A piece of your heritage - Part 1

Submitted by Jerry Lee (Oliver) Turley

LAURA PHOEBE HAWS was born February 10, 1885 in Pima, AZ. When she was 6 months old, her polygamy parents took her to Mexico. Her father (William Wallace Haws) had 2 wives and children. The church had sent them to Arizona to colonize that area. When polygamy was outlawed in the U.S., he was told to go to Mexico. His older wife (Barbara Mills) told him to take the younger wife Martha Barrettand children and go to Mexico. She stayed in Arizona to work the farm with her sons who were old enough to help her.

Laura’s first home was a dugout, which they left after an earthquake in 1987. They camped under a pine tree in a tent until her father could build a log cabin. Laura remembers being very poor. They ate cornbread and Piloncello (a hard brown sugar), and a little milk when the cow was fresh. Sometimes they had mushroom soup when mushrooms could be found. Later they raised cane and had syrup. Eventually, they raised a garden and had their animals.
When they lived in the hills of Corrales and Kay Valley, trouble with Indians and the Mexicans were common and very frightening.
Laura was 10 when they moved to Pacheco, after her father’s death in 1895. There were nine children. Laura was the oldest girl, with 3 older brothers and 2 younger brothers and 3 younger sisters ranging in age from 16 to less than one year. She was a mother to them all. Even with such responsibilities, she was able to find time to get into trouble. She and 2 friends took a burro out to ride and they rode it a straddle. In those days, that was most unladylike and they were scolded about that. When her friends were herding calves on the hillside and she wanted to go, she got the buggy, bottles, and babies, and off she went. The girls were also got caught “lifting their skirts” and jumping stumps.

WARREN ELLIS HARDY was born January 26, 1883 in St. George, Utah.  When he was 9 years old, his father (Warren Hardy) died and his mother (Martha Aurelia Johnson) took him, 2 brothers and a sister to live with her family in Mesa.  After the death of his mother (which happened on the 29th of October 1900 when he was 17 yrs old), Warren was taken to Mexico to live with his Grandpa, Josiah Gile Hardy.  While living in Mexico, he worked on a farm and learned carpentry and blacksmith.  There isn't a lot of  information on Grandpa as a child and it has been said that he was not a very approachable man but that it was known that he did have a deep love for his family.

It has also been said that the first time he ever saw Grandma she was walking down the street with a group of girls and he was walking with a group of boys and as they passed eachother he said to his friends, "There is the girl I am going to marry".  Warren Ellis Hardy and Laura Phoebe Haws were married in Colonial Juarez, Mexico in 1906 after a courtship mostly by mail.  Laura and Warren’s first home was with Laura’s mother Martha, sleeping in a cellar. They eventually moved to a log cabin, which they partitioned off for a kitchen. Finally, after 4 children, they took time off for a honeymoon. They went on a hunting trip!
They had acquired a farm, orchard, and a blacksmith shop and they had 5 children when word came they had to leave Mexico. This was in 1912 and there was unrest in Mexico. Pancho Villa and his bandits were threatening lives. They were only allowed to take two small trunks, leaving all their possessions. The men stayed behind, sending the women and children ahead. Laura ended up in El Paso, Texas with the 5 children, along with about 2,000 other women and children. They lived in tents in the lumber yard for a while, then ended up in Mesa. Warren, who had stayed behind in Mexico, rode horseback to St. George, Utah trying to find his family. Months later they met in Mesa and finally ended up in Tucson, where their family increased by 8 more children. Warren was a blacksmith and a farmer. He and Laura raised their children in Tucson. They were both life-long members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Pictured Below-
Back Row, Maurine, Marie, Caleb, Charlie & Hattie
Middle Row, Zelda, Oliver, Martha & Elnora
Bottom Row, Ellis, Grandma, Laura & Grandpa (seated on laps) Bobby & George

Warren - Dad - Grandpa - Great-Grandpa - passed away November 10, 1956 at the age of 72.  He loved us all in his special way, mostly from his little house in the backyard.  As a grandchild (Jerry Lee speaking) we always felt deeply loved by him.

Laura - Grandma - Great-Grandma - passed away October 16, 1964  at the age of 79.  She had lots of love to give and she gave it all.  She cared for about 17 children, full and part time, her children, the grandchildren, and others she helped to care for.  She made them all feel very special.



Grandma started having the family come together for reunions in 1952.  The reunions started at Grandma and Grandpa’s home in Binghamton which is just outside of Tuscon at 3443 E. Lind.