Clermont Oborn

1900-1922

Excerpts from Emily Estella Oborn Sorensen’s Life History about Clermont - Estella Was His Younger Sister

Compiled by Stanley Oborn Sorensen and his wife, Marjorie Barker Sorensen

BIRTH – OUR FAMILY

Clermont Abner Oborn was born in Ogden, Utah, on May 15, 1900, one of 13 children born to Emily Millgate Oborn and Heber Charles Oborn. We had many brothers and sisters, this making our lives full and happy. Mother had 9 living children, but had 13

Estella, age 2; Verna, age 5; and Clermont Oborn, age 3

altogether. We lost 4, but we always counted them, anyway, in our family. We lived and grew up at 1141 - 23rd Street, in Ogden. Our parents were Mormon immigrants who traveled to the United States from England to join the Mormon pioneers in Utah.

ENGLISH ANCESTRY – FATHER’S FAMILY, THE OBORNS

We’re grateful each day for our parents and grandparents. We had a beautiful family. All the ancestors we know on both sides were of English descent. And they all had to give up what they had to come to America. I am blessed with a heritage to be proud of.

Our father was Heber Charles Oborn, and our mother was Emily Millgate Oborn. They both came from England. They were married in the Logan Temple, making their large family blessed by being born under the covenant. Their marriage was an extremely happy one.

Heber Oborn and Emily Millgate Oborn

Our grandfather, John Joseph Oborn, let two of his boys come to America first. They each came separately from England as young men. These boys were Joe and Heber, our Father. There were 7 or 8 children in the family. The girls waited until their parents came to America, a year after my father, Heber, came across the ocean.

MOTHER’S FAMILY, THE MILLGATES

Our mother, Emily Millgate, was born in Preston, Faversham, Kent, England, and [her father was from] the Isle of Sheppy, on England's seacoast near London. Her parents joined the church, and her father became Branch President of Faversham. There were five children born to their family, and three lived to come to America: a daughter, May, age 3; my mother, Emily, age 11; and a son, Alfred, 18 years old. My Mother's parents wanted to come to America, but they didn't have the money. Mother's Aunt Matilda was coming to America on an immigration vessel, so my grandmother, Mary Fekins Millgate, took out the front windows of her house and made a store out of the front room to help earn money for their voyage. Because they lived near the school, she sold pencils, candy, and paper to the school kids. She made enough money to send the three children on the boat to America with this aunt and uncle so they could go to school in America. Grandmother Millgate wanted to come to America, too, but she died before she could get there. After Grandmother died, my Grandfather was finally able to come.

Our Grandmother Millgate had a lot of courage to give up her children to come to Utah, in a foreign country, for the gospel, and send them here alone. And, she was going to come the next year, but she got pneumonia and died and was buried in England [before she could come].

MOTHER CAME TO UTAH

Mother came first from England, when she was 11. She sailed with her Aunt Matilda and took the new railroad west; then she stayed with her Uncle John in Salt Lake until her Uncle Ralph came for her. From Salt Lake to Fillmore, they traveled by covered wagon. Aunt Emily and Uncle Daniel Ralph took up a farm in Fillmore, Utah (near St. George), and Mother helped them on the farm there, because they didn't have any boys to help. And that's where Mother lived her first years. One of her jobs was raising silk worms. Two years later, Mother's older brother, Alfred, came over from England and settled in Ogden and worked, where he made enough money to have his little sisters, Emily and May, come to live with him.

PARENTS MARRIED

Our parents each lived in Ogden for a while, then they met in the ward choir. One of their favorite things among the young people of those days was surprise parties. They would get together and bring all the food, and then show up at someone's door and spend the evening laughing and playing games. Our parents married in the Logan temple. The Salt Lake Temple wasn't finished yet.

Logan Temple, Dedicated 1884

THE OBORNS CAME TO UTAH

Our Grandfather Oborn brought his family here from England on immigration boats, uniting his family in America a bit at a time. First Joe came, and then Heber followed two years later. Joe and Heber Oborn pioneered in Bear Lake [at the Utah/Idaho state border] and helped to establish the church there. Our father [Heber] worked in Bear Lake twice, once with his brother Joe, on the railroad and later, dry farming with my mother when they were beginning their family.

When Heber arrived in Utah in 1881, he set out to find his brother, Joe, who was working to build the Short Line Rail Road around Bear Lake. The brothers met in Wyoming, and their meeting was a joyous surprise to Joe, who didn't know his brother had come to the US. They worked together all summer on the railroad.

A year later, when Grandfather Oborn came to Utah, he bought a block of land from the city of Ogden. He gave some of it to our Father so he and Mother could build a home right next door. Our father's brother, Joe, remained in Bear Lake to homestead up there in Idaho.

