1 The years speed by

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 fifth of six installments (see Batt & Lee Ancestors, 21–22). Charles was the father of William B Batt (1888–1959) and the grandfather of Dorothy Batt Cleverly (1915–1982).

Things brightened up for the Batt family. Charles had a steady job at the college with a regu­lar paycheck. They had a garden, fruit trees, a cow, a pig, and some chickens. Before President Sanborne left Logan and the college, he traded Charles the hill he had home­steaded for the house and the lot the Batt family had lived in that belonged to him, Mr. Sanborne.

The family worked hard together, Charles at his job and keep­ing up a garden at home, Eliza washing for the college and for students. She also cooked at the college for special dinners, helped supervise the cooking classes for Mr. DeCoty, and was the first matron at the college. Mother Batt took care of the children so Eliza could work at the college. Harry, Charles's lame brother who had been a cripple from childhood, had a job herding buffalo on an island in Salt Lake.

While Charles and Eliza were living in the adobe house, five more child­ren were born to them—Pearl, born July 24, 1891; Ruby, born Novem­ber 17, 1892; Myrtle, born August 15, 1894; Charles Gladstone, born August 16, 1896; and Morley Brazier, born Sep­tember 2, 1899. The house had been added on to with this many child­ren. Two bedrooms, a large kitchen, and a room for Mother Batt and Harry had been added to the original house.

The family moved to a nice home on College Hill, and it was here that their last child was born. Melvin Alford was born on January 17, 1902, making a total of nine children for this won­der­ful couple.

Farming was tried once again. The Batt family moved to Idaho for about a year but dis­covered that farming really wasn’t for them. They moved back to Logan and back into the Fifth Ward, where they had lived for so long.

The Neilson family and the Batt family always re­mained good friends and neigh­bors. Eliza Neilson did sewing for all the babies in the Batt family. She also made their Sunday-best clothes for years.

Charles was at the Agricultural College [now Utah State Uni­ver­sity] for 54 years. He was always faithful and did his work well, making and retaining many fine friends through the years.

An ardent Church member, Charles held many Church posi­tions in the Logan Fifth Ward and in the Cache Stake, including chorister in 1891, stake choir in 1890, assistant stake Sunday School chorister, president of the Young Men’s Mutual Improve­ment Asso­cia­tion, president of the Sixth Quorum of Elders, second coun­selor to Bishop John Quincy Adams for years, chair­man for the old folks committee for several years, and a faith­ful ward teacher.

The youngest child of Charles and Eliza contracted the influ­enza in January 1919 and died on the eighth. The whole family greatly felt the loss of young Melvin. His parents, being the faithful people they were, were consoled with the thought of being with him again in the next world.