Emma Jane (Hubbard) McBride (1892 - 1973)

Born 7 Apr 1892 in Pima, Graham, Arizona, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Don Carlos McBride — married 11 Jun 1914 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, USA

Descendants

Died 18 Jul 1973 at age 81 in El Monte, Los Angeles, California, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Deb Durham [send private message]

Biography

• Fact: census (1900)
• Fact: Residence (1930) Graham, Arizona
• Fact: Burial (21 July 1973) Pima City Cemetery, Pima, Graham, Arizona, United States
• Fact: http://familysearch.org/v1/LifeSketch Emma Jane Hubbard was born on April 7, 1892 in Pima, Graham county, Arizona. Shortly after her birth, her family moved across the Gila River, only a short distance, to what was later known as Hubbard, Arizona, named for her father.

Emma was the fifth child of twelve children of her father, Elisha Freeman Hubbard and her mother, Almera Wilson Hubbard. The child born just preceding her, Rebecca, died soon after birth.

Her father had another wife before he married Almera Wilson, whose name was Agnes Archibald, and he and this wife, also had children.

The following was written by Emma Jane Hubbard McBride on March 27, 1935:

“Our lives were very much like most children's are--work and play with some schooling. We lived on a farm and milked cows, fed pigs, harvested hay and grain. Also, my father owned a thresher and threshed grain all over the valley. That made a good deal of work for all, especially for the older boys, Moore and Paul. Mother and Minnie (my oldest sister), were brought in on the labor also, for if it rained or the thresher got broke, the threshing crew was at our home, and, oh, my, the cooking that had to be done. We youngsters had some pretty good times, too. There was more cake, more pie for us, for somehow, we got to share. How our parents kept us all filled, I don't know, but they managed to do it. Little did we know the sacrifices they made, and all we can do to repay them is to live good, do as much good as we can and as little harm, make our parents glad they stayed true to the trust given them, that of rearing so many, 7 boys and 5 girls. Becky, however, died when a baby, September 12, 1891. The rest grew to be quite good sized children--eleven of us. How our parents took care of us and did as well as they did with us, I don't know.

“At first, when we were small, if we went to anything, we had to go to Pima, but soon enough people settled there (Hubbard) to start a school The town was named Hubbard, as with our family and my elder brother, Free Hubbard's family, there were so many they decided to name it for the most population. (Free Hubbard was the son of Elisha Freeman Hubbard and Agnes Archibald, my grandfather's first wife noted earlier. The preceding sentence is my, Willard C. McBride's, note of explanation.) In the first school, thirteen was the number, not many compared to the number now with more than thirty to a class even; but we learned and a had a good time anyhow, climbing the foothills and sliding down them, making play houses in the mesquites in Wests' field, and playing ball, dareline, and stealsticks was our pasttime at recess and noon. The first year, the older children (two) were appointed to clean the house and get drinking water. This water was brought from the big ditch in a bucket then. I remember that rusty old dipper we all drank from. When through, it was dropped in the bucket, sometimes slobbers and all, for it wasn't very funny to carry the water, so we must not waste it. But that water tasted good as soda water or other fancy drinks we get now. If we got it fresh, it was plenty cool, and if it had run through Wests' field where herds of stock watered, never mind, though there wasn't ever anything wrong with the kids, and if anyone would have told us people were cut open, a poison appendix taken and out and sewed up in eleven minutes, well, we would have tried to swallow a lizard or something to try to see how it seemed. But ignorance is bliss, so let it stay that way. For it is not only folly but inconvenient to be wise sometimes.

“The Hubbard Ward was organized with my father being made Bishop. Here came added responsibilities for all, especially my father and mother. In due time, Sunday School and Primary were organized. This brought in all who would work. But that is the thing about these small wards, everyone who will has opportunities--young girls twelve years of age were chosen to be Primary and Sunday School teachers. It develops leadership. Life moved along. Finally, the ward was reorganized--someone else put in as Bishop. But there was always plenty to do, thanks to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It gives us all jobs.

“I met the recently widowed Don Carlos McBride, who already had three children. I lived in the Hubbard Ward all my life, up to then, and helped in the home ward as most of the young folk did then. One Sunday in June of 1913, I went to church as usual, noticed we had stake officers visiting the ward. During the meeting, a man, one of the stake visitors, came down in the audience to speak with me. I was surprised that he came to me.

“Some of my friends thought he was asking me to keep house for him, as he had three motherless children to care for, but he had asked the Bishop to appoint a genealogical representative in the ward. The Bishop had told him there was a Sister Hubbard he believed would be all right, and told him to talk to her about it as he, the Bishop, did not understand about it himself. So that was my first introduction to Don C. McBride. I knew him when I saw him and had for a long time, but he never even knew I existed. He, as a stake officer, and I, as a ward officer, became quite well acquainted, and by December, 1913, were planning to get married.

“Then through a little misunderstanding we quit keeping company for about two months. I surely found I wanted him, and he said he was convinced he needed and wanted me. We finally put our pride in our pocket and made up. I might say that was our last trouble or misunderstanding. We came to know each other better every day and became nearer to each other until it seemed he knew my desires and I his before we mentioned them to one another and acted accordingly. On June 6, 1914, we boarded the train to go to Salt Lake City, Utah to be married in the Salt Lake Temple. We were married June 11, 1914.”

“We had a lovely trip. We visited many places of interest in the city, went out to Sandy and visited Don's brother, Bert, and family and when we started home came by Santaquinn, Utah, Don's birthplace and visited his uncles, Jim and Ed Clark.

“We also went to Goshen and visited my mother's sister, Ellen Steele. Fannie was a little girl, five years old. She was with us. We enjoyed her cute sayings and actions so much. We were always sorry that we did not take Mildred, but we didn't know enough to do so, I suppose.

“In July we returned home on the train one warm afternoon. Donald and Mildred, (Don's other two children) were at the station to meet us. We borrowed a buggy and came to Don's home. It was a very happy family. That night we bought bread and milked the cow, had some supper, cleaned up the dishes.

“The children all helped to do everything, and we always worked congenially and happy together ever after. Grandma Nuttall (La Preal's mother--LaPreal was Don McBride's first wife) and her girls came in the evening for a while and welcomed me in the family. They were always nice to me, which I appreciated very much, for they might have made things very unpleasant for me had they wanted to do so.

“That first night before we went to bed, Fannie was sitting on her Papa's lap, and I was fixing things and getting the beds ready. Fannie said, ‘Papa, let's always stay home now and never, never move again.’ Her papa told her with tears in his eyes that Aunt Emma (the name Fannie, Mildred, and Donald called me) was going to make a home for us and if they would be nice, she would always stay and do the best she could to be a mother in the home.

“I must say that they all did everything they could to do their part. I never can express how glad I am I have had the opportunity of being blest with them as children. They have expressed their love for me. Mildred gave me a present when she first earned her money and gave a little message like this: ‘To the noblest and best mother I ever knew.’"

Sources

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 30 March 2017, 18:33), entry for Emma Jane Hubbard(PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:KW84-XQP); contributed by various users.