HOSANNA SHOUT

Estella says, “When our parents had two little boys, the Salt Lake Temple was being dedicated, and our parents traveled to Salt Lake for the dedication. They were in the Hosanna Shout. Did you know they have this whenever they build a new temple? Everyone throws a white handkerchief in the air and shouts, "Hosanna, Hosanna!" I was in the Los Angeles Temple Hosanna Shout.”

Emily & Heber Attended the Salt Lake Temple Dedication in 1893

OBORN CHILDREN AND PIONEERING AT BEAR LAKE

Soon after the temple dedication, our parents moved up to Idaho with their two young boys and were called to be pioneers there. They had lost one baby, Heber, who died the day after he was born. We have two older brothers who died young: One was Heber, and one was Earl. Mother and Father dry farmed and homesteaded in Dingle, Idaho. That's right on Bear Lake--Dingle and Paris are close. They stayed up there two winters. But the conditions were so rough, and it was so cold. They lost Earl while they lived there. Earl became ill with two diseases at the same time: measles and whopping cough. Earl’s cousin, Josie, got the whooping cough, too, and died shortly after he did. Lorene was born there.

Mother said she had one baby dress that little Lorene could wear to church. In potato season, she used potato starch to make the material stand up straight, but otherwise, starch was hard to get. And, she would wrap the little dress in paper and hang it on the wall, like it was a picture. Lorene could only wear it on Sunday.

Bear Lake Pioneers Tent in the Wilderness at Dingle, Idaho

Father joked about the jackrabbits being so thick at Bear Lake that he would take his rifle out in the evening, just before dark, when the jackrabbits were eating up his hay. He would shoot one of them and get a dozen, there were so many lined up together. Mother and Father lived on jackrabbits, mostly, for meat. And, they grew lots of vegetables to eat. They had so many hardships in Dingle.

BACK TO OGDEN

AND MORE CHILDREN

The Oborn Family, Top, left: Ralph, Lillie, Clermont, Ernest, Albert, Lorene; Front: Verna, Heber, Mary Lila, Emily, Estella

Of the Oborn children who lived, we had a brother Ernest, Lorene, then a sister Lillie, and a brother, Albert. Verna was the next one, then Clermont, then myself. Then, later on, we had two more babies that didn't live, and then, six years later, we had a brother, Ralph. Last of all, came Mary Lila.

Between our house and our grandparents', they made a big, double driveway to the store from the property out back where we used to play [and Father had his garden]. They had a lot of property--it was like a farm. We had every kind of berry bush, and we grew all kinds of animals and produce for our family. Father thought that big, double driveway, might be useful some day. It was, because the American Food Co. finally bought the center of the field in back, using the driveway for trucks. It brought a good price.

OUR HOME

Estella says, “I can remember getting our first electric lights--just a big bulb at first. When I was four, we had just a big lamp on the table. Before electric lights, people used candles, oil or gas lamps.”

This is the Old Oborn Home That Burned Down One Day

Our first home was not too large, but it was always large enough for us all. Our home caught fire on one Saturday afternoon. When I was nine years old, and Ralph was three, it was Saturday and Verna's birthday, and we did all the housework. Because we did such a

nice job, we each got a dime to go down to the picture show.

Going down to Lester Park, the fire engine wagon was going fast the other way, up 25th Street. For some reason, I had a feeling there was something wrong at home. My sisters kept telling me, "No, you're all right. Let's go to the show!" So, I went to the show with them, but the feeling didn't leave me. I put my head on the seat in front of me and didn't look at the show.

When the show was over, we went over to Mr. Picket's, our grocery man, and Mr. Picket gave us a sack of candy. He said, "Did you girls know what happened at home today? Your house burned up." It was to our house, the fire engine went! The man next door ran over and got our piano out, and our dining room table. They were both scarred and burned, and the house was gone. When we came home from the picture show, Lillie and Verna and I found our home completely burned up.

Mother had been cleaning Verna's dress with gasoline. She put the pan on the dining room table, and this wool dress had a silk piping around the collar. She rubbed the collar, and a spark from the silk piping caught on fire, and it blew up in her face. Mother was burned real bad, her face and her arms. The telephone was right there by her, but she couldn't use it. She dashed out the front door and fell down on the streetcar tracks. The motorman stopped the streetcar, ran into the house, and got the fire department. So, of course, the fire had a good start before the fire department got there. Mother was ill for quite a while.

We children had no where to go. [Estella stayed with her friend] Pearl Clark, and [she gave Estella] some of her stockings to wear. Everyone was real good to us.

Father didn't have any insurance, and so all the men from church, and his friends from work, all worked on that house every night, and by Thanksgiving day, we were back in the house. There were still saw horses around and ladders, but we all had beds. Father was grateful to have his family back together again. We had been treated very kindly by friends and neighbors in the church. The Priesthood men helped Father build a new home. Our new home was larger, and we had an upstairs now. So we enjoyed more room and more comforts.

