Autobiographical Life Story of Ethel Irene Sears
Source:
"LIFE of ETHEL IRENE SEARS (as written by herself)", was found in privately published history of Henry Herriman Hintze distributed in July 2005 at a Henry Hintze family reunion held in Copperton, Utah.
I was born May 24, 1888 at the family home 756 E. 2 South being the eleventh
child of Isasc and Sarah Jane Gailey Sears. Here my life was ever happy
and pleasant. 
the only real sorrow that
came to me as a child being the
death of my sister Etta, whom we all loved so very much. I was eleven when
she died and after these thirty five years I remember her as thought I had seen
her only yesterday. She had often taken me to her home during her happy
married life which was cut short after only eight months of happiness. I
have never seen a happier person in my life than she was all her life which no
doubt accounts for the memories I have of her. Seeing her laid away so
beautiful with her baby girl on her arm seemed almost more than we could bear.
As I remember my early life, it seems that I received more enjoyment through
my visits to the homes of my married sisters, playing with their children as
there was only one at home younger than I. My visits in the home of my
sister Drucilla (Howard) have always stood out as the happy days of childhood,
for she was always going to a lot of trouble putting up lunches that we would
take out among the trees to eat, often taking long walks where she taught me
many of the mysteries of life that my mother was very shy about talking about.
I well remember while visiting her in Sandy that she and I rode as far as Union,
a distance of about five miles expecting to stop and pick black currants there,
while the boy (John's brother) drove on to Salt Lake. He was to pick us up
on the return trip. As the afternoon cam Drucilla became sick. Getting a
ride home with a neighbor I was left to meet the boy and bring home the berries.
I'll never forget how frightened I was on that lonely road so far away from any
one I knew, and as it began to get dark how I crawled back in the bushes and
prayed to God to protect me and bring the boy along soon to take me home again.
Oh, the peace and joy that came in answer to my prayer for I wasn't afraid any
more. how thankful I am to my parents that they taught me to pray. I
wasn't long until I was safe in Drucilla's home again where shortly a darling
baby was born to her. How happy I was to be there with her.
What little education I have, I received in the Bryant School and the U. of
U. Training School, my father and mother were always very kind and considerate
of their children's welfare and did all they could to help us get all we could
out of the opportunities then available. They often make sacrifices I
know, so that I might
have care fare and lunch money. I don't remember
being refused anything I asked for. When I wanted a new dress or shoes
mother would say, "go down and see your father about it." Father had a
seed and grain store on 1st South. I would go down there and wait until he
wasn't busy then tell him what I came for. I know I would remember if I
was refused for my husband tells me even now that when I want anything I want
it, and usually have a way of getting it. So I guess that fault has
remained with me.
When I was seventeen I went to work as a telephone operator where I made very dear friends, among them being the Dean girls, Edith, Bessie, Florence Robinson, and Ella Crowton. It was while working there that I met my sweetheart who became my husband when I was nineteen. It was customary in those days for the young people of the ward to gather at the home of one of their members after Sunday evening church. It was in December 1906 that a new young man was in the choir with Ferd Hintze and we girls were all viewing each other as to who would capture him for the evening. He had a ring on his finger and we all decided it must be a gift from his girl friend, but anyway he was invited to spend the evening at the Cushing home where he and I kinds paired off and from then on went together and were married October, 31, 1907. His name was Henry Herriman Hintze.
We lived in three rooms of father's home for four years. Here our two
boys Harold
and Eugene were born and we were indeed proud, happy parents.
Henry was working on he street car as conductor. When Eugene was four
months old we moved to Tremonton on Dr. Stauffer's place where we remained for
just one year. It was here that we became life friends with Bert and
Geneva Garfield, he and Henry working in the Sunday school together and later
being called as counselors to the presiding Elder. From Tremonton we moved
back to Holladay after spending six months in the Moapa Valley with Grandpa
Hintze who had been called there by the church to rehabilitate the saints who
had been driven out of Mexico. here I must make mention of a dear friend
Patience Lee with whom we became closely associated.
