Ruby Charlotte Thayne

1896 - 1997  (100 years)

• Name	Ruby Charlotte Thayne  [1]
  Born	15 Mar 1896	East Midvale, Salt Lake, Utah   [1]
  Gender	Female
  Died	10 Mar 1997	Murray, Salt Lake, Utah
  	HISTORY OF RUBY THAYNE March 15, 1896 - March 10, 1997 Ruby was born March 15, 1896 at East Midvale, Utah. She was born of pioneer ancestry through both father and mother lines, namely, her father, Moroni Thayne?s father was Ebenezer, born in Scotland, Renfrew near Glascow. He married Nancy Cunningham. He came here with the Mormon Pioneers by the way of Canada in 1861. On her mother?s line, Lavina?s mother, Charlotte Crocket, came from Herefordshire, England by the way of Liverpool when she was 18 with a handcart company of Mormon Pioneers in 1862. Ruby?s home was on ten acres of land near 7200 South and State Street. There was a creek out in front. Her father was a wonderful farmer. He planted apple trees, cherry trees, raspberries, strawberries, beets, Lucerne and later white Spanish onions. There was also a small burial ground there in the early days. That was permissible then. Grandma Nancy was buried there and also a younger sister of Ruby?s Father. When Ruby was 16 her folks left the small farm, renting it out. Their main idea was to get more land for the boys. So they went to Junction Valley in the northwest corner of Utah for eight years. They took up 320 acres of dry farm land and planted wheat after pulling sage brush. Ruby stayed with her sister Ethel. Eventually she wanted to go north to visit her parents. She stayed on all winter up there with them. There was no coal or electricity there. It was twenty-five miles north to the biggest store, Oakley, Idaho Her elder brother, Bill, was going to go to AC State College in Logan. She decided to go with him. She went up there and worked at the telephone office in Logan for two years (1917). Bill was specializing in agriculture and later ran an experimental college farm in north Farmington where her parents moved onto the same land into a house that was empty, where they resided until the lease was up on their homestead in East Midvale. Ruby had a great love of music and quite a sense of humor that helped her through the many trials and tribulations that life gave her. During the summer of 1920, Ruby went to a dance one evening where she met a young man, John Harold Worsley, whom she was instantly attracted to. He must have felt the same, for less than two weeks later they were married at the Salt Lake County Court House on Aug 29, 1920. They lived for a short time in Salt Lake but later moved to Farmington. After they were married, John Harold had a difficult time dealing with the pressures of marriage and holding down a job. Some of the effects of WWI shellshock were starting to have an impact on him. While living in Farmington, Ruby gave birth to a set of twin boys on May 5, 1921, LaVerl J and LaVon Harold Over the next few days, LaVon refused to nurse and grew weaker and weaker, finally passing away on May 25, 1921. After the birth of the twins, it became more and more apparent that John Harold was having problems dealing with the problems of day to day life. The doctors recommended to Ruby that she divorce him and get on with her life, as it was apparent to them that he would never be able to handle the pressure of married life and fatherhood. It was with much sadness that Ruby left John Harold after only eleven months of marriage. She later filed for divorce. This became effective December 23, 1922. She always said that he was the only husband that she ever loved. At this point Ruby and her young son returned to her parents? home in Midvale. Finally, some years later after a second marriage and divorce, John Harold?s parents had him admitted to the Veterans Hospital in Fort Collins, Co. Over the next seven years, Ruby helped on her fathers? farm and also obtained domestic work around the valley, leaving her son with her parents when necessary, in order to help provide for herself and her son. One evening, Ruby went to a dance and met a gentleman who was a widower with a fourteen year old son. The gentleman, Emmet E. Morriss was a plumber by trade. He said that he was having trouble with his business because he couldn?t both do the work and answer the phone. He was also in need of someone to cook (he must have mentioned that he had a chicken that needed cooking) and help take care of his son, E. Bernard. The next day, Ruby and her mother had an argument over something, and her brother Bill sided with their mother, and told Ruby to ?get out.? Ruby packed her things, took her son, called Emmet Morriss and asked if he was still looking for someone to cook that chicken. He came out and picked up Ruby and Jay. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on June 29, 1928. Both of Ruby?s sons, Jay and Harold were also sealed to Ruby and Emmet and took Emmet?s last name. Her son Jay, later changed his last name back to Worsley and his first and middle names to Jay LaVerl. While married to Emmet, about 1935, Ruby had the opportunity of joining the Tabernacle Choir. She was a member of the Choir for two and a half years under the leadership of Anthony Lund and Albert Southwick. She always looked upon that as one of the great accomplishments of her life. She even got to go with the Choir to San Diego, I believe to the World?s Fair. They were there ten days singing at Balboa Park, the Ford Bowl. During these years, the great Depression was taking its toll on Emmet Morriss?s business. Things came to a boiling point between him and Ruby and so he threw Ruby and Jay out. Ruby went to a friend?s home in Bountiful, Mary A. Stocks, who happened to be the Relief Society President there. She suggested that Ruby go back home and get a divorce and then return to Bountiful. She said she would help Ruby obtain a job, which she did. Ruby divorced Emmet January 3, 1939. Jay was 18 years old and joined the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) in Bountiful. At a Relief Society meeting Ruby and the other sisters were told that someone needed to go and help Herman Nielson in his house where the mother had died and left three children, the babe Raymond 2 years old, Lois 10, and Erma 12. So Ruby went and was married to Herman Nielson on October 17, 1942. It was a marriage of convenience. They never really lived as man and wife. Herman had the bedroom on the main floor, and Ruby had one of the bedrooms upstairs along with the children. Herman