This is the New, Two-Story Home that Replaced It

PRIESTHOOD BLESSINGS

Living by our grandparents was a great blessing in that when there was illness in the family, instead of sending for the doctor like people do nowadays, our parents believed in the church and felt that's all they needed.

We had scarlet fever, and all kinds of illnesses. Our father would get Grandpa, and they would give us a blessing, and we overcame things that were wrong. We were always taught Faith. The gospel was our mainstay, and we got better. The only thing that didn't get better was Mary's condition.

When Grandpa Oborn was alive, and we all had scarlet fever, we were very sick. Ralph was just three months old, and he was really sick. We never had a doctor except then, because Ralph was so sick. We always just had Grandpa come over and give us a blessing, and we got better from everything because we had our blessings.

CARING FOR MARY LILA

Mary Lila Oborn, Born 1916

Estella says that children were always under her care for as long as she could remember. “My biggest experience was when I had to take care of my sister, Mary. She was a little crippled sister. She was born December 22, 1916, when I was 15 years old, and Ralph was 9. Mary was a beautiful child, and very small. Mary was my constant companion for all the years she lived. She was like my very own. I always had her with me, and I worked in Primary a long time, playing the piano. I loved her dearly, and she was handicapped and not able to get all from life. It was my pleasure to take her everywhere with me, even to Primary. Mary slept with me, too. I took two years off school to help Mother at home with the new baby, who was born with spinal bifida. She was born with her spine 3 inches too short, and the fluid didn't run up and down her spine as it should have done. She had a large lump at the end of her spine that could not be bumped. The doctors told us that she wouldn't live too long, but we could enjoy her as long as she lived.”

My father bought her a wicker cart. I would put a big blanket in it and we wheeled her everywhere: to Primary, to school, and on dates. She became part of my life. I can remember hurrying home from school, and then I would take her to Primary in her cart or anywhere else that I might be going. She was mine to guard and love for as many hours a day as I could give her. Mary could play with the other children in the house quietly, but she couldn't play outdoors, roughly. But, she could walk, and she was happy. She was extremely bright and beautiful, and learned easily. She couldn't go to school because her body didn't function properly. But, she was a beautiful little sister. She died from her complication a year after my marriage.

Emily Estella Oborn Sorensen, Born 1901

RALPH’S SHORT LIFE

Our younger brother, Ralph, was always a fun young man. He always had a smile on his face. One job he had was showing movies to the little farm communities around Ogden. He would load the movie equipment in the trunk of his car and drive up the canyon to the little town where he would unload everything into the little theater. Then, he’d change the marquees out front, set the projector up, go out front and collect tickets, show the movie, then pack it all up and return home until the next little town.

When Ralph visited his sister, Estella, in Los Angeles, he would take his nephew, Stan, along on rides through the foothills. When young Stan and his mother went to Ogden for a visit, Ralph also enjoyed riding his motorcycle with Stan out back, and they buzzed up and down the Utah canyons, and gave him the thrill of his life. Young Stan really enjoyed going along with his Uncle Ralph on his jaunts, wherever he wanted to go.

Ralph Oborn's Mission Picture, b 1907

Ralph filled his mission in England, and while he was in Medford, five miles from Bath, he found the old Oborn gristmill that his great grandfather, William Oborn, had once owned. Some of the Oborn descendants still owned the mill, and each sack of flour bore the name of Oborn on them.

Ralph married his sweetheart, Myrtle Hill, and they had three boys, Dale, Kent, and Dean. Ralph didn't live long after that. He died while working on the railroad as an fireman. He was on his last trip as a fireman before being advanced to an engineer. They were going down a gradual grade near Wells, Nevada, with a heavy load on a winter night. There was a train stopped on the track ahead of them, and they were slowing down to stop behind it, but the tracks were icy, and the load was heavy, and the train could not be stopped. Others jumped off, but Ralph and the engineer stayed right with the train. They were killed when equipment from the rear caved the cab in. Ralph died instantly--his hands were still on the controls. That was a very sad day in our family.

FAMILY PRAYER

We were taught everything was from our Father in Heaven. We had home night even then, and we had a big table, and we would turn our chairs around and kneel at the table on our knees at every meal. We strictly observed the Word of Wisdom, and on Sundays, we could go for walks with my father, but not on hikes. My father would tell us about nature, but we couldn't be wild on Sundays. We had to keep the Sabbath Day holy. I'm grateful for my upbringing.

13TH WARD

Church was just a block and a half from us. We went first to the 4th Ward; it was divided, and when I was baptized we were in the Sixth Ward; then, when I was a teenager, it became the 13th Ward, always living in the same house. Mother and Father, by that time, were into genealogy.

