatter Oster
Married: John Albert Scorup, 2 January 1895 at Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, USA
Died: 20 January 1935, Provo, Utah, Utah, USA
John Albert Scorup
Born: 29 September 1872 at Ephraim, Sanpete, Utah, USA
Parents: Christian Christensen Scorup and Karen Christensdatter
Died: 5 October 1959 at Moab, Grand, Utah, USA
LIFE SKETCH OF EMMA THEODORA BAYLES SCORUP
The family into which Emma Theodora Bayles was born on 9 October 1864 was complex with one father, Herman Daggett Bayles, and three "mothers." Herman had married Juliette Homan before coming to Utah. They were friends with President Brigham Young and his wife, Zina. In 1855, Juliette traveled to Salt Lake City to visit her friend, Zina D. Young, where she became ill. Word was sent to Hanson in Parowan. During her worsening illness, a childless Danish widow, Anna Oster, in the Young's employ, helped attend to her, and Juliette requested her to become Herman's wife should Juliette die. Herman arrived too late to see Juliette before passed away, and President Young advised him to take Anna as a wife as Juliette had asked. Herman was also sealed that day to Anna's sister, Katrine, who had died previously. Anna bore Ole Hanson in 1857 whom she named for her first husband who had died while serving a mission. In 1858, Herman took a plural wife, again a Danish widow, Mette Marie Nielsdatter, who became known to the Bayles children as "Aunt Mary," and who had no children of her own. Again in December 1858, he married Dorothea Jensen also from Denmark. Herman and his wives Anna, Mary and Dorothea apparently lived under one roof and worked together as a single family. Emma, Anna's daughter, and Ency, Dorothea's daughter, were like twins, with Ency just six months older. Eventually, twelve children would join this large family. Herman became bishop of Parowan Ward in 1869.
Emma was the largest baby that Anna had. Emma weighed ten pounds at birth. She was named for two of her mother's best friends. She was unusually pretty having black curly hair, dark brown eyes and rosy cheeks. Because she was the youngest of her mother's children, she was humored to do as she pleased; but for all of this, she was never spoiled. She was baptized in the Parowan Mill Race stream, the winter she was eight years old. Her half-sister, Ency (who was eight months older than Emma),was baptized the same day. Tt was in December, 1872 and the ice had to be cut to make a hole for them to get into the water. She attended the District School,(which included six grades), in Parowan. She was very bright in school, passing from one reader to another and having a different teacher with each reader.
The children learned to work hard and work together for the benefit of the family. Schooling included being tutored by "aunts" and siblings. The girls learned the work of the farm and household, and all contributed. During summers they worked together at dairies established on the mountain.
Emma's home life was very simple and the food very plain. Once a year her father would send to Dixie (later St. George), for a barrel of molasses and some dried fruit. They had their own cows and chickens. They usually had butter, cream, milk, eggs and cheese. On Christmas they received what to them was a real stocking full. In their stocking there would be a handful of raisins, some pepper nuts (made like doughnuts, but cut into three-fourths inch squares sprinkled with salt and pepper. These squares were crisp and made a crackling noise when bitten into. Usually they had an apple and perhaps a little sorghum candy. There was seldom a toy of any kind. They thought molasses on bread was a treat. But if they had butter and molasses both, it was a great treat; in fact it was considered extravagant.
She was quite bashful and shy as a girl and dreaded hurting anyone's feelings. To avoid telling a boy friend no, when he asked her for a date she would hide as long as a half of a day.
Her brother, Hansen, had been called to help settle Bluff, Utah, and she followed to teach school. She taught all the grades above the primary grades. But she was only able to teach one year because her brother Hansen's wife's death.
Emma felt it her duty to take care of his motherless childres, two girls and a boy. This she did for six years. She not only cared for them, but cooked and cared for boarders and roomers also. Her sister, Anna, came out to help her, but she got a job clerking in the store, so most of the work was left for Emma. There aren't many girls today who would give up their activities and care for their brother's children. Anna and Emma both deserve a lot of credit. They worked so hard under adverse circumstances.
