- Written by her daughter Luella Owen Lambert -

My mother Mary Abigail Grow Owen was born March 27th, 1866 at Huntsville, Utah, Weber County, daughter of William Moyer and Esther Hunt Coffin Grow. Her early life was spent in Huntsville, Utah. Also she was personally acquainted with President David O. McKay of the L.D.S. church, as he played as a boy with her brothers. She kept in touch with him during her life, seeing him at conference and other places. She sent her oldest son Charles to the Weber Academy, while David O. McKay was the principle there.

Her parents moved to Camas, Idaho. It was there she met Joseph Henry Owen, an engineer on the railroad at the time. They fell in love and was married August 5, 1883.

Their first child Joseph William was born in Beaver Canyon, being born prematurely and lived only a short while, death occurred a few minutes after father gave him a name.

Two more children were born in Camas, Mary Ethel and Charles Henry. They moved to a farm at what is now known as Ammon, Idaho. Here six children were born, two died young, Zella Abigail, born 23 August 1899 and died 11 December 1890 of Summer Complaint (infant diarreha), James Victor, born July 24, 1891 died 28 February 1892 of Scarlet Fever. Their father died after a short illness, leaving mother with six children. (He had been lifting bags of wheat for spring planting which must have ruptured a vessel. He ate a hardy supper and went to bed and did not wake up. He died of a Cerebral Hemorrahage forty-eight hours later - Marcia Nelson)

Mother and father had been planning on moving to Ogden, Utah, in fact father had bought a home there near the home of his parents on Cross St., so after fathers death mother decided to move there and live.

Here another child, Goldie Alverda was born, five months after death, after spending the winter there, mother decided to move back to Ammon Idaho. Which she did in the Spring of 1903.

Mother worked hard, taking care of her family, she also worked in the church. She was President of the Young Ladies M.I.A for a few years. She served on the Old Folks Committee. She sent three of her family on L.D.S. Missions.

Her youngest child, Goldie Alverda was in the Mission field at the time of her death, which occurred January 1924 at Idaho Falls, Idaho. She was buried in the Ammon Idaho Cemetery beside my father and two children. The oldest child was buried in Camas.

In the fall of 1910, mother began moving each fall to Logan, Utah so her children could attend the Brigham Young College, which is now known as the Utah State College. She would return to Ammon Idaho as soon as school was out in the spring, sxcept for the spring of 1914 when she and daughter Lois stayed at Ogden, Utah with her mother-in-law for her father-in-law having passed away that spring.

Mother moved back and forth for about nine years, she worked in the Logan Temple, doing work for the dead, along with some research with her Cousin Mary Garner.

Several families from Ammon, Idaho arranged with mother to have their sons and daughters stay there with her at Logan, sometimes two and three at a time, so mother worked very hard those years. One year she took a one of her brothers, David Grow treating him with love and kindness along with her own children.

Mother was a excellent cook, her pies especially being the very best. She was a good neighbor and was active all her life in church work. She died in Idaho Falls in 1924 January 10th was buried in the Ammon Idaho Cemetery by her dear husband and two children.