But Father was always with the music, and he still had the choir. And, Mother and Father used to sing duets together. My sisters played the organ and the piano. I learned piano, too, but I didn't get good enough to play [except for Primary]. Instead of practicing, I was holding my little sister on my lap.

TABERNACLE IN OGDEN

Estella says, “They built a big tabernacle in Ogden, so we had our own Tabernacle Choir. My oldest brother, Ernest, played the organ for the Ogden Stake Choir. He was a really good musician. So, as I grew older, my parents sent him to college to study music back East. Ernest taught music lessons, too. “

When I was a little girl, I knew I had a good voice. When they had special conferences, I can remember standing up in the Tabernacle singing, and my brother playing the organ for me. I always enjoyed singing and always sang in choirs and to my children and grandchildren.

OUTDOORS

Estella says, “We lived close to the Rocky Mountains, so all of our childhood was spent wandering over the hills and mountains. We loved the outdoors and all nature with a deep love. As children, my brothers and I loved to climb the mountains, and Ben Lomond Mountain, near Ogden, was a real favorite.”

In my early youth, I remember the fields of sagebrush, the fields of lucerne, and the old millpond where my brothers and I waded in the water and sailed on rafts across it. I have always enjoyed the outdoors, all of nature. We had lots of room to roam. Grandfather Oborn lived next door, and they, together, owned much of the block, so we could roam all over.

PALS WITH CLERMONT

My older brother, Clermont, and I were great pals and constant companions. He made me a baseball star, an ice skating champ, and an outdoor girl, riding bikes. In the summer, I would go flying down the hill on my father's bike, and then would have to walk back up to the top again.

We lived at the foot of big mountains, and in the winter evenings, Clermont would coax me to come out and sleigh ride with him or go skating. During the winter months, when the streams coming out of the mountains would freeze in the ponds, we would hike to the foothills of the mountains to ice skate.

Clermont was a great skater. He wanted me to be as rough-and-tumble as he was. And, I did a pretty good act. Above Ogden, we would go down the dugway [a steep, dirt, one-lane road carved into the mountainside, wide enough for one wagon or a horse] down to the pond. It was just the shape of a milk pitcher, so we called it the Cream Pot. The boys would build fires around the edge, to keep skaters warm in the winter, and we would skate here and keep warm by the fires when we got cold. That was a pretty good-sized pond. Then, there was a trickle of water that ran down to a great big millpond where that big wheel turned to make the flour for the whole city. It was in back of the cemetery.

Clermont played hockey a lot. He would hold his hockey stick, and I would take hold of the end that bent, and he would pull me all down this little crick. It was all full of waterfalls and bumps and bubbles, and we would fly down four or five blocks. When we got to the great big millpond, that was smooth, and real good skating. He would skate as fast as he could, then he would give me a whip, and I would just sail through the air. He got the biggest kick out of sailing me down that millpond.

Then, a bunch of us would play crack the whip on the millpond. A big string of us all took hands. Then, it was my turn to get on the end, and they would leave go of me, and I'd sail for a block or more. That was the closest I ever came to flying, but it was fun. Clermont would bawl me out so I wouldn't be scared--I had to be tough. We were outdoor kids. We went skating and coasting all the time. My folks were good when I wanted to go outside, and they would watch Mary.

We went up on the lower slopes of the mountains, too, and coasted down with sleds. We'd get on the sled, and we would coast down the hill, between the rocks at night. We didn't hit any boulders. Clermont would lay down on the sled, then I would lay on top of him with my hands under his arms and hold on. Then, I would put my knees in between his legs and, down we would go, down these steep hills. My knees would fall off the sled, and I would be flying through the air, down that mountainside.

We had great big schooners the boys would make. They put one sled on the front and one sled on the back, and a great big two-by-four in between the sleds. The guy on the first sled guided it with ropes. We got seven or eight people together, and we came down some of the great big hills on these big schooners. One night, we went down on that schooner, and I sat between the driver's legs, and we hit a tree. I couldn't walk for two or three days--I thought I'd never walk again!

CLERMONT AND BUTTS

Albert, Clermont, Probably Ralph, and Little Dog, Butts

In the summertime, at the base of the Ogden mountains, Clermont and I climbed the tallest peak around Ogden. Clermont had a little black and white dog named Butts with kind of short hair. We put a strap on Butts, and he pulled me up, or I couldn't have made it.

Clermont had a paper route, and they had one of the worst storms. We had quilts over the doors and windows, and the snow would still come in. Butts would always help Clermont with his paper route--he had to go out, snow or not. He delivered some of his papers, but the wind blew so hard, it took the papers off the sled, and Clermont couldn't see to get home. He took his belt off and tied it to the dog's collar and took his handkerchief out and put it over his face and told the dog to go home. And, the dog brought him home. When Clermont got home, we took the quilt off the door. We were so happy to see him! Because it was such a terrible night. He came inside, and the dog's saliva, running out of his mouth was all icicles, it was so cold. But, he got Clermont home safely.