There were two log cabins with a space between, having a shed roof. They cooked in one cabin and slept in the other and ate in the space between the cabins. What ever income they made, they turned over to their brother. Emma stayed until she was married and Anna stayed until Hansen married the second time. It was while she was here in Bluff that she first saw John Albert Scorup. She met him on July 4th 1891. In 1892 he came to Bluff again and came to stay at the Bayles Boarding House. There he became well acquainted with Emma. She thought that he was quite a sociable and congenial fellow. She had many suitors, but never fell in love until she became acquainted with Albert.
After three years of courtship, they finally decided to met married. In 1893 Albert proposed marriage. Emma was eight years older than Albert. She said if he still wanted her in two years she would marry him. He didn't give her up. Postponing marriage seemed to run in the family. Her mother was engaged to Ole Hansen at fifteen years of age. She made him wait fifteen years before she married him. A few months after their marriage, Ole died while on a mission to Christianso Island Denmark. He was buried by the side of his wife's mother.
In Dec. 1894, Albert and Emma started on their wedding trip. They traveled in a buggy, getting as far as Verdure the first day. When they were nearing Moab, their buggy tipped over. Albert went to Mons Peterson's for help. "Mons, I have upset the Buggy on Miss Bayles." Some men came back with him and brought a lantern. They turned the buggy right side up, so Emma and Albert had their first accident together. They took the train at Thompson Springs for Salina. Here John Albert's family became acquainted with Emma and gave their hearty sanction to the marriage. They spent the holidays in Salina and then they went to the Salt Lake Temple to be married on Jan. 2, 1895. They returned to Salina, where Albert's folks gave them a reception and they received manv beautiful presents. They spent the winter in Salina and in Parowan visiting woth relatives and friends.
It was rather amusing when they first went to Salina, Sister Scorup didn't know that Emma could understand Danish and she and her mother would discuss everything pro and con, saying what a fine girl Emma was, how well-educated she was.arid what fine clothes, etc. Later, when grandmother Scorup found out that Emma understood Danish, she was terribly embarrassed. But she needn't have been for, true to her nature, she didn't say anything bad about her daughter-in-law.
In the Spring, they moved to Bluff, taking all their earthly goods with them. Consisting of a cook stove, six chairs, a rocker, a set of dishes, which were bought at Dinwoodey's in Salt Lake City. They also had their wedding presents with them. Emma also had her lovely trouseau. Her wedding dress was a work of art and it was made by herself.
She was very artistic. She excelled in pointing (needle -point), sewing, crocheting, embroidering and preparing bird cases with natural nature settings for the birds. She and her sister Anna prepared several of these show cases with a number of kinds of birds. Emma also made horse hair flowers. They started housekeeping in a one room rock house, which they rented for one dollar a month. Here they were very happy, the only drawback being that Albert had to be away from home most of the time. Their first daughter Edna was born Oct 18, 1895. She added to their happiness. They lived in this one room rock bouse for a year and a half. Then they bought two town lots. The one room rock house was on the north lot. They added a wash house, a bedroom, and a cellar. Veda was born Oct. 17, 1900 and LaVerde was born Jan. 9, 1903. Emma has bad a rather hard life although she has always been well provided for with worldly goods. Albert had always been on the range close to ten months each year.
Mother had to see to everything such as, doing chores, irrigating, raising chickens, pigs and gardening as well as caring for the children and doing the house work. Because most of the men in Bluff had to work away from home, it was almost impossible to get a man or a boy to help with outside work. Occasionally, she could get a girl to help in the house. There was a time when she could get a native woman to do the washing. The agitator had to be operated by a manual leaver. It had a wringer operated by turning a handle around and around. Sad Irons, heated on a wood stove were used to iron the clothes.
In 1904, they planned and built a new rock home. It was a most attractive house, two stories. A kitchen, a pantry, a bathroom, a bedroom, a screen hack porch, a dining room, a parlor and a front porch with a ceiling. An upstairs with four bed-rooms. They had gas lights in the front rooms (dining room and the parlor), the other rooms were lighted by coal oil lamps- carried from room to room.
