Additional Information: The Burley South Idaho Press article lists his mother as Naomi Mitchell which is incorrect.
"The 17the of March was the biggest day of the year in Malta, everyone looked forward to it. For that was the day the Relief Society put on a big supper and dance, the whole community was always invited. At that time, 1910-1922, Martha Hutchsion was the president and she saw to it that everyone had a good time and would want to come back the next St. Patrick's Day. Her husband, Robert, called the dances from the little book he had just for that purpose, and the ladies put on the feast," recalled Myrtle Winchester Hutchison, their daughter-in-law, who married their son, Garrett.
ROBERT NISH HUTCHISON. From an old tin type photo.
Martha Jane and Robert Nish Hutchison came to Malta in 1906 from Sublett. They came to Sublett in 1884, where Robert operated a freight line into Utah from Sublett. This is where he brought his bride, Martha Jane Lloyd, after their wedding Dec. 16, 1884. Both were born in Spanish Fork, Utah; Martha, the daughter of Celia Thomas and Thomas Lloyd, was born Aug. 28, 1861, and Robert, the son of Naomi Mitchell* and David Hutchison, was born Nov. 29, 1860.
"There were eight of us children, David, Cecilia, Agnes, myself (Martha Jane, but they call me Jennie), Robert Lloyd, Garrett and Annie. We were all born at Sublett, delivered by Mrs. Powers, the midwife, " explained Jennie.
"Dad was a wonderful man, always gentle and kind, " said Jennie, and Myrtle agreed, "Yes, and I never saw him angry—never," Jennie continued. "He taught us never to go in debt, and I never have.
HUTCHISON FAMILY, Top, left to right, Ceilia Parke, Robert, David, Agnes Rice and Lloyd; front, Annie Mitchell, Martha Jane (Jennie) Hitt, Father Robert, Mother Martha Jane (Lloyd) and Garrett.
Jennie and Garrett liked to work with their Dad out in the fields. "I drove the derrick horse for him and also handled 12 head of horses while threshing when we moved to the Malta Valley. YA-HA!" she said as she explained the yell used to get the horses moving. "Sometimes their pay was chickens or whatever the family could afford," added Myrtle. "In 1916 they bought a granary and everyone donated wheat. It was sold to help the soldiers in the first World War. They also planted an acre of potatoes in 1917 and sold them for the same purpose.
"When we lived at Sublett," Jennie said, "we ran 50 head of cattle. Dad fed sheep for Jack Mortinson. He also freighted from Kelton, Utah, for Leonard Connat, who owned a store and dance hall.
"What fun we had at the dances. The folks always brought their babies, we didn't have babysitters in those days. The babies and children were tuck into bunk bed at the dance hall. Every mother knew her baby's cry and would care for it, the rest of the dancers paid not attention. The children usually slept through the music. At midnight we would have a midnight supper," remembered Jennie.
The following story was told by Martha Hutchison before her death in 1949 (Robert died in 1926).
"The day before Christmas we would do most of our cooking so it would be ready to fill our baskets or dishpans to take with us the next day. Some of the men folks would go to the hills and get a nice tall Christmas tree. Then the women and children would pop and string corn and make paper chains, etc., to trim it with.
"Christmas morning we would get up early so that all the chores could be taken care of. The men would put out enough hay for the stock and turn the calves with the cows so we wouldn't have to be bothered with chores the rest of the day.
"Then we would hitch up the old team, sometimes to the wagon and sometimes to the bobsleigh, depending upon the amount of snow we had. We next put the children and baskets of food in and away we went to the little old school house.
"One of the first things we did after arriving was to trim the tree with our homemade trimmings and a little gift for each child, many of these were also homemade. Then we had dinner, everyone eating together. And what a jolly time we had. When dinner was cleared away we had a program in which everyone took part, big and little. Then Robert Hutchison chorded on the organ and his brother Joe played the fiddle. What fun the children did have.