One day, Butts died. And, we had the biggest funeral for that dog, because he was so loved. He was so faithful to Clermont.

My brother, Clermont, was always teasing me. I did all the fun things of life with him. We chased over all the hills and we climbed all the trees and walked all the fences and did everything together. In the yard, we had the cow shed where the manger was, and when we played games out at night, we would hide in the cow mangers and in the hay loft. Our barn had a sloping roof. One summer day, it was hot and dusty, and he asked me if I knew that if you put brick dust under your arms, you could fly. And, being such a wonderful brother, I felt that anything he said was the truth. So, I sat busily on the steps, Ralph and I, and broke up some bricks and got some brick dust. I guess I wasn't too trusting--I went in the house and got Mother's umbrella that I thought might help me to fly further. So, I put the brick dust under my arms and took the umbrella, and jumped off the roof of the barn. I sailed down, and I didn't hurt anything. It was soft dirt. And, Clermont was over, behind the steps, laughing his head off at me. I learned you couldn't fly with brick dust.

Clermont and I were like twins--we liked to sleep together when we were little. For Christmas, Clermont got a cute little hatchet, which he liked very much. I got a new little doll for Christmas. We were playing with these dolls, and we lined them up behind the bed. There was a place between the bed and the wall where we made a doll house. My brother said, "Let's play that this bunch over here are Indians." I wasn't much of a blood and thunder person, but I went along with him. When we moved the dolls, he said, "This one's captured and has to have her head cut off!" I didn't like that part at all. But, because he said it and he was my favorite brother, I said, "Well, I guess it has to be!" So, he chopped her head off! Mother came in and saw us. She got after him for such a thing as to cut off a doll's head! He said that's what hatchets were for. He had his hatchet later, but he didn't have it the rest of that day.

GENEALOGY AND TEMPLE WORK

Our parents were both great genealogists--they did so much of it while I was growing up. They were head of genealogy. And, they spent a lot of time in the Salt Lake Temple, too.

Inside the temple was a long hallway. They called it the Temple Annex. And, when you would go in the door of the annex, you had to take off your shoes and wear white stockings. I had to be dressed in white, too, and stay in this annex where there were benches and everybody's coats and shoes and suitcases. I would stay there and play all day long while my folks went to the temple.

The Salt Lake Temple Was Their Temple in Those Days

HOME CHORES: COWS & CHICKENS

Father always had cows, and gardens and chickens, so it was like living on a farm. Grandpa had horses, but we just had cows at our house. I had to help with the cows. We had to take that cow up on the mountain to get her enough feed. Through the summer,

Clermont and I would start out in the morning and take her all over the foothills in the Ogden valley, and let her crop and feed. When the cow was going to have a calf, we would sometimes stake her out and then come back and get her. It wasn't built up--it was an open area.

Every morning before school, we would deliver milk in the neighborhood in little pans, and the people would pour it out into their pans. We'd take the pans back home. We delivered milk to the McGregors and the Brownings. That was the famous Browning that made the rifles and the knives and scissors for the pioneers.

When Mother and Father were gone one night, they had gone on a trip to Portland on a trip with the Ogden Tabernacle Choir. While they were gone, my brother, Albert was taking care of us, and we heard the awfullest clatter out in front. He carried the lamp over to the front door, and we opened the front door. There was a little bit of light under the front door, and we had forgotten to close up the chickens. Each of us had to carry two or three chickens back to the hen house and put them back to bed.

We used to have weasels in the chicken house--they were nasty little guys. There wouldn't be an inch of space, but a weasel could squeeze himself real skinny and get in and eat those chickens.

MOTHER AND FATHER

And, when we would go to the store for candy, Mother would give us some eggs. We didn't use money. The lady in the store had one brown eye and one blue eye. I never stopped thinking about it. But, she was very nice, and I liked her.

Father had a beautiful garden, and he grew peonies that were six inches across. He would put them all in a big tub, and my brother and I would take orders and deliver them on our roller skates on Decoration Day morning to take over to the cemetery.

BROTHERS & COUSINS

In the summertime, Clermont and I were great pals--I was a tomboy. I used to go out and play with the boys out in the field where we had cows, chickens, raspberries, carrots, peas, and beans. (We raised the chickens to show, for eating and for eggs.) I didn't play much with girls when I was young, because my brother had so many friends, and I just played with his friends, and they were my friends, too.

Clermont was my big fun and biggest interest in my life. There were parties and boyfriends, and our grandfather's farm in the back. In growing up, we had the pleasure of having all of our cousins visit us, and we played games outdoors at night, running in the fields, the great big moon shining above. When all our cousins would come to our grandfather's house, next door, we would play all kinds of games out in the big field behind the houses. There must have been around 30 of us grandchildren. All our cousins would run and fall over the sagebrush. We played "Run, Sheepie, Run", and there were all kinds of places to hide. We had a ball living in that place.

Clermont & Lorene, Dramatic Reading, Before Clermont's Mission

Grandpa sold off a lot of the land around, and the middle of the block he kept for us to play in. The cousins, and our brothers, would dig dugouts in the ground. They would build chimneys with a little hole you would have to crawl in through 4 or 5 feet of tunnel. They would make a roof on it and then have the smoke come up the chimney. It was mostly the boys who played out there, but I was always playing with my brother, so I was the only girl who was allowed in this smoky place. I would get in there and cook their potatoes for them. My hair was smoky, and I'd be so grubby, but they made me feel like I was the honored guest. I thought about it when I grew up and realized I had been taken advantage of, very rudely. But, I enjoyed it at the time. The boys were all good to me.

DAVID O. MCKAY

Estella says, “When I was young, my father worked in the Sunday School with President David O. McKay, who was the Stake Board President of the Sunday School at the time. He would come from Huntsville to our place with my father, and we would give him ice cream. That was how I got to know him.

President David O. McKay

He became President of Weber College, and my brothers and sisters went to Weber when he was president there. Later, I went to Weber College, too. But, I got to know him as a child. Then, he moved to Salt Lake.”

GRANDPA & GRANDMA OBORN

Our grandparents lived next door. Grandfather Oborn was a tall, kindly man who loved us, but I didn't get to know him very well, as he died when I was eleven. Grandmother Oborn, "Little Grandma", lived all her life

next door to us. She was always a pleasure to us--telling us stories of her family, and of dear old England--she loved her England. She was real little, and very jovial, giving us the treats of childhood. She used to laugh at her name because it was so long: Mary Ellen Swaffield Hackwell Oborn. And, she was so small--about four and a half feet tall.

We used to hop over the double driveway between our homes all the time to go and visit our grandmother. When she was getting old, we used to take turns going over to take care of her. The boys had to keep the path clean because she couldn't walk out in the snow. We would take her meals over to her and make her fires in the morning and get her breakfast. We took turns--everybody had a week taking care of Grandma. She lived until she was 97. She was a beautiful, little old Grandma and loved us all very dearly.

Mary Ellen Swaffield Hackwell Oborn, Age 90, Lived Next Door

SCHOOL FUN

Estella says, “At junior high, I had to go way down to Jefferson. I used my roller skates, and I would roller skate home for lunch. I was a good skater, and my brother had a bike. If I didn't have my skates, he would ride me over on his bike. (Right near the school was Weber College, then.) So when I got through with Central, I went to Ogden High. Then, I went out to North Ogden and picked cherries and grapes, apples, and peaches at Mrs. Pettigrew's. I'd get up early in the morning to pick fruit all summer long.”

ELDER CLERMONT OBORN'S MISSION TO TONGA AND BLANCHE HOLMES

My brother, Clermont, one year older than I, was working on the farm in Liberty, by Huntsville. And, that was where he met Blanche Holmes, the girl he was later sealed to in the temple. Clermont and Blanche were going together when he left on his mission. Unfortunately, they both died about the same time, but they got to be sealed in the temple to each other.

Clermont Oborn Mission to Tonga 1921

Clermont and I were always very close. This lasted until he went on his mission to Tonga. That was a real hard part of my life, to let Clermont go. He went to Tonga, way across the ocean. Tonga was so far away, and there were no airplanes. Once a month, the steamer would bring the mail in. They would listen for it, and when the ship got in the harbor, they would shoot the cannon off, and Clermont would know it was time to go get the mail.

Tonga is part of Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean

The island was wild-- there were wild boars. Clermont liked to sleep on the lawn, but they couldn't because the wild boars were so numerous, and they had great big tusks.

Clermont helped to build the church there in Tonga. He taught the school children singing and English. When he was President of the Haapai Conference, he had to travel all around the islands in a small boat to visit everyone. While he was visiting, sometimes there wasn't a place for him to sleep, so he would sleep on the floor, right on the boards, with his bible for a pillow. Once, President David O. McKay came to the islands when he was an apostle. They had a great, big feast for him; the big, brass band played, and they were all dressed up in their uniforms. The women danced, and all the children sang their hearts out for him.

