Earl M. and Maggie J. Brown- a little history and a few pictures

LtoR-  Melza, Maggie, Lee, Anna

Beloved Chupie

Colonia Chuichupa, Chihuahua, Mexico

Compiled by Earlene Brown Porter from writings of Maggie Johnson Brown

In the year of 1895, because of legal issues regarding polygamy, some members of the Church were counseled by the General Authorities to go to Old Mexico and colonize there. My two grandfathers were among the first to settle there. The saints soon had six colonies going, one in Sonora and five in Chihuahua.

My maternal grandfather, George Washington Sevey, was soon made Bishop in Colonia Juarez and was busy with that calling for twelve years. The wives who went to Mexico with him were my grandmother, Margaret Nebraska Imlay Sevey (she was born on the plains near Nebraska), and Martha Ann Thomas Sevey. His first wife, Phoebe, stayed in Panguitch, Utah, where they had a nice home, sheep, etc. and sons old enough to carry on.

My paternal grandfather, Benjamin Julius Johnson, settled Colonia Chuichupa. His wives were Isabella Millican Russell Johnson (my grandmother) and Harriet Jane Hakes Johnson.

Here, my mother, Minerva Elizabeth Sevey, and my father, Benjamin Lynn Johnson, met, fell in love and were married. In 1912, when I was about two years old, we had to flee to the “States” because of political unrest. While we were living in the U.S., near Tucson, Arizona, my father died in a farming accident. Mother later took us back to our Mexico home to rear us. She lived the life of a pioneer and endured many hardships, but what a wonderful childhood it was for us! Here, too, I found my eternal companion, Earl Marion Brown, and we started our family in our beautiful valley.

Our small town of Colonia Chuichupa was high in the Sierra Madre Mountains. Chupie, as we called it, was nestled in a beautiful valley surrounded by stately cliffs and tall pines, home to many of God’s magnificent creatures: deer, turkeys, squirrels, birds, etc. The streams of crystal clear water held abundant fish. Glorious flowers, among which were the Tiger Lily and the White Star, which we loved so much, decorated the countryside in the spring and summer, making it seem as if we could have been in the Garden of Eden. The wild cherries that grew in the mountains and the ground cherries that grew in the fields were greatly enjoyed, being our only fruit, for the most part.

Thirty families lived in our little valley. It was like having one, big, happy family. As children, we called every adult either “Aunt” or “Uncle”, whether related or not.

We had large fields of corn and oats and everyone had a summer garden. Each family had a milk cow and chickens and some raised hogs. We ate what we raised and what grew wild. We dried much of the corn and ground it. We ate lots of corn bread and corn meal mush. We always had plenty of milk and cream and we churned our own butter. In the fall we would make little rounds of butter and put them in salt brine in a metal tub to keep the butter from going stale. We carried our water from the creek and gathered wood for our fireplaces and the wood stoves on which we cooked. Some of the stoves had shelves above the main stove, called warm ovens, where food could be kept warm.

Soap was another of our homemade products. When a hog was killed for food, the lard (fat) was rendered. The cracklin’s that were left from this process were then cooked with lye until thick enough to set up. This was cut into chunks, or bars, of soap, which we used for bathing and laundry. We washed our clothing on a scrub board and boiled the whites in a big tub on an outside fire, using bluing to help them keep their brightness.

Instead of sleeping on a mattress, we had what we called a tick. This was a bed-sized bag, which we filled, either with feathers or cleaned corn shucks. The shucks were replaced each fall as the corn was harvested and shucked.

Our clothes were homemade also, including our underwear, which was made of “factory”- what we now call unbleached muslin. How many of you know what a pantywaist is? It is a sleeveless undershirt and pair of underpants that button together at the waist. Mother would make us each a new dress at Easter and at Christmas time. I usually had two dresses- the one I was wearing and the one that was being washed. There was one little store in Chupie but it was never overstocked. It carried just the staples, like flour, sugar, and salt and a bolt or two of fabric- no toys to buy. Sometimes we could get coal oil for our lamps, but not always. When it wasn’t available, we used candles, and mostly just the light of our fireplaces. Everything in the store was very expensive, so we mostly got by with what we could grow and make for ourselves. Uncle Sam Brown made cheese and Grandma kept yeast going for the whole valley.

