1 The longer they farmed the poorer they got

Charles Batt (1861–1949) married Eliza Brazier in England before they accepted the restored gospel, joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and immigrated to America. Most of his history details their life after they came to Utah. This is the second of six installments (see Batt & Lee Ancestors, 16–18). Charles was the father of William B Batt (1888–1959) and the grandfather of Dorothy Batt Cleverly (1915–1982).

Three days after the Batt family arrived in Utah [in the summer of 1887], Charles went with a group of men to work on the railroad at Ross Fork. The job only lasted a short time and the pay was very low. He also worked for the tele­phone company, help­ing put the line through Wellsville Canyon to Logan. This job also took him away from his family. By the time he had paid for his board and room, he had only five dollars to take home to his family.

Charles met a man from Lewiston by the name of Isaac Blair who had a farm to rent and who offered to rent the farm to the Batt family if they would live in the Blair home and if Eliza would do the house­work, cooking, washing, and ironing. The young couple agreed to accept his offer. Eliza worked hard for their board and room, and Charles worked hard at farming, but the crops were a failure that year. All they got for a full summer’s hard work were a few small potatoes. The potatoes were too small to peel and had to be cooked with the peeling left on. However, they were happy to have at least potatoes to eat.

A son, William, was born at the Blair farm on April 27, 1888. Mrs. Blair decided that with a new baby added to the Batt family, Eliza couldn’t keep up with her share of the work. The baby also meant another mouth to feed. So they were asked to leave.

Charles and Eliza had made some very good friends in Lewis­ton by the name of John and Rachel Kemp. John had a two-room log house and some land near the Bear River that he offered to sell Charles in exchange for plowing 50 acres of land. The young couple were de­lighted for the chance to have something of their own. John helped Charles fix up the house with windows and with other needed repairs. The Kemps let them have some old furniture, and Charles made a table for the family to use. Charles and Eliza were very proud of their new home, their first owned in America. Eliza said, "Never in my life have I ever moved into a home that meant so much to me."

Charles wasn’t a good farmer, and the land was sandy and rough. John Kemp let Charles use his horses until he was able to get a team of his own. Charles and Eliza worked hard, but the crops didn’t do well. Eliza helped pick up potatoes to help Charles. She also did washing for a lady in Lewiston in order to get a tub, a wash­board, and soap so she could do her own wash.

Another baby was on the way. The family were so poor that they finally had to ask for help. Sister Kemp went with Eliza to the president of the Relief Society to ask for clothes for the new baby. At this time Charles’s mother arrived in America and went right to the log cabin to be with Eliza when the baby was born. Ernest was born July 30, 1889, in the little log cabin in Lewiston.

The longer Charles tried to farm the poorer they got. Farming in Utah was so different from the farming in England.