I was born in Brigham City, Box Elder County, Utah on February 3, 1877. I was blessed by C.D. Fjeldsted on February 19, 1877. I was baptized when I was eight years old on February 22, 1885 in the icy water of the mill race.

My father was Christian Hansen, who was born in Skuldelov, Denmark on January 15, 1820. He was baptized in Copenhagen, Denmark on April 9, 1853, and came to Utah and settled in Brigham city.

My mother was Maria Christena Olsen. She was born in Hjadstrip, Fyen, Denmark on January 25, 1846. She was baptized by Elder R.C. Petersen at her birthplace. Her parents were Ole Peter Olsen and Maren Simonsen Olsen. They were born at Brandsby, Fyen Denmark about 1812. They were members of the Lutheran Church. They converted to Mormonism and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints about 1869 and the family, mother, father, two sisters and one brother, moved to Utah and settled in Bear River City, Box Elder County.

My father and mother were married in the Salt Lake Endowment House on November 1, 1869. My father died in June 1903 in Brigham City and my mother died on December 10, 1905 in Brigham City.

My childhood playmates were the little girls who lived very near our home. When I started to school I became acquainted with other children. Some of the friends that I remember are, Laura Reese, Jenny Alvord, Emily Kelly, and Alice White. When I was about seventeen I had a couple of boy friends but I didn’t really like either one of them.

I remember that at Christmas time there was always a party in the Ward House. There would be a large Christmas tree and Santa Claus would come and bring us gifts.

Our adobe home was one of the early homes built in Brigham City. We never lacked for the necessities of life but we had no luxuries. Some years ago the old house was remodeled and given a mortar look. It is on 2nd East and 2nd house north of Forest Street.

My father was a polygamist and my mother’s family and one of the other families lived in the same house until I was fourteen years old. Then another house was built on the same lot and we moved into it. The polygamist families got along very well together.

One of father’s families lived on a farm in Collinston and he spent most of his time there. Very seldom did he eat at our place.

I attended school in the Brigham City school until I was ten years old, then I attended the Box Elder Stake Academy through the primary, intermediate, and academic grades.

The first job I had was when I was fifteen years old doing, housework for a wealthy family. I was paid $1.50 a week and I did all of the work but the family washing. I didn’t work long at that.

My first duty in the Church was assistant secretary in the Primary. They held no classes, just all met together. I kept the minutes in a notebook.

I attended MIA in the Brigham Fourth Ward when I became of age. I don’t remember just what we did, but we had weekly meetings and enjoyed going. There were no classes except that boys and girls were separate. There were no special activities or awards that I remember. When I was about eighteen I was MIA secretary.

I attended the grade school until ten years of age. There was no High School yet in the county. When the Box Elder Stake Academy started I went there, through all of the departments – Primary, Intermediate, and Academic. I think I was about seventeen years old when the academy was discontinued. We got report cards and grades but there was no graduation that I remember.

I attended the Brigham Young College in Logan one year. The next summer I took the county teacher’s examination and received a teacher’s certificate. I taught fourth grade in the Brigham City school for one year. The school superintendent, Nephi Anderson, persuaded me to teach grades three to seven in Grouse Creek the following year for $54.00 a month. I was the only teacher in the Etna school. I lived at Hale’s home and walked three-quarters of a mile to school, through three feet of snow in the winter. It seemed like three miles. I wore long skirts and jersey leggings up to my knees.

It was this year that I met Joseph Smith Barlow, a cattle rancher. We went to dances for entertainment, even though neither one of us was good at it. We went to Sunday School at Etna for a while then later we went to Grouse Creek for all church meetings. We had to go by team and wagon and there was not room for every one to go at once. They could only feed one team through the winter.

I didn’t go home for Christmas. I guess I was too much interested in my young man. When I went home in the spring I was engaged.

My mother helped me make quilts and do other things necessary for getting married. She did not like me to go so far away to live, but she did all she could for me.

We were married in the Salt Lake Temple on January 3, 1900. After the wedding we went on the train to Terrace where Jesse Barlow met us and took us to Grouse Creek.

We lived with Mother Tanner in Etna until we could get our own house built. While still living there our first child, a daughter, Mildred was born on October 26, 1900.

Our new brick home was finished and we moved into it. There our second daughter, Alice was born on March 23, 1902.

Later that same year my husband was called on a mission to England. I took my two children and went back to Brigham City and worked in the tomato cannery and did sewing while he was gone. We borrowed money from the bank for him to go on, because we couldn’t sell the livestock. The county superintendent wanted me to go back to Grouse Creek and teach again while my husband was gone but I wouldn’t go. He returned from his mission in January 1905 and we went back to Grouse Creek (Etna). My mother died in December of that same year.

On June 5, 1906 a son, Elmer was born to us. He died on May 26, 1907. Another son, Shirley, was born on January 24, 1908. A daughter, Ruth was born on October 29, 1909 and another daughter, Ida was born on September 29, 1911.

In 1913 or 1914 we moved from Etna to Grouse Creek and lived in two rooms of the Kimber’s house while we were building another one. While living there, I remember, everybody got the measles.

After we had moved into our new house our third son, Wayne, was born on November 27, 1915.

My husband served as Bishop of the Grouse Creek Ward and then as a member of the High Council in the Raft River Stake. I was a Sunday School teacher in Etna and secretary of the Relief Society in Grouse Creek.

My husband was chosen second counselor in the Raft River Stake Presidency in 1922 so we sold our home and moved to Malta, Idaho which was the stake headquarters. There I was ward and Stake Relief Society secretary for nine years.

On September 9, 1925 my husband died suddenly of a heart attack. It was just before Stake Conference so the visiting authority, George Albert Smith, came early and spoke at the funeral.

All of our children, except the boy who died in his infancy, were all married in the Temple. They are all active members of the Church in communities where they live. They all have good homes and make a good living.

In 1946 I sold the home in Malta and moved to Burley, Idaho, where two of my daughters were living. I have my own home here and live alone.

Elizabeth died February 1, 1966 and is buried in the Malta, Idaho Cemetery.