As you can see, there was plenty of work to be done just to provide for our daily needs. We children knew that chores came first, but we also learned that if we didn’t dawdle, there was still time for play, and play we did. I don’t see children today playing the fun games we enjoyed like marbles, hop scotch, jump rope, etc.

At our chapel, which also served as our school house, there was a big bell. I don’t know who was in charge of it but whenever there was anything going on in the building, that big bell would ring loud and clear, thirty minutes and then fifteen minutes before church, school, or any program, so no one had an excuse to be late. If it rang when there was no event planned, we knew someone needed help and the adults would hurry to see what the need was.

During the school year most of our fun things happened on a Friday night, except times like Easter, Christmas, Independence Day and Pioneer Day. When the ward didn’t have something planned, we would have house parties. Often we would parch corn over the fireplace in an extended-handled fry pan or do molasses candy, and play games. During the summer months we played outdoor games, had fishing trips, swimming parties, hayrides, corn roasts, etc. as mentioned before.

Each new year was kicked off with a big New Year’s Dance. This was a big family affair with a Mariachi band! The children under twelve danced on the stage while the big folks danced on the main floor. You can imagine that we were pretty excited when we were of age to join the adults. The church/school had high backed wooden benches and these would often be placed face to face at the edges of the room so that the babies could be bundled in blankets to sleep while their parents celebrated.

Of course, we made our own Valentines, which we exchanged at school, etc. That night some of us would sometimes have a big valentine cut out of cardboard with a long string tied to it. We would place it on someone’s door-step, knock on the door and run around the corner. When someone stooped to pick it up we would jerk it away and run for our lives.

What a special time the Easter Season was. About ten days before Easter we would rush home from school. The first one home would gather the eggs and hide them. Then the hunts began. Whatever eggs one found, one kept as his/her own, but then later hid them again for others to hunt. We did a lot of hiding and hunting during those next days. The Friday evening before Easter Sunday all the eggs had to be brought in- it was fun to see who had accumulated the most. Saturday was the big day for a ward picnic at the cliffs so we were up early to boil and decorate our eggs. What with? Crayons- and the cloth in Mexico at that time faded really easily, so Mother would save little scraps and we would wrap the eggs and they would get colored as they boiled. Picnic dishes were prepared. I remember mostly the potato salad and baked beans, and some kind of dessert, usually cookies or cake. The men would go out to the picnic site early and put up high swings. They would swing us high enough to take away our breath. On Easter Sunday, of course, we learned of our Savior’s resurrection and atonement.

Cinco de Mayo was a Mexican celebration where a queen was chosen. She then chose two small girls as her attendants. A big outdoor party was held near the forest with races and other games. That night there was a big dance.

We celebrated the 24^th of July, Pioneer Day, with a parade, a program and a picnic.

September 16^th was the celebration for Mexico’s Independence Day which included a big rodeo.

In October we celebrated Halloween and, sad to say, sometimes damage was done by pranksters.

Next was Thanksgiving Day with the big turkey dinner and program. This also heralded the beginning of the Christmas season.

Christmas was such a special time in Chupie. There was a wonderful spirit that spread across our homes and little valley as, months before Christmas, we began to make gifts for each other. We learned to make handkerchiefs when we were quite young and would often choose to make one as a gift for a sister. We learned to hemstitch or pull a colored thread through the cloth to make the hankie decorative. We later learned to embroider on them and crochet around the edges. These were practical as well as pretty because we had no Kleenex back then. We also made rag dolls, dresser scarves, doilies and stuffed animals. As we worked on these gifts our thoughts and hearts were turned to those we loved, who would be the recipients, and so the spirit of Christmas was abundant in our home and in our lives. A big part of the excitement was to get the gift made without the recipient knowing about it.

The Church organizations began early to prepare programs for the holiday. For weeks, we practiced our parts, learned our songs and heard the story of Jesus’ birth. The weeks right before Christmas we put on these spiritual programs, which added even more to our Christmas Spirit and excitement.

