The Life History of Catherine McKinzie
Written by her Granddaughter Margaret Isabelle Frankland Steward
retyped as in the original, with corrections/notes in parenthesis,
by her great-great granddaughter Gaye Jones Willis
Catherine McKinzie was born Nov. 25, 1816 in the Parrish of Sintrathen (Lintrathen), tarfar Shire (Forfarshire) Scotland. She had a family of 6 children, 2 boys and 4 girls. It seems that her oldest son came to Utah with his aunt, Isabella McKinzie about 1852. She married Alexander Anderson about 1835, they lived in Scotland until her husband died in 1868 at Miggie Pearthshire Scotland then came to Salt Lake City, Utah 15 Sept 1868. Three of her children had died in Scotland, they were Jennet age 7, Alexander age 19, and Isabella age 5. It is believed that Margaret came to Utah before her Mother and sister, Elizabeth Ann. The 12th day of Apr. 1869 Catherine married William Dye and made her home in Levan, Juab Co., Utah. He died there. She was counselor to the President of the Relief Society in Levan. She had the only picture we have of her taken 29th of Nov. 1872. She did a lot of work in the Temple for the dead and herself and family. She was very devoted to them and to her grandchildren.
I remember when I was 7 or 8 years old she had been visiting with Aunt Margaret. We children could hardly wait for her return and she came I cried for joy and the tears filled her eyes.
She died in the home of her daughter Margaret Jones, with “dropsy”. She sat up to eat her breakfast and kept droping off to sleep, she remarked about how sleepy she was and slipped into eturnity with in her chair. She died in Kanesville 18 Aug 1895. She used to say when her children were about to leave after visiting her, “Dinna be lang.” (Don’t be long.)
Note: This was typed as it was written, but there are several errors in the original according to parish records.
My Great Grandmother-Catherine McKenzie Anderson
This history was taken from Stanley Anderson’s Account....
In memory of our Mother, Catherine McKenzie Anderson,
Born Nov. 25, 1816 in the Parish of Sentrathen, Forfar Shire, Scotland.
Died Aug. 18 1895 at Kanesville, Ogden, Utah
by her son George Anderson
From the force of circumstances, Mother and I have been separated most of the time since I was 4 or 5 years old. And when, on the 15th of September 1868, she arrived in Salt Lake City from Scotland, we were almost strangers. We had not seen each other for over 13 years. April 12, 1869, Mother married William Dye and they left Salt Lake for their home in Levan next day. Brother Dye died in Levan Nov. 23, 1872. Mother arrived in Salt Lake City from Levan, November 29. She had her picture taken Dec. 2, 1872. She again left her home in Levan. I quote from my journal. “My brief acquaintance with Mother has impressed me favorably. She certainly was a good hearted woman and meant to do the best she knew. She also manifest great pleasure in seeing her children and others persue the proper course. Her life, at least up to the time she arrived in Utah, has been hard and trying. During her recent visit, among other things she told me, the winter that followed my birth was a very cold one and that in the hut where she lived, it was so cold that if a drop of milk or water fell onto a chair or the floor, it would immediately freeze. I slept most of the time. Mother was in the habit of getting up and doing her work the third day after her children were born.
When my sister, Jannett was born, I had canker, or some affliction in my mouth which made it necessary for Mother to sit and hold me on her lap most of the time, and she felt sometimes as if she would die in that position. A portion of the time she had to gather sticks for furk, which she had to carry a long way on her back, having to wade the river, Ila, to obtain them. She also had to take me and my sister Jannett with her, and since it was impossible for her to carry us two and the sticks at once, she would carry us a distance ahead, then return for the sticks. When she came back to us, if she found me in a “good tune”, she would pass on with the sticks a short distance, then return for us.
On Dec. 14, 1879, I had the pleasure of meeting my Mother and sister, Elizabeth, and her family at Levan. They all did everything in their power to make me comfortable and happy. On Jan. 1880, I bade Mother and my sister Elizabeth and her family farewell and started for St. Johns, Arizona.
In October 1887, after a separation of 7 years and 9 months, I again saw Mother and my sister Margaret and her husband John T. Jones and their children at Hooper, Utah. I found them all well and prosperous and Mother happy.
While in Levan, Mother was counselor to the president of the Relief Society. On Feb. 25, 1889, Mother and I went to Manti, where she worked in the temple until the 9th of March.
When Mother died, I was in Springfield and my conditions and circumstances were such that I couldn’t attend her funeral. From the little I have learned of Mother’s life from the time she was a little girl until her death, I am convinced that she has striven in poverty to sustain herself honestly an humanly and those who have been dependent upon her.
Toward the end of her life, she was dependent upon her sister, kind hearted Aunt Jaone (This would be Isabella McKenzie Jones--I've wondered if this may be a typo in the history and may mean Aunt Jones.), and upon her daughter “Maggie”. (Maggie would be Margaret Anderson Jones. Isabella and Margaret were both married to John Thomas Jones in a plural marriage. All three were widows at the time of Catherine's death.)
She manifested a strong desire to make herself useful, and when she realized her inability to do so, I heard her say, “I hope I wunna be long,” which signified that she didn’t wish to outlive her usefulness, and become a burden on anyone. I believe her wish was granted.
There can be no doubt that Mother embraced the gospel with an honest heart, and she and my Aunt Isabella and I have walked a long “Scotish mile,” in Arden that we might have the privilege of meeting with a few Latter Day Saints, thus manifesting that we hungered ant thirsted after righteousness, Mother and I, in the Manti temple, did all the work we could.
