Florence

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FLORENCE VIVIEN ALLEN MIKESELL

1900-1976

Written by daughter, Leslie Mikesell Wood, 2001

 

Florence was born 15 Dec 1900 in Salt Lake City, Ut. Her Blessing was recorded in Union L.D.S. Church records as Florence Nelson. She must have been a very wanted child, as three siblings had died at birth before she was born. She had a studio photo taken as a baby then another taken with baby brother Carlos, not quite 2 years younger. Later two more siblings would die at birth but Florence had plenty to keep her busy with four lively brothers and two baby sisters when her mother fell ill. As far as known, no other professional photos were taken of the family. When she was 7 yrs. old her father, Conrad, found out that Ake Nielsen [Nelson] was not his biological father & Florence Nelson [Nielsen] became Florence Allen, moving to a new home in Lewiston Utah with a new set of Allen relatives.

Florence remembered living in a house which later became a tavern run by her Uncle Arthur. She would carry 2 small lard buckets of beer, one to the house of her Gr. Grandmother in polygamy, Henrietta "Henny" Allen and the other to the house of another grandmother. James Allen's other wife died before Florence was born so the other grandmother could have been her grandma Nelson, who lived in Lewiston at the time.  Henny Allen would have been about 86 yrs. old when Florence became an Allen. She died in 1910, at 88 yrs., so Florence knew her for a couple of years.

Florence remembers her paternal grandmother Nelson, who spoke with a Danish accent. She carried her "tonics" case with her when coming to visit for a few weeks, for her Hot Toddy & stomach wines. The only Danish that Florence picked up from her translated into "Do you have to pee?" This grandmother died when Florence was twenty-nine. She also knew her mother's Anderson relatives, although her grandmother Anderson died when Florence turned eleven.

After moving to Dubois Idaho, Christmas gifts were usually taken to the schoolhouse where a large Christmas tree had been set up. Candles were lighted on the tree with a guard standing by a bucket of water. Santa would give each child his gift and candy and usually an orange. Florence remembered one Christmas on the dry farm in Dubois that was quite bleak. Her parents had gone somewhere perhaps helping an ill church member, as her father was often asked to do. Big sister Florence was put in charge as usual until they returned. A snow storm delayed her parents and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day came and went as they waited. Finally the storm had stopped and the kids heard sleigh bells on the horses as their parents drove into the yard. They could not afford expensive gifts, but being all together with the love they shared was enough. In the Winter snow they wore gunny sacks tied around their shoes because they had no boots.  In later life Florence would do the same for her children when they lived on Mt. Kit Carson in Washington State.

Florence was a redheaded tomboy with freckles and she told how she had to chase the boys, holding them down until they said they'd be her boyfriend. Of course as soon as they got up they ran away yelling that they'd never be her boyfriend. She tried every remedy to get rid of her freckles but nothing worked.   The Allen kids had a pet pig which lived in the house.  She always said that it was cleaner than a dog and made no mess.  Her dad loved horses so they had horses to ride to school.  Conrad would talk to his horses and after his wife died  he would spend lots of time in the barn, talking to them.  Florence said he seldom talked about their mother to her. Harder times were coming for the family and Florence was about to become a nurse to her mother, family cook and substitute mother to her youngest siblings.

Her mother, Annie, was bedridden when Florence was 13 yrs. old. She had to quit school to take care of her mother and youngest siblings. Her mother died a few months before Florence's 16th birthday. Her father was in the priesthood of the Latter Day Saints Church and went to minister to families when someone died. Florence would go with to help prepare the bodies and fix their hair for the funeral. During World War I, she would sing, while brother Carlos played guitar, at the USO.  They also did trick horse back riding to sell War Bonds. She loved to go to the church dances. When a boy would come courting, her brothers wouldn't leave them alone even when threatened or bribed. The boys were great teasers.