Emma Juliette was born Sep. 15, 1904 in the new home. A year and a half later Pearl Alberta was born Apr. 7, 1906. In 1907 the entire family went on a visit to Salina. They stayed for a year and they made a short visit to Parowan. Caroline, named for Karen (in Danish), was born in Salina Apr. 4, 1908. They planned on having a doctor to deliver the baby. Father had to assist mother during her last child's birth. On their way back to Bluff, Etta (Juliette) took sick with typhoid pneumonia and came very near dying. It was through the faith and prayers of her mother that she lived. They were obliged to stay in Moab for six weeks until Etta was well enough to travel.
Early in the summer of 1914, they bought their first automobile, a Ford. They with two other couples went on a trip to Durango Colorado. While on this trip they went to Trimble Hot Springs, Shiprock, New Mexico and to Cortez Colo. In New Mexico they visited the best Indian school in the U. S., at Shiprock. They had a great time. She always enjoyed riding in a car, she never complained, no matter how fast or how slow the car was driven.
Emma and Albert attended the World's fair in 1915 at San Francisco with two couples from Bluff George and Anna B Perkins and Francis and Leona W Nielson (their dear friends.) In the fall of 1916 mother took a trip to Salina, Provo and to Parowan. In the spring of 1917, her daughter LaVerde graduated from the eighth grade and she was ready to go to high school. Edna and Veda had been attending the B Y U High School at Provo. Emma said, "When half of my family is ready to go to High School I am going to move to Provo." Al whole-heartedly agreed with Emma. They wanted their girls to go as far as they wanted to go in school. In 1917, Al spent some time in Provo choosing a suitable home for his family. There were three fine homes that pleased him very much. He finally decided to buy a three-story house on Center Street just East of the Jesse Knight home. It was a very good location. The downtown shopping area was only two blocks to the west; the fifth ward was in easy walking distance, four blocks to the north and one block east. It was only three blocks to the Parker grade school and six blocks to the To the B Y U campus. It was one and a half blocks to the Provo Library. The electric train station was three and a half blocks to the West on Center Street. North Park was also within walking distance. Then there was the State Mental Hospital at the end of Center Street to the East. The Provo hospital was three blocks to the West on first South.
She held a position that few, if any other woman ever held. She was in the superintendency of the Bluff Ward Sunday-School for several years. She nearly always had the complete responsibility of the Sunday School. The two brothers, the Superintendent and his first counselor were on the range most of the time. She was a faithful Relief Society teacher for many years. She has worked in other church organizations whenever she was needed.
After moving to Provo her life became a little easier. She had a small garden and a coop full of chickens for a few years. They had their milk, cream and butter delivered to their door. The biggest help was to have electricity with the appliances to run on the electric power. They did have a crank telephone in Bluff with a party line. In Provo they had a private line that was kept busy by the girls.
The girls were now old enough to help care for the home and the yard. They were assigned work. Two working together. Two had the laundry and ironing for a set time; two helped with the cooking and dishes; two cleaned the house. Emma did the shopping with the help of one of her daughters. She planned the meals and invited guests for the special Sunday dinners. Nieces and one or two other young people lived with her while they attended the University. They seldom had just their family sitting down to a meal.
At Christmas-time Albert would have a list of families with the ages and the size of the children listed. These families belonged to men, who worked for him on Indian Creek Ranch,(a cattle ranch). He gave this list to mother and told her to get a complete set of clothes including shoes if possible for these families. This was a task of love, time and careful choosing of articles. Albert provided the money and Emma carried out the wishes of her husband and of her girls. Emma was a "Home Body" She planned to be home when the girls came from school each day. Their friends were always welcome in the Scorup home. They weren't allowed to stay with their friends at night except for church functions. Each daughter had two special dresses a year; one for Christmas and one for the fourth of July. Emma hired a seamstress to make these special occasion dresses. They were made of silk with beautiful trimmings.
Emma could enjoy things in Provo that she never even heard about while in Bluff: such as going
to the lyceums, programs, dramas and ball games at the Brigham Young University.
Adapted from:
Biography of Emma Theodora Bayles Scorup
Right-click [Mac Control-click] to open full-size image:
Albert and Emma Bayles Scorup
World's Fair 1915
Francis and Leona Walton Nielson (left);
Albert and Emma Bayles Scorup (center)
Anna Bayles and George W Perkins (right)