From Holladay, we moved to Bueno Avenue in Salt Lake with our two little boys and from there to Aunt Minnie Vinson's plane on 9th East and 21st South. Henry had worked for Mutual Creamery and was now with Z.C.M.I. in the delivery department. we lived here until the spring of 1917 having had a family increase of two, Wayne who was born September 12, 1914, and Mary Jane who was born July 13, 1916. We became acquainted with a Bishop Will Hansen who thought it a good move for us to go on a farm in Hinckley, Utah. So we in company with Henry's sister Flora and my brother Roy, who had one child at the time, went there to try our luck at farming, which experience proved to e a financial failure, as the place we located on which had been praised highly by those who knew better, proved to be water logged and we lost everything we put into it, not even getting our seed back. Roy and flora stayed just the one year, but we stayed another year, Henry working for Mary E. Lee and others when we decided to move back to Salt Lake. this was the time of the terrible Flu epidemic and we did indeed have quite a struggle pulling through that terrible winter. I was expecting a baby and had gone to stay with my mother, where I had the flu, and my husband and all our family and his mother's family, where they were staying, were all sick at the same time. Many all around were dying, among them being Gather's sister Fernanda, but God was good to us and we were all restored to health and strength. Another son Henry, was born February 11, 1919, and because of my having been so sick, was rather a delicate child, but we are so happy that he lived for he is a fine boy and has filled a mission for the church and we do feel grateful to our Heavenly Father for his many blessings unto us.
We lived in Holladay until 1921, when we decided to one more try farming as we now had five boys and a girl, Alan having been born in 1920, November 20. We moved to Elberta, Utah, still on the advise of William A. Hansen who made promises of building us a nice home etc. but who failed to make good his promises. Perhaps not by his own will, but through being over confident in his ability, at any rate, we tried through all the years of our residence there to get a home for ourselves and family, but with all of our hard work we still find ourselves without a home. Our family increased to eleven, nine boys and two girls, Keith September 5, 1922, Lyle April 26, 1925, Wendell October 3, 1926 who died at six weeks of age, Janis October 17, 1927 and Ray July 17, 1931.
While we have failed in gathering around us the riches of the earth, we feel rich in family and friends and our family are rich in integrity and love for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, whose principals we have endeavored to instill into their hearts and tried to make them see the necessity of living worthy of the blessings of our Heavenly Father at all times. My husband has always tried to put the serving of God first in his life above everything else and I pay him tribute at this time that he has made me happy and has been all that I could ask of anyone in his devotion to me and to our family. He served as the first Bishop of Elberta Ward for five years, previous to which he was a counselor to the presiding Elder of the branch, who was O. A. Penrod. We have sent two of the boys, Eugene and Henry in to the Mission field and others would have gone I am sure if it hadn't been that they served uncle Sam for from four to two years in the terrible war that has just ended. Wayne, Henry, Alan, Keith, and Lyle all served their part in bringing peace into the war torn world. At this time we are getting Lyle ready to answer a call to preach the Gospel in Denmark. may God grant him His spirit that he may fulfill an honorable mission and bring some soul into the Church.
We moved from Elberta into the Taylorsville Ward in 1935 and at resent are still in that ward. We love it here and with the help of our heavenly Father I would like to spend the remainder of my life right here where I can work in the temple and do what little bit I can do to build up the Kingdom of God on the earth.
Just for the benefit of my children, I write of my church activities along with the others, so that they may know that I did do something outside the home. I worked as Sunday School Secretary, Primary teacher and counselor to the president. As counselor in the ward Relief Society in Elberta for Twelve years and as counselor in the Tintic Stake Relief Society for a year and half. Here in Taylorsville, I was in the ward Relief Society Presidency for a while, in the choir, and am now a visiting teacher and class leader in the Relief Society. Father is now in the Stake High Counsel having direct charge of the genealogical work. I am also Theology Class leaser, and receive much joy and satisfaction in this service. we are at the present time making another attempt at building a home. I failed to mention that twice during our sojourn in Elberta, our home was burned to the ground, and everything destroyed, but we do feel so grateful that the lives of our children were spared as they all narrowly escaped in the last fire in 1931.
We completed a basement on a piece of property at 4950 Redwood Road and finished it inside where we are comfortably living. Lyle has been in the mission field one year enjoying his labors very much.
Ray, our youngest boy, is now in the armed service, serving in Nordberg, Germany. his wife, formally Dawna Howlett, is with him there where they have adopted a baby girl, whom they have name Katherine and call Kathy. On September 4, 1957, while still in Germany, Ray and Dawna were blessed with a baby girl who lived only a few days. They named her Peggy Ann.
On May 23, 1951, I realized a blessing I have longed for many years. I
together with my husband were set apart by President Burton, as an ordinance
worker in the Salt Lake Temple, a wonderful birthday gift, as it came just the
evening before my 63 birthday. Sincerely hope and pray that the blessing
given me will indeed be answered and that I may enjoy health and happiness in
the Temple.
On September 1, 1959, we finally completed and moved into a new home on top of our basement which we are enjoying very much.