She became engaged, but her fiance was killed during the war. After a short courtship on the 31st of May 1919 she married Jeff Mikesell whom she knew from church activities. She was 18 yrs. old & Jeff was 13 years older. Perhaps she married to get away from the responsibilities at home but she still had to help raise her siblings, the 1920 census finds her and Jeff living in the house next door to her father. At one time her father disappeared for 1 year, so Florence and Jeff added her youngest siblings to their own family until he returned. Jeff was very unhappy when Florence cut her beautiful long red hair.  It was thick and gave her headaches even when in a bun or braided around her head.  Luckily in the roaring 20's short hair was popular.

When Jeff drove a freight, mail and sometimes passenger stage from Victor Idaho across the mountain to Jackson Hole Wyoming, Florence was cook there as she cooked at other places where Jeff worked. Ernie was born 5 Apr. 1922 and the next year while Florence was pregnant she had to have her appendix out. On the 3rd of Dec 1923 she lost the baby boy at birth. They named him Jefferson Mikesell, Jr. The snow was deep that year near Victor and the ground frozen, so a grave could not be dug. Jeff built a box to put his baby boy in and placed it high in the barn rafters safe from critters. Florence thought she heard the baby crying for her.

Then Jeff went to work for his brother at the Black Bear Coal Mine. There Betty was born [private] 1925 and Jim on the 4 of Nov. 1927, although by then it was called Sam Idaho. Florence had a lot of trouble with Ernie because the miners taught him to swear. They had moved to Pocatello Idaho by the time Della Ann was born on the 21st of July 1931 and Thelma [private] 1934.

In 1938 she and Jeff had to leave their nice home in Pocatello Idaho when Jeff had an accident working for the railroad. His little finger was cut off. The railroad used that excuse to lay him off and it being the last years of the great depression, he could not find work there. Mary Mikesell Dean, Jeff's sister, found them an old run-down place near her on Mr. Kit Carson, north of Spokane, WA. Florence was pregnant with Leslie but the family made the train trip north. When they saw the dilapidated house, Florence sat down on on the dirt yard & cried. Soon she got up and went to work. They pasted old newspaper and magazine pages on the walls and made it into a home. Jeff went to work for $1 a day for the WPA a federal government program.

Florence spent the last two months of this pregnancy in the hospital. Leslie was the only one of her children not born at home. She was born [private]1938 and they soon moved into Spokane to a small house on South Freya St. then into a house at 424 S. Haven that was only $25 a month rent. It was a big house and Florence made a nice home there and often had company.

Florence and Jeff had joined the Reorganized Latter Day Saint Church by then and the family were active members. They lived 6 blocks from the church so could walk there. Jeff was custodian of the church building and Florence was Branch Historian and Women's Leader. She wasn't able to get an education and often spelled words the way they sounded but she once wrote a clever poem which she read at a church party, using the last names of all the church members. They often had visiting ministers of the church stay at their home. In her later years, Florence taught Sunday School preschool class. When the Church doors were open the Mikesell family were there. The house was always a gathering place for neighbors, church friends and family. She made many lasting friendships.

Photo booth photo 1936, Pocatello Idaho

During the 2nd World War, often visitors were sailors and soldiers from the bases around Spokane. Was it Florence's cooking or the Mikesell daughters, Betty and Della Ann that interested them? Ernie went in the service, then he and Betty both married. Florence was proud when Ernie was able to get a college education. Jim was in the Merchant Marines, then joined the army and later went one year to college and Della got married and had Jeff and Florence's first grandson. Florence saved her son's service money for them until they returned.

Florence remembered all the little poems and songs from her childhood and taught them to her children. One of our favorites was "Oh playmate, come out and play with me, And bring your dollies three, Climb up my apple tree. Shout down my rain barrel, Slide down my cellar door, And we'll be jolly friends, forever more." Also we liked "Up up in the sky, where the little birds fly. Down down in their nest, where the little birds rest. With a wing on the left and a wing on the right, let the poor birdies sleep all through the night. When the round sun comes up and the dew fades away, "Good morning bright sunshine", the little birds say." We all learned the motions that came with these little ditties.