worked at Hillfield. After the War ended he turned to alcohol. At times he would become violent. Things came to a head one evening when she returned home. In his drunken state he pinned Ruby?s one arm against the wall and said, ?now you?re going to get it!? Herman?s little son, Raymond heard him and said, ?Dad, let her go,? and so he did. Ruby left Herman after being there eleven years and divorced him. He died about a year later of cancer. After leaving Bountiful, Ruby spent the rest of her life, until August 1976, living as domestic help in other people?s homes, or residing in one room apartments. She spent many years doing Temple and genealogy work. She inherited her father?s sense of humor and love of music. She sang in numerous choirs over the years. After spending many years in various one-room apartments, Ruby was notified in August of 1976 that her application had been accepted for an apartment at the senior housing center on 2nd East and 21st South. She was so excited. She thought she?d died and gone to heaven. She did however recognize it as a great blessing from her Father in Heaven and always gave credit to Him for this gift. Ruby lived there until she was 95 years old. Finally in 1991, she conceded that it was time for her to move into a care facility. In the summer of 1991, she moved into the Murray Care Center. On Wednesday March 13, 1985 her son, Jay LaVerl Worsley passed away. By this time, Ruby had been preceded in death by her parents, all of her brothers and sisters, both of her sons, and all three of her husbands. She joked that every time she passed a grave yard, she felt like she was apartment hunting. Her only request upon Jay?s death was that he not be buried on Friday March 15th, her birthday. He was buried March 16th. Ruby use to joke that one of the reasons she chose the Murray Care Center on Vine Street was because it was right next door to the mortuary and just up the street from the Murray cemetery. Ruby celebrated her 100th birthday the same year that Utah celebrated its centennial. The family had a party for her at the care center. She really enjoyed being the center of attention. That was on March 15, 1996. Later that year, on July 24th she was honored by Murray City, by having her ride in a convertible during the parade with signs on the car indicating that she was 100 years old. She was so proud. Over the next year, Ruby started showing more signs of her advanced age. She slept much of the time and grew weaker. Finally in the early evening of March 10, 1997, Ruby quietly slipped away in her sleep, just five days before her 101st birthday. A few days later, on March 13, 1997 her funeral was held at the Memorial Estates Mortuary, right next door to the Care Center, and she was buried at the Murray Cemetery, just like she had said would happen. ___________________________________________________________ Ruby Charlotte Thavne was horn on Mar. 15, 1896, in East Midvale, Utah, 7180 South State. She was the middle child'in a family or 10 children. These were: Moroni Leslie, Jane (died as a baby), Lavina Ethel, William James, Ruby Charlotte (after her Grandmother Charlotte Gough), Leona, Clifton Earl, Delbert Owen, Verla and Vera. Ruby had a happy childhood on the 10 acre farm where her father and mother Moroni and Lavina Thayne had built a big home and had a good garden, fruit trees and flowers. In Ruby's own words: "When I was about thirteen I walked a lot wherever I needed to go,and sometimes went by horse and buggy" We went up Union Avenue to church. I sang alto in my first choir. I walked with other girls to Midvale School where I graduated the 8th grade. After that we walked along the train tracks to Sandy High School. I only attended about 3 months then quit and went to Salt Lake to work for some nice lawyers. I did cooking and housework for $B a week and room and board. In 1913 my folks moved to a 320 acre homestead in Junction Valley in the northwest corner of the state, and I visited them often. I stayed with my brother Bill in Logan working for the Jenson Candy Company and the Telephone office. My first marriage was for love to John Harold Horsley. He was shell shocked in World War I and our marriage didn't last long. I gave birth to twin boys, one I living only two weeks, and the other I lived to be 65. My second marriage to Emmett E. Morris ended in divorce. I was asked by Sister Stocks of the Relief Society to go keep house for a man in Bountiful. Herman Nielson who had three motherless little children. I married and I felt that I did a good job raising his children. After he died his children moved to California and through the years I have only seen them occasionally, but I was blessed for going into that home. In about 1935 I joined the Tabernacle Choir. I sang alto and it was such a wonderful time for me. Went on a trip to San Diego which I will never forqet." (End quote) I found some words to a song that Ruby liked to sing: "When I was a boy in the old plantation down by the down by the deep blue sea. The fairest sport in all creation was swinging in the grape vine swing. Chorus: Swinging on the grape vine swing (repeated) Laughing where the wild birds sing I dream and sigh for the days gone by" Chorus: Swinging on the grape vine swing."
  Person ID	I1629	Grow
  Last Modified	11 Jul 2016

  
  

  Family	Emmett Elric Morriss,   b. 23 Jul 1881, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah ,   d. 01 Jan 1947, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah  (Age 65 years)
  Married	29 Jun 1928	Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah
  Last Modified	11 Jul 2016
  Family ID	F471	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 15 Mar 1896 - East Midvale, Salt Lake, Utah Married - 29 Jun 1928 - Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah Died - 10 Mar 1997 - Murray, Salt Lake, Utah  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

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  Ruby Charlotte Thayne

  
  

• Sources

  [S78] 1930 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, (Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2002.Original data - United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626;), Year: 1930; Census Place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah; Roll: 2418; Page: 17A; Enumeration District: 13; Image: 1770.0. Birth date: abt 1897 Birth place: Residence date: 1930 Residence place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah