Nancy Emeline Rich Pugmire
By Nancy Pugmire in 1929 and listed in the History of Bear Lake Pioneers
I was born February 19, 1954 in San Bernardino, California and came to Utah when I was four months old. I lived at Centerville Utah until I was ten, then came to Bear Lake Valley with my parents in 1864. (daughter of Charles Coulson Rich and Emmeline Grover) I attended school about three months each year until I was fourteen years old, then specialized in telegraphy. I was one of the first operators in Bear Lake and received the first message that ever came over the wires to Paris.
I was married to Vincent McKay Pugmire (son of Jonathan Pugmire and Elizabeth McKay) on October 7, 1878 by Daniel H Wells in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City and we moved to St Charles. For about fifteen years I was engaged in general housewife duties and assisted in the work of the ward activities where I lived. When my eldest son (Vincent) was fourteen years old, my husband was called on an LDS mission t the Southern States. he died October 27, 1888 in less than a year with malaria fever at Coffee County, Alabama and left me with six boys, the youngest being born after my husband left for his mission and the oldest one fifteen years old. The body reached home for funeral services and burial on November 8, 1888.
Our earthly possessions consisted of a small farm and a few head of cattle. I taught school, worked in a store, had the post office for a few years, took in sewing and did anything I could to help support my children. I gave each of my boys a college education, sent four of them on missions for the LDS Church, two to England, one to Scotland and one to the Southern States. I educated two for doctors, tow for farmers and two for ranchers. During all of those years I was a church worker for various organizations.
I was first counselor to Amy E Laker in the Paris First Ward MIA in Bear Lake at St Charles from 1875 until 1879. Later I was Made stake counselor of the Bear Lake Stake YWMIA which position I held for twenty-nine years. At that time the stake extended to Woodruff on the south, Soda Springs on the north and Star Valley on the east. There were about twenty ward organizations which we tried ti visit twice a year. To do this we had to travel two or three hundred miles often driving our own team with a baby in arms. Quite often in the winter we were overtaken by severe storms, wind and drifting snow on very poor roads. More than once we came near being snowbound and nearly frozen.
On December 4, 1907, I was released as president of the state YWMIA and was called to serve as president of the Bear Lake Relief Society, which position I held until I was released at my own request, June 6, 1914. I also served as a trustee for the Idaho Industrial School at St Anthony for four years. In 1908, while I was President of the Stake Relief Society, we built a nice two room home where the sisters could go to rest while waiting for meetings in Paris. it was given the name of Unity Cottage.
In 1920 Bear Lake built a summer home for the girls of the stake. As chairman of the building committee I made a request of President Heber J Grant for a contribution to assist in building the home. He promptly sent us a contribution for $500.
In my younger years I did a lot of visiting the sick, making burial clothes, trimming coffins and assisting in laying out the dead. I have tried to live the life of a consistent Latter-day Saint and can truthfully say there is not an act of my life that I would hate to have uncovered before my children. Of late years my happiness has been chiefly in my own home. I received much joy writing poetry, featuring unusual events in Bear Lake.
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No special occasion such as a holiday, wedding, birth or funeral ever passed without being commemorated by one of her poems which are treasured by all who received them. Aunt Nancy, as she was familiarly called died 11 Jan 1939 and was buried in St Charles Cemetery.
Children of Vincent McKay Pugmire and Nancy Emeline Rich
1. Vincent Rich Pugmire b-4 Oct 1874 in St
Charles; d-25 Apr 1950
2. Leroy Rich Pugmire 8 Feb 1877 in St Charles; d-2 Dec 1952
3. Charles Coulson Pugmire b-7 July 1880 in St Charles; d-20 Nov 1953
4. Jonathan Rich Pugmire b-28 June 1883 in St Charles; d-19 Apr 1960 in Logan
Utah
5. Landon Rich Pugmire b-25 Feb 1886 in St Charles; d-27 Aug 1952 in Montpelier
6. James Rich Pugmire b-25 Sep 1888 in St Charles; d-24 Feb 1925 in Montpelier