Big Tongan Feast for President McKay, With Lots of Good Food

Tongans are very loving people, and they love to put on big feasts for special occasions. They had a big feast ,

too, when Elder Clermont Oborn was ordained as President of the Haapai Conference. (Haapai is a group of islands in Tonga.) Hundreds of people came to the conference from other islands. There was a huge rainstorm, and the people got soaking wet in the rain and mud, but that didn’t make them stay home. They served pig, chicken, and fish, roasted under ground all night, along with many delicious, fresh fruits and vegetables of all kinds. Yams were a favorite. Because it rained hard,

they had to eat inside, and there wasn’t room for everyone to eat all at once, so they ate in shifts until everyone had enough to eat. Then, they sang songs they had composed for the occasion, dances, and they acted in bible skits they made up. By popular demand, they had a bo laga (night of sermons), followed by a baptismal service at the beach, where they baptized 13 people in a calm part of the ocean.

Elder Clermont Oborn Ordained as Pres of Haapai Conference, top right

Clermont's mission was cut short when he died in May 1922, of typhoid fever from drinking impure water. His sister, Emily Estella, wrote that at a cottage meeting, Clermont was sitting backwards on a chair. He laid his head down on the back of the chair, and he died very quietly. On February 14 just before he died, Clermont was disappointed to receive a letter saying that his girl friend, Blanche Holmes, had just previously died of appendicitis.

In highest respect, they buried Clermont [in Haapai, Tonga] next to another missionary [Elder Rasmussen, who had died from the flu epidemic after World War I]. According to Tongan custom, the top of his grave was decorated all over with small black and white rocks arranged in beautiful rock patterns.

Elder Clermont Oborn’s Grave in Pangai, Lifuka, Haapai, Tonga

Out of compassion for Clermont and Blanch, their parents, both Oborn and Holmes families, got special approval from President Heber J. Grant to have Blanche and Clermont sealed together. After reading their letters to each other, President Grant gave his permission to have them sealed in the temple for time and eternity.

Lorene Oborn & Blanche Holmes

EMILY MILGATE OBORN’S TESTIMONY OF HER SON

Clermont Oborn had a strong testimony. He loved the people of Tonga and gave many hours in teaching and leading them. His life was his testimony, and he grew to love the Tongan people that he worked with. Clermont’s mother had a strong testimony of the gospel and about her son. She said, “I have experienced the fulfillment of the promise made in my Patriarchal blessing to me that I would have dreams, visions, and manifestations of the Holy Spirit. I can testify that this promise has been literally fulfilled, because I have experienced many dreams and have watched the fulfillment of them, even to visions, one especially, a few months prior to my son's death [Clermont], who was on a mission to the Friendly Islands (Tonga)….

“On the evening of January 26, 1922, I received a testimony, in the form of a vision or spiritual manifestation during the closing of the Genealogical meeting, which was held at the house of Brother Alma Anderson. I felt a thrill passed through my body, and for a short period of time, I seemed not to be in the room. I saw, as in a vision, my son, who is on a mission in the Tongan Islands, surrounded by a group of natives as though they were listening to him. There were two groups, with quite a separation between them. He was in the larger group. The air was as the air would be with the ocean all around, sea color is the only way I can describe it. I even felt the cool, moist feeling on my forehead. I saw the color of their skins, their hair, and their whole appearance, that of natives of those islands.

“I feel this was given to me for a testimony that my son was doing his duty, and the people were listening to what he had to say to them. I wondered why I should have this experience at that meeting, but can only say that we had the Spirit of the Lord with us at that meeting. I feel thankful that I am worthy of such a testimony, for such it was to me.

Emily M. Oborn, 27 January 1922”

NOTES:

1) Circumstances Leading to Elder Oborn’s Death: Elder Clermont Oborn died of typhoid fever in Tonga. The missionaries ran out of purification tablets for drinking water, and the boat was late with a fresh supply. During the second year of his mission, after going 4 days without water, he finally drank some impure water. He soon became ill and died within a few days. His journal reports that by May 2, he had flu-like symptoms, high fever and vomiting, but he struggled through teaching school, meetings, and writing in his journal. May 5 was the last entry in his journal. The Saints brought him food and massaged his body during his illness

2) Elder Clermont Oborn’s death occurred in the little village of Pangai, on the island of Lifuka, in Haapai, Tonga, where he had served most of his mission: Brother Viliami Tolutau tells us that Elder Oborn’s grave is in a beautiful setting in the little village graveyard, next to the LDS church and school, on a little rise above the ocean. The graves are still honored and cared for carefully by the Saints there. Many little boys in the area are still called Oborn to this day. They call them by his Tongan name of Opona.

3) Burial Site in Pagai (Pangai), Haapai, Tongan Mission, was noted by Heber C Oborn as the place of his death and burial. We have pictures of the grave as shown in this history. In 1967, Orson H. White, Superintendent of Liahona Schools, took a tour of the church schools in Tonga and stopped in Haapai. He wrote to Emily Estella Oborn Sorensen and included some pictures, “Your brother’s grave is in the main village of Pangai, about 200 yards from town. As you can see, the grave is kept clean by some of the Saints there.”

