Melissa Jane Lambson (1846–1937)

Born	November 13, 1846 in Winter Quarters, Douglas county, Nebraska
Died	August 27, 1937 in Salt Lake City, Utah
Father	Alfred Boaz Lambson (1820–1905)
Mother	Melissa Jane Bigler (1825–1899)
Family	Albert W. Davis (1841–1928)
		Albert John (1866–1939)
		Melissa Elvira (1868–1946)
		Edna May (1871–1919)
		Nettie Maria (1873–1957)
		Westley Lambson (1875–1957)
		George A. (1877–1939)
		Sarah Woolley (1880–1971)
		Helen (1883–1960)
		Ethel (1888–1937)

Excerpts from Melissa's autobiographical sketch, Our Pioneer Heritage, 12:107.

Winter Quarters cave		[107] [Melissa was the first child of Alfred Boaz Lambson and Melissa Jane Bigler. She was born in a caved and lived there with her parents until the spring of 1847, when they left for Utah. They arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on September 25, 1847.]
Adobe home in Salt Lake		[Alfred finished their adobe home—the first one in the valley with plastered walls—in 1848. He made his own nails from wagon rims, and hauled lumber from Red Butte Canyon.]		The Lambson property was on the northeast corner of what is now South Temple and Second West—the current site of the Grayhound bus terminal. Alfred Lambson, a blacksmith, also had a second family and was unable to support all of his children. Melissa's younger sister, Julina, lived at the home of her mother's sister, Bathsheba Bigler Smith (wife of George A. Smith) two and a half blocks away.
Soap from ashes		[Melissa's mother made soap from ashes (soaking ashes in water leached out the lye)]. When the lye was strong enough to float an egg it was ready to make soap.
Biscuits, brooms		[They made biscuits with sour milk and saleratus gathered near the Jordan River. Brooms were made from "gathered yellow top" found on what became Capitol hill.]
Soldiers rent room		During the winter of 1854–55 a company of surveyors and soldiers under the command of Col. Steptoe spent the winter in Salt Lake. Some of them rented part of Mother's house. They had a harness shop and also stored wheat in one of the rooms. It swelled and cracked the walls.
Denim skirt from bacon sack		One day while I was playing in the yard I found an old bacon sack and took it to my mother. She made some lye water, by soaking wood ashes, and in this she soaked the sack to remove the grease. Then she got some weeds and made dye in which she dyed the sack brown. From this she made the waist and from a piece of blue denim the skirt, and I had a new dress. How proud I was of it!
Indian gives child to the Lambsons		[The Indians used to camp by the Jordan River. One day] an old Indian rode up to our house, he had a papoose in his arms and wanted Mother to keep it for him. She finally consented. After awhile I was out playing and heard a queer noise. It was made by an old squaw hollering for her papoose. She said her Indian got mad at her and took her papoose away and was going to sell it. When she saw it she was delighted and begged Mother to give it to her. Mother didn't know what to do for she was sure the Indian would be angry if she gave the squaw the papoose, but she finally did anyway. The squaw cried and was so pleased to have her baby again. That evening the Indian came and wanted the papoose and Mother told him what she had done. He eyed and watched to see if she was telling the truth. At last he turned his horse and rode off without a word. …
Utah War		[The Davis's moved to Salt Creek, near Nephi, during the Utah War (1857–1858), then returned to Salt Lake.]
Barter for theater tickets, wedding dress		[p.109] I can remember taking a squash or pumpkin to the tithing office and exchanging it for theater tickets. … I dried peaches and traded them at the store for the material to make my wedding dress. …
Live in parents' home		[Melissa and Albert lived the first year of their marriage in a room of her parents' home.]
Called to the Muddy		[Two and a half weeks after her second child was born they were called to the Muddy, a new colony to be established in what is now Nevada.]
Living conditions at the Muddy		Our bedroom was the wagon box, and for a kitchen we had a willow wickiup made by putting stakes in the ground and weaving the willows through them. There were no windows and but one door on willow hinges. The floors were bad and the heat almost unbearable. I used to wet a cloth and put on my head so I could bear it. The mosquitoes almost ate us alive.
Starvation		We ate anything we could get. The floods washed out the crops and people were in terrible circumstances. Some people lived on sego roots.
The ague		We all came down with the ague. I used to go to bed every other day with a chill. My baby would come in and say "I det a till," and then she would have one.
Brigham Young finally dissolved the colony.		We weathered it out until President Young came down and saw how terrible conditions were. He then broke up the settlement and told the people they could go where they wanted.
Sickness		[The Davis's returned to Salt Lake where Albert's father gave them a home. The entire family was sick.]
Albert Jr. bent over with pain		My oldest son, Albert Jr., had the trouble settle in his side. He suffered greatly with it and was so bent over that his shoulder almost touched his hip. Finally we got Dr. Cracall, who used treatments to draw the infection to the outside, for it meant sure death if it drained on the inside of his body. We watched and waited for days.
A year to recover		After some time I could see a tiny yellow spot showing and I asked Albert J. if he could let me touch it with a needle and he consented. The minute I touched it the infection shot out and Albert J. was much better because his pain was relieved. It was almost a year before he began to straighten up and his body began to be normal again.
Over Jordan		[The family moved "many times" and finally settled on a farm on the west side of the Jordan river.]
Hawaii		[A few [p.110] months after this move, Albert went to the Hawaiian Islands with Joseph F. Smith and Julina, Melissa's sister. A few months later, Melissa Jane joined them with her baby Helen. They remained six months.]
Farm work		On the farm I raised ducks and turkeys and calves. I also made cheese and did the regular hard work of a farmer's wife. …
Temple worker Nervous breakdown		When the children were practically grown I was called as a worker in the Salt Lake Temple and worked there for a number of years until my bad health caused me to have a nervous breakdown. It took me a long time to recover somewhat, and I have never been strong since.
Move to Douglas Avenue		[In about 1928 the Davis's moved to Douglas Avenue.]
				Albert W. Davis