b. March 13, 1906, Salt Lake City, Utah
p. #6 James Burt, #7 Amelia Catherine Jorgensen
m. October 19, 1929, #2 Albert Joseph “Pete” Sanborn
d. December 22, 1986, Salt Lake City, Utah
b. December 27, 1986, Elysian Burial Gardens, Salt Lake County,
Utah
No one seems to know why James and Amelia Burt picked the name
Beryl for their sixth child. Beryl is a precious pale green gem that is mentioned
in both the Old and New Testament. It was
the first stone of the fourth row of the high priest’s breastplate (Ex. 28:20),
and the eighth stone in the foundation of the wall of the heavenly Jerusalem
(Rev. 21:20).
Beryl Burt grew up on her family’s farm and declared early that
she would never marry a farmer. The nine children born to James and Amelia
Catherine Jorgensen Burt worked their farm. They were Margaret, Irene, Stannie,
Gilmour, Melvin, Beryl, Agnes, Ervin, and Herman. Their home was at
Thirty-ninth South and Fourth East in Salt Lake City, Utah, with ten acres of
farmland adjoining it. They raised sugar beets, a vegetable garden and hay.
Beryl weeded and thinned the sugar beets, and when the hay was ready she road
on the wagon and leveled the hay bed as the hay was thrown in. She got to ride
the horse while a fork-lift pitched the hay into the barn.
During summer’s heat their friends would come to the fence in the
field where they were working and want Beryl and her sister to go swimming with
them. Beryl would tell her older brother, Mel, who was the boss, she was
thirsty and wanted to leave. His retort was always, “let’s see you spit.” She
would, and he’d say, “you’re not thirsty, keep working!”
Beryl told me that she and her sisters scrubbed their huge
kitchen floor on their hands and knees, and she helped her mother with the
wash. On wash day it was Beryl’s job to turn the washer for twenty-five minutes
for each load, which was carefully timed on a clock. Mischievous Beryl turned
the clock forward when her mother wasn’t watching.
The children attended the Millcreek Ward and Lincoln School. Beryl went to Lincoln through the 8th grade, and completed four years of high school at Granite High. She took a six month course at Henagers Business College, after which she worked as a stenographer at National Biscuit. It was there she met Leah Sanborn. Leah introduced Beryl to her husband’s younger brother, Pete Sanborn. They courted for a year before marrying on October 19, 1929.
The children attended the Millcreek Ward and Lincoln School. Beryl went to Lincoln through the 8th grade, and completed four years of high school at Granite High. She took a six month course at Henagers Business College, after which she worked as a stenographer at National Biscuit. It was there she met Leah Sanborn. Leah introduced Beryl to her husband’s younger brother, Pete Sanborn. They courted for a year before marrying on October 19, 1929.
Beryl’s father, James, was a plasterer. Beryl’s husband, Pete,
worked for the gas company. Both men liked large fruitful gardens.
(To be continued…)
From a personal interview with Beryl in about 1980, a family
history she contributed to in 1978, her 1986 autobiography, and family records.
That was fun to read! What a lady:)
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