4) The members in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have grown in Tonga. The Saints there are loving and strong. 40% of all Tongans are now members of the Church, all their leaders are Tongan, and the Tongans now furnish all of their missionaries to the Tongan people, plus other countries. Even though many are poor, they are glad to share with those less fortunate, and it is common for the Tongan Saints to send their extra fast offerings in to the Church in Salt Lake City to help others.

The Tongan Temple in Nukualofa, Tongatapu, Dedicated August 1983

5) As fruits of their labor, they now have a beautiful LDS temple in Nukualofa, Tongatapu, Tonga, to serve the Tongan Saints and others who wish to come there.

SOURCES:

1) Clermont Abner Oborn's Missionary Journals, 1921-1922. Clermont was Estella's older brother that she loved so much, and who died on his mission in Tonga.

2) Emily Millgate Oborn Personal History, mother of Clermont Oborn. This also includes records of Clermont Oborn, handwritten by his father, Heber C. Oborn. Originals in the possession of Stanley Oborn Sorensen.

3) Emily Estella Oborn Sorensen’s Life Story (1902-1984). In the possession of Stanley Oborn Sorensen

4) Letter regarding Elder Clermont Oborn’s death, from a Tongan sister, Mele Sisi Tupou. Sister Tupou said she was like his second mother and cared for Elder Oborn during his life and during his last illness. The original letter in the Tongan language and the translation are in the possession of Stanley Oborn Sorensen.

May 14, 1922:

Summary of a letter from Mele Sisi Tupou, from Pagai, Lifuka, Tonga.

Sister Tupou lovingly cared for Elder Clermont Oborn during his final illness, until he passed away from typhoid fever on May 11. She wrote a sweet letter, expressing her love for him and telling of his last days. “I stayed with him from the very beginning of his sickness until the end came.” The doctor tested his fever at 112 degrees. After his strong fever was diagnosed as Typhoid, the house was quarantined. Sister Tupou and Elder Hansen (Clermont's companion) were the only ones besides the doctor who could enter or leave the house. She said, "It is with aching hearts that we give up our dear, true leader, Elder Oborn... I will keep up his burial grounds while I live....

5) Consultation with Viliami Tolutau, a native Tongan, and BYU-Hawaii professor. Brother Viliami Tolutau, a former Tongan missionary, has been to Elder Clermont Oborn’s grave site. He knows the Pangai area well, and he served his mission there. Brother Tolutau describes the island of Lifuka as being very flat. He says the two elders were buried in Pangai, Lifuka, Haapai, Tonga, in the village cemetery, 1/2 block from town, on a small rise above the ocean, near the LDS church and school in Pangai. Brother Tolutau is writing a history of the church in Tonga and became interested in Elder Oborn’s life history and journal while writing his book. He wants the Tongan people to love and honor those who served them in Tonga and brought the gospel of Jesus Christ to them. Brother Tolutau has been very helpful in understanding Tongan geography, the people and way of life, as well as the meanings, spelling, and pronunciation of Tongan words and phrases.

6) The Fire of Faith by John H. Groberg, 1996, Bookcraft. Elder Groberg served in the Haapai, Tongan area for many years, in the same area where Elder Oborn served his mission. For a number of years, Elder Groberg served as missionary, mission president, and area representative of the Tongan Islands, among other positions. He has written two books about his experiences in Tonga. The other book is called Eye of the Storm or Other Side of Heaven, which was made into an adventurous and touching movie in 2002. His book, Fire of Faith, shows a photo of President Howard W. Hunter with a group of Tongan leadership. Some time in the 1960s, Elder Hunter and Elder Groberg visited the Pangai village gravesite. On the same visit, they made the Haapai area a stake, and also a stake in Fiji. They pronounced that now all Tonga will be in stakes. The August 1995 Ensign states that in that year, Tonga had 40,000 members and eleven stakes. The Saints have been working hard to spread the gospel in Tonga, and they still honor those missionaries who came to serve the Tongan people long ago.

Compiled by Stan and Margie Sorensen from Emily Estella's handwriting and typewritten sheets of her several short life histories, which were combined with an audio tape as told to her son, Stanley, March 24, 1978. Punctuation and paragraphing added, with connecting phrases. [Notes in brackets or italics are from our memories, to fill in extra details.]

Alvin & Estella Sorensen Family Group About 1942 Bob, Estella, Stan, and Alvin

Heritage: Heber C. Oborn married Emily Millgate → Among their Children were: Clermont and Emily Estella Oborn → Her son, Stanley Oborn Sorensen, married Marjorie C. Barker.

Stan and Margie Sorensen, both born in Utah, have lived in Southern California most of their lives, and they have lived in Fullerton for over twenty years. They have four children, their loving spouses, and fourteen grandchildren, all fine individuals, devoted to their families and to the gospel.

Stan and Margie Sorensen, About 1980