As the big day drew near we worked hard at stringing popcorn and making paper chains. We colored the paper with our crayons or used colored catalog pages and we glued them with flour and water paste. These were our Christmas tree decorations. Christmas Eve had come at last! With the tree decorated and the evening chores done, it was time for our family home evening. We loved the story of the birth of Christ and the Christmas songs. We then hung our stockings on the mantle, had family and personal prayer and were off to bed. The Christmas Spirit was so high that it was hard to get to sleep.

About daylight we would hear sleigh bells and soon Santa would pop into our bedroom with a cheery “Merry Christmas”, and a bag of peanuts for each of us. One Christmas morning, I was curious as to how Santa could have a sleigh when there wasn’t any snow. I peeked out the window and what did I see- Santa driving away in a horse-drawn buggy, and lo, and behold, the Primary president was riding with him. Well, of course, she would know, and could tell Santa, where each of the Primary children lived.

Now we were up and running in to see and try on our new dresses that Mother had made for us and to see our stuffed stockings hanging there on the mantle. Each of us would find a small, homemade toy, such as a rag doll, some of Mother’s homemade candy, more peanuts, an orange, and right in the toe, under the orange, would be cincuento centavos, a fifty-cent piece. This was a very big deal for us. Not only did we have money to spend, but also it gave us the opportunity to pay our tithing. The goodies were also rare and very much appreciated. Sugar was precious commodity so Mother’s hard tack candy was a special treat. We couldn’t grow peanuts or oranges in our valley so we only had them at this time of year. Just a little while before Christmas, the Mexicans from Sonora would bring their mules, laden with these items to sell. Mother would have set aside a little money to buy some and she would hide them away to put in our stockings. We were so excited.

After we finished with our own gifts we wanted to be off to see what our friends had received. Before we went out the door, though, we had to have some of our candy and nuts ready to share. As soon as we opened the door we would hear, “Dame Kreemas, Dame Kreemas”, from the little Mexican children waiting at our gate. What delight it was to give them some of our goodies and see their eyes light up and hear them calling, “Gracias, Gracias”, as they headed for the next house. That was a happy part of Christmas. Then we would go on to see our friends. Now, when we saw a friend, each tried to be the first to say “Christmas Gift.” This was because the first person to say it got a nut or piece of candy from the other person. It was a fun game.

Now, about our Christmas dinner- it lasted all day and never a dish to wash! It was a five-gallon can of Mother’s good, hot tamales sitting on the hearth; just close enough to the fire to keep them nice and hot. We were free to come and go, with or without our friends, eat a tamale, throw away the shuck and run to play again. I think Mother had company through the day, too, because the can was usually empty by nighttime.

In the afternoon there was a Primary dance. This was where we learned many dance steps and some square dances.

The day was drawing to an end but the Christmas Spirit was very much alive as we milked the cow, fed the horses, cat and dog and locked the chickens in their coop for the night. After our usual supper of corn bread and milk, we would get to have a piece of that special cake or pie that had been sitting on the table all day.

Christmas in Chupie was a spiritual feast lasting several months as we thought of others and of our Savior. Mother had a special way of bringing the Spirit of Christmas into our home with her songs and cheerful ways. We had more Christmas Spirit than gifts, and it lasted right on through to the New Year’s Dance with the Mariachi band and the time to make New Year’s resolutions. Of course, after such a spiritual Christmas, we each felt that we could be more like Jesus during the coming year.

I will never forget these choice experiences that have made fond memories in my life and I hope that you, too, may feel the love we felt as children growing up in our beloved Chupie valley.

With love from Mother, Grandmother, Great-grandmother, Great-Great Grandmother, Maggie J. Brown

 

Earl and Maggie, Jan. 1946

Home built by Earl and family in Queen Creek, AZ by combining 2 buildings from a Japanese internment camp.  The family moved in on May 22, 1948.

Family portrait Sept. 1949

Maggie 1981

Maggie J. Brown with g-granddaughter, Kenzie Stinger, Feb. 2006, about 1 month before she passed away