The city bus ran near the house and one of Florence's favorite things to do was to go downtown window shopping and if we could afford it, split a giant milkshake for 15 cents, and come home. She loved movies and as they were cheap entertainment we would go once in awhile. By then there were only the two youngest, Thelma and Leslie at home. After Thelma went to live with Ernie in Oregon to finish high school and then got married to an Oregon boy, Florence would take Leslie to the race track on Sundays with some friends. She would buy a program and they'd make pretend bets. Hot dogs and soft drinks would be a treat and everyone always had a fun time. In 1952 with Jim's help we bought the first television set in the neighborhood. It was a large floor model, in black and white. Color didn't come until much later. Every evening we'd stare at the test pattern until a program, like the Milton Berl Show started. They broadcast only a couple hours a night at first. The house would be filled with neighbors, until one by one they bought their own sets.

Although her mother was born in Norway, because of ill health she couldn't teach Florence much about her heritage. In the late 1940s she joined the Sons of Norway in Spokane, and took the family to their activities. Florence was a plain but good cook and sewed for her girls. Not great at sewing at first, we wore dresses with one sleeve a little longer than the other. When Leslie turned 16 in 1954, there was a big party of young people and a special gift of a store bought blue felt skirt with a poodle on it and a cashmere sweater. Where the money for all this came from was a secret. Mom would always find a way. We always had a great Christmas with lots of gifts. We didn't know then that they weren't very expensive. There was always lots of family and wonderful food.

Florence had to work hard all her life. During World War II she worked at Galena, an army base, near Spokane WA., making parachutes and repairing leather bomber jackets. Florence also went to machinist school there. She took foster children into her home. She cleaned houses and did ironing for people. Some summers she picked tomatoes and strawberries at a produce farm. In 1950, we used the produce money for attending our church reunion near Seattle. She became a nanny for a little boy and became acquainted with a couple who said they would buy a motel if she would manage it for them.

About 1954 she became live-in manager of the "Blue Bird Motel" in Spokane, and did a great job until Jeff became ill with emphysema and tuberculosis [he was the motel handyman] in 1961. They then bought a small house in Spokane where she lived until after Jeff died in 1962.

Florence lived with her daughter Thelma and helped tend the children while Thelma attended nursing school. At another time she lived with her son Jim and then with daughter Della Ann. She loved to be with her grandchildren, especially the younger ones that she taught many cute songs.

Florence moved to a new retirement apartment where she enjoyed the many activities, especially card games. She made many craft projects for bazaars or to sell and got her daughters involved in the projects. She finished a beautiful white crocheted bedspread. She had crocheted many lovely doilies in her lifetime. Florence got to travel in those years, visiting her sisters & brothers in Idaho. She really enjoyed one travel group bus tour to the east and Canada.

Florence became ill with coronary artery disease, had angina and hardening of the arteries to the brain. She tried living with several of her children but she needed more care than they could provide. She was moved to a nursing home where Leslie found her restrained in a straight jacket. Her doctors gave her many medicines and did not evaluate what these were doing to her. She wanted to walk constantly. Sometimes she would hallucinate or not know her children and Della would have to convince the doctors to take most of the medicines away. Then Florence would be all right for awhile until she was given more medicines. It was a constant battle to keep them from over medicating her. She was quickly removed to a better Nursing Home.

When she began to fail her children all came to visit her. She was never told of Ernie's death in January 1976. On the morning of Nov. 30, 1976 a few weeks before her 76th birthday, the nurse woke her to get dressed for breakfast. When she didn't show up in the dining room they checked and found she had died in bed. Her daughters still miss her. * * *

Florence's Memorial page on findagrave.com

"My Dad Jeff Mikesell" by Leslie Mikesell Wood 

Jeff Mikesell biography

Allen